Really considering a MacBook Pro 13.3"

[Coltephilos]

As of late, I have been really doing some research on MacBook Pros, and the difference between them and other Windows laptops. I have to say that I am pretty much sold, simply due to the impeccable customer service by Apple, the build quality of the laptop, the keyboard, the screen, etc... but is it great for programming? I have been teaching myself C++ for the past little while, and am wondering if a MacBook Pro would be great for that purpose. I have read that it is a great choice for programming using the Apple SDK in Objective-C, but what about other programming languages? What is your opinion on this?

 

[HardBall]

As of late, I have been really doing some research on MacBook Pros, and the difference between them and other Windows laptops. I have to say that I am pretty much sold, simply due to the impeccable customer service by Apple, the build quality of the laptop, the keyboard, the screen, etc... but is it great for programming? I have been teaching myself C++ for the past little while, and am wondering if a MacBook Pro would be great for that purpose. I have read that it is a great choice for programming using the Apple SDK in Objective-C, but what about other programming languages? What is your opinion on this?

Im a computer engr grad student.

It is really a great machine for those puroses. I played around with one in several apple stores, and most of the basic posix compatibility is there, and the rest can be done through a well maintained repository. For example, python version on OS X currently is a bit behind, on 2.7, but some minimal amount of tinkering would allow you to install and maintain curr version from repo. You ll definitely want to do that to run some standard compiler frame works like gcc and llvm.

Installing most popular linus distro is also a breeze, with the support for rMBP getting mich better recently. Jut make sure you use the right version of rEFIt. The machine should generally be plenty in terms of the computational throughput of the cpu, if you are only compiling and testing locally. You will definitely want to spring for 8gb of ram tho, if you are going for an non upgradable model. The general durability of macs is also a bog factor.

I just ordered one yesterday, the retina 13 MBP, which seems to me to be the best compromise between power and portability for a CS/ECE student....

Honestly, objective c is not a very good choice if you want to learn a language that is both useful and not onerous to code in. And it is certainly not a good choice for cross platform stuff. Try to install the standard *nix packages, and code using those frameworks; you would be much better off in the long run.

 

[xShane]

As of late, I have been really doing some research on MacBook Pros, and the difference between them and other Windows laptops. I have to say that I am pretty much sold, simply due to the impeccable customer service by Apple, the build quality of the laptop, the keyboard, the screen, etc... but is it great for programming? I have been teaching myself C++ for the past little while, and am wondering if a MacBook Pro would be great for that purpose. I have read that it is a great choice for programming using the Apple SDK in Objective-C, but what about other programming languages? What is your opinion on this?

You can also install Windows on it, so that way you can have the best of both worlds.