Getting a MacBook Pro

[McreativeH]

Hey guys,

this is my first post here and I am getting a MacBook Pro 13 inch, I have compiled a list of applications from reading threads in this site and was curious as to whether anyone had alternatives to the ones listed. I would also like to ask would it be better to get a sleeve or a hard case?

Here is the list of apps and the reason I need them

iProcrastinate - Keep track of college tasks (also install on iPhone and sync with Dropbox)
Self Control - Blocks YouTube, Game Sites, Twitter, Facebook etc. when doing tasks)
Dropbox - Use to upload School files and sync iProcrastinate
iWorks or Microsoft Office - Not sure which is better yet but for basic college work
Skype - Because communication is key
Delocalizer - Remove 200mb of space from unused languages
VLC - Due to it supporting so many vide file types
Synergy - Listen to music and change track etc. in the menu rather than opening iTunes
xCode - For Programming
AppZapper - For removing apps
Adobe Photoshop - For graphic design
Adobe Illustrator - Also for graphic design
Adobe Dreamweaver - For website development
Maya - For 3D design

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[Dave Braine]

Perian: will allow most video formats to be played using Quicktime. Although development has stopped, it's still available. Scroll down the page:
http://perian.org/

iWork is great, but you may have problems with some MS docs. Instead of MS Office, have a look at OpenOffice, NeoOffice and LibreOffice. All free and all based around the same source code:
http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

[McreativeH]

Originally Posted by Dave Braine

Perian: will allow most video formats to be played using Quicktime. Although development has stopped, it's still available. Scroll down the page:
http://perian.org/

iWork is great, but you may have problems with some MS docs. Instead of MS Office, have a look at OpenOffice, NeoOffice and LibreOffice. All free and all based around the same source code:
http://www.openoffice.org/porting/mac/
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/index.php
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/

Awesome thanks for the help will take a look at the 3 open source ones you suggested in my current Windows laptop while I wait for the MacBook to arrive and.figure out which i like best

[takeshi74]

Originally Posted by McreativeH

I would also like to ask would it be better to get a sleeve or a hard case?

First, preference plays a big role and we can't answer that aspect of your question for you. Second, depends on what you specifically mean by "better". Don't just assume that your notion of better is universal. Better in what ways? If one was clearly better to everyone then all MBP users would use that option. It's the same as any other topic, really -- including software. Better isn't a one-size-fits-all matter no matter what the topic.

Have you used any of the apps above? What preferences do you have that would help narrow it down to one option or the other?

[DoctorCrap]

Firstly,
Hard case. Because a Mac is densed and when it's a Macbook Pro. Quite densed
so...

Applications like
Adobe... You may want to use Apple applications such as Aperture, Final Cut Pro.
For Adobe Dreamweaver, if you are not a user of the split design view, you may want to consider Coda 2. It is an amazing coding application.

For 3D CAD, AutoCAD 2013 but I warn you it is a ****** load of lag which is not due to your Mac but the application itself.

iWork is the better option. Keynote is an obvious winner among the Microsoft programs. Pages is better than Microsoft Word, in terms of user-friendliness and RAM consumption (less lag on Pages). Numbers and Microsoft Excel are nearly the same but I would prefer Numbers because it looks more Mac-like.

[old-wiz]

don;t waste your time with appzapper. These apps do not remove everything and can easily remove too much and leave a mess.

[McreativeH]

Originally Posted by takeshi74

Have you used any of the apps above? What preferences do you have that would help narrow it down to one option or the other?

I have used MS Office my whole life but realise that there are probably other apps that are similar but run much better on Mac, I have also used all of the Adobe programs and AutoDesk before. Also the apps I said that were not MS Office and iWorks or Adobe, I will be using because I have read/watched reviews of the apps and think they will be very useful for what I need them for

----------

Originally Posted by DoctorCrap

Firstly,
Hard case. Because a Mac is densed and when it's a Macbook Pro. Quite densed
so...

Applications like
Adobe... You may want to use Apple applications such as Aperture, Final Cut Pro.
For Adobe Dreamweaver, if you are not a user of the split design view, you may want to consider Coda 2. It is an amazing coding application.

I am getting the Adobe ones due to about 3 years of experience with them and I feel comfortable using them