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Also, Virtualization isn't what it used to be. With today's multi-core processors with VT extensions you can get near native performance to everything but graphics.

The graphics performance is what hits me the most with fedora 15. I'm used to running fedora in a VM but I don't get the same experience now because of the eye candy they implemented in gnome.

I may bite the bullet and install fedora 15 on a bootcamp partition instead of windows. I'm very happy with running win7 inside vmware. I miss using fedora on my MBP
 
When someone writes a wall of text like that I just skip passed it and move on. It's too much of a headache trying to decipher what's being said. ;). :rolleyes:

You're not the OP so you don't need to read anything.

What do separations matter if you're going to read it anyway?
 
I apologise for the lack of responses. I was in an internet-free zone yesterday. I am back to answer those who replied to me. :)

Again, define serious music editing. Your own music? Existing WAV/MP3s? ... You might be surprised as to what the iPad can do.

I intend to do mainly 3 kinds of work:

a) Backing tracks of Jazz Standards (Bass, Drums, Elec Guitars, Piano, Saxophones, and so on)

b) Full Orchestra Works

c) Electronic Music


Considering the kind of detail I intend to go into, I doubt the iPad interface would suit my needs.

I certainly wouldn't use it without a separate KB for document creation, but it is definitely more capable than the Linux machine I wrote my doctoral dissertation on. So it should handle your Master's.

B


Unfortunately, I do a lot of Office work on my laptop. It is not just writing word files, but also powerpoint ones, excell, SPSS, and some other computer-only pieces of software, researching and handling with multiple medical articles or eBooks at a time... I had the option to keep an iPad 2 some weeks ago (won it on a contest) but I decided to sell it and put the money towards my future laptop. While I want an iPad eventually, I think it's more oriented towards content consumption than content creation, and unfortunately my needs cover both of those. If I am going to spend money, I want to be fully satisfied, and I know the iPad 2 wouldn't satisfy me fully.


As for trying out Linux, I will try it out even today, but I doubt I will want a Linux-only machine. I don't want to take the risk of having my laptop uncapable of doing something because of OS (for example, related to specific medical software).

I think you have your answer of Mac or Windows!

There is music software too on Windows, so while this makes the balance go towards OS X, it still isn't a definitive point.
 
Unfortunately, I do a lot of Office work on my laptop. It is not just writing word files, but also powerpoint ones, excell,

iWork & LibreOffice.

SPSS, and some other computer-only pieces of software,

R (see previous post).

What other software?

researching and handling with multiple medical articles or eBooks at a time...

BibDesk.

As for trying out Linux, I will try it out even today, but I doubt I will want a Linux-only machine. I don't want to take the risk of having my laptop uncapable of doing something because of OS (for example, related to specific medical software).

Bibus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_open_source_healthcare_software

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Open_Source_Bioinformatics_software

In terms of audio software:

http://www.jokosher.org/ -> Linux alternative to GarageBand

https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/List_of_Linux_audio_software
 
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