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MBP For Computer Science?
- Thread starter A Hebrew
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I have the 13" entry level model. It's been nothing but great so far. From coding my projects, writing papers, making movies, I've never had an issue getting anything done.
I have a low end GateWay with a broken power input and one broken hinge on the display, I purchased it for 60 dollars last year because I know I could resell the whole thing for over 150 whenever I want to. It is a 15.4" display. I have access to a MBP 13" display at school which I use to study Arabic through Rosetta Stone on, I never really had an issue with the screen size, but that is because it is one window in full screen mode.
It is turning into a trend for Apple to keep there prices at the same amount or go higher when new releases come out, simply because people who have used Macs want Macs again. It is starting to sound like the MBP will not come with a Disc Drive which means I would have to buy an external drive which would add around 40 dollars. So my assumption might be 100 percent wrong....it is just what seems logical to me.
I think I could live with a free VM provider also because I would only be using Windows 7 for required programs that are only available on Windows and Microsoft Office until I just get the half price version from the college I go to for Mac.
For now I think I will be patient and wait for the new MBP to come out before I come back and make another topic...maybe in June or so. Once again, if anyone has tips I will still be checking this topic out and responding to all posts
Apple keeps the prices the same, in my case(Canada) they've even gone down in the last few years. I paid roughly 2200(with taxes) CDN for mine back in the day, and it was the cheapest 15" model, and right now, the low end 15" sells for right about 1800 CDN with education pricing. Don't worry about the new generation of MBP's being more expensive, it's not going to happen.
Only you can determine that. Like someone posted above, if you are going to spending all of your time in Bootcamp or a VM, then why buy a Mac? I am starting my Grad work next semester and if I had to buy all over again (Mac or PC) I would probably go with a PC as my school only works with them. I am also a MS Dev so I have access to all the software. My point is that everyones situation is different and only you can make that decision.
One thing that did make it worth it for me was Apple Care. I was able to get my computer repaired in a quick manner which was a huge plus for me while working on my degree. Other vendors are not as fast so it may fall on you to fix it or come up with other means of accessing a computer. The class won't stop because your PC or Mac took a nose dive.
Hi,
I'm also majoring in Computer Science at my college. I think that a 13" is big enough for your needs in school. Since you'll need Windows I would recommend you use Boot Camp to run Windows (Personally, I think Windows runs way better on Boot Camp, no lag compared to Parallels.) As for Solaris, I cannot comment on that since I haven't used it yet. I don't think that it matters if you use Office for Mac or Office for Windows, I have both just incase. There have been times when I've had to use MS Office 2007 for certain computer classes, its up to the teacher, really.
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AppleFanatic10 said:
Just wanted to respond to the BootCamp posts with my experience.
For software development purposes (running IDEs, debuggers, etc), I think using a VM solution works just fine. I guess BootCamp might make more of a difference if you have the 13" (and hence no discrete GPU), but I run Visual Studio 2010 on a Win7 VM through Parallels 6 on my 15" and it performs very nicely (I have 8GB of RAM installed - I think having at least that much is a big factor in the speed/smoothness of the virtualization experience).
On the other hand, BootCamp is free. And if you wanted to play any Windows-based games, BootCamp is practically a requirement. But gaming isn't the topic here, so I won't say anything else about it.
Windows in BC definitely has the performance edge since it's a single OS vs. a virtualized machine + OS, but here's a couple of additional considerations:
If you're running a VM you can still easily access the OSX resources, from files to apps like iTunes and Mail. I never liked getting "trapped" in an OS, such that it required a total shutdown and restart to get to the native side.
A VM will let you install the OS (and drivers, configuration, tools, etc.) and then easily back up the image of the VM. The great thing about this is if you have a total meltdown, you can delete the VM, and restore from a copy. You can of course do that same using things like Norton Ghost, but it's so much easier to just copy a single file, plus you can have your code shared to the OSX side (where you could use Time Machine for example to keep them backed up).
Just a couple of thoughts ... it's a trade of flexibility vs. performance, and you have to be the judge if the latter is taking such a hit that the former doesn't offset it.
I'm a software engineering student and I moved from windows to mac and never had a problem with my work. I use netbeans, eclipse heavily (used to work with visual studio for c++ in windows). I have not installed windows on my mac even though that is also possible. I don't know much about running solaris in a mac though.
I'm currently in my third year of my BSc in Comp Sci and I am using a 13" MBP (2010) as my main computer, and it's great! I'm using Mac OS X Lion as my primary OS, with Windows 7 via Bootcamp, and Ubuntu using Virtual Box.
For the most part, I use Lion for everything I can, then Windows 7 for anything else (ie. Visual Studio and most gaming). I just wanted to check out Ubuntu, so I virtualized it.
I have never found the 13" screen to be a problem until recently where I had to used Visual Studio for some Visual C# development. Everything is so cramped on the 13", but I ended up just getting an external 23" Dell monitor for home use. However, I find the 13" to be great for school - the portability is really good.
For you, I'd say go with the base 13" MBP, then perform some aftermarket upgrades as needed.
For the most part, I use Lion for everything I can, then Windows 7 for anything else (ie. Visual Studio and most gaming). I just wanted to check out Ubuntu, so I virtualized it.
I have never found the 13" screen to be a problem until recently where I had to used Visual Studio for some Visual C# development. Everything is so cramped on the 13", but I ended up just getting an external 23" Dell monitor for home use. However, I find the 13" to be great for school - the portability is really good.
For you, I'd say go with the base 13" MBP, then perform some aftermarket upgrades as needed.
13in MBP is fine. Upgrade it to 8gb of RAM if you are going to run VMWare.
I"m a programmer and I use 2x 24in (1920x1200) and one 20in (1600x1200) monitor and find that an ideal setup. It is certainly possible to use a 13in screen for developing but at a very minimum I would invest in an external monitor. I'm sure you can find a cheap one on craigslist. I could not imagine just using a 13in MBP or any 13-15in laptop for development. To much flipping back and forth between things.
I"m a programmer and I use 2x 24in (1920x1200) and one 20in (1600x1200) monitor and find that an ideal setup. It is certainly possible to use a 13in screen for developing but at a very minimum I would invest in an external monitor. I'm sure you can find a cheap one on craigslist. I could not imagine just using a 13in MBP or any 13-15in laptop for development. To much flipping back and forth between things.
You would use this http://store.apple.com/us/product/MB572Z/A?fnode=MTY1NDA4Mw or one from a third party that is cheaper.
The thunderbolt port and mini display port are the same port. So you would plug that mini display to DVI adapter into the thunderbolt port.
For a monitor they are cheap. Plenty of them under $200 http://www.newegg.com/Store/SubCategory.aspx?SubCategory=20&name=LCD-Monitors&Order=RATING
Or find a used one on http://craigslist.org/
I'll say it depends on what you are doing with VMWare. I run it perfectly fine on a 4gb Ram Macbook Air.
There are many adapters that you could use to connect your MacBook to an external monitor on Monoprice.com. I think there's even a three-in-one adapter. I'm using a Mini-DVI to HDMI adapter and an HDMI cable (both bought from that site) to connect to my Dell 23" that I got for $139 + tax.
Also, I got 8GB RAM for my 2010 MBP recently for about $30. So, why not?
Windows in BC definitely has the performance edge since it's a single OS vs. a virtualized machine + OS, but here's a couple of additional considerations:
If you're running a VM you can still easily access the OSX resources, from files to apps like iTunes and Mail. I never liked getting "trapped" in an OS, such that it required a total shutdown and restart to get to the native side.
A VM will let you install the OS (and drivers, configuration, tools, etc.) and then easily back up the image of the VM. The great thing about this is if you have a total meltdown, you can delete the VM, and restore from a copy. You can of course do that same using things like Norton Ghost, but it's so much easier to just copy a single file, plus you can have your code shared to the OSX side (where you could use Time Machine for example to keep them backed up).
Just a couple of thoughts ... it's a trade of flexibility vs. performance, and you have to be the judge if the latter is taking such a hit that the former doesn't offset it.
This is my thought. Outside of playing games, I've never been in a VM doing coding and gone "Man, I wish this was some small % faster..." and *not* ended up dumping it onto a server anyway.
It does let you use Mail, Safari, the OS X Office, whatever else you feel like on the OS you prefer at the same time.
Another plus of VMs: They're excellent sandboxes. Code gone pear shaped? Restart the VM. Entire system gone pear shaped? Delete the VM and start over - while you watch a Netflix movie on your main OS.
Hahaha, thanks for the chuckle this morning, I hadn't heard anybody say that in years
Yet _another_ perk - though more for us folks out here in the private sector - you can configure a number of different [VM] environments. Federal project with clients on XP + IE7? Private company running Win7 + FF/Chrome/IE9? simple, just separate VMs.
Also if you're writing client/desktop based apps with installers, you can have a pristine VM to do a deployment test against, delete, reset and test over and over.
Technically you could do all of this in a Bootcamp (i.e., run Windows in Windows), but if you've committed to a VM at all, you might as well run it in the native OS.
Just my $0.02.
My new machine is out-for-delivery today! Can't wait