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Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

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Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#31

Post by carbon8 »

jrockway wrote: post #23
GeneralMaximus wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I second that. Sure, you could get productive on Windows and Linux, but they're definitely not low maintainence. Plus, you could always install Windows using BootCamp or VMWare Fusion. I wrote a blog entry on this. although it's from a hobbyists's perspective: http://blog.uncool.in/2009/03/10/thoughts-on-using-a-mac-as-...

I second that. Sure, you could get productive on Windows and Linux, but they're definitely not low maintainence [sic]. Nor are Macs. Every piece of software needs to be updated manually, as there is no system-wide update manager. If you want to install UNIX software (like C libraries that your language needs to bind to), you will need to install some sort of ports system, and maintain that. (When I used a Mac a few y…

When I used a Mac a few years ago, none of the ports systems all had the latest versions of packages I needed, so I had more than one installed. This was a fucking nightmare to maintain.

macports is pretty much dead simple to deal with. And if you want to install something straight from source on OS X it is often no more difficult as it is on linux. My servers are all debian and ubuntu and it's basically painless using them side by side with OS X all day. Plus, with OS X you can have most linux desktop apps + any OS X apps. Even so, OS X is definitely not necessary if someone spends all of his or her time in the shell, and if that's the case linux would be a better choice.

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#32

Post by MrRage »

nx wrote: post #26
MrRage wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On the same token, a Mac is a PC.

It's not the same. If you say "Mac or PC", it is understood that you mean "Apple computers, or other type of general-purpose personal computers, i.e., non-Mac PCs". But if we interpret "PC" only as "Windows computer", then there's this huge number of OSes we're not taking into account, since we're just considering OS X and Windows.

I suggest that we're all getting a little too pedantic here. The point is it's basically all the same hardware. You can buy anything and put any OS on it, although it's not so nice to put OS X on hardware that didn't come from Apple.

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#33

Post by ideamonk »

zepolen wrote: post #4
makecheck wrote: post #3

Mac, most definitely. For one, Mac OS X comes with a Python version installed. It also comes with a whole toolbox of Unix utilities, including a number of text editors. (There are many other 3rd party text editors for the Mac, too. Though I stick with "vim" or Xcode myself, both of which are included.) You can't understate the value of being able to pop down to the Unix layer when needed. There are lots of times wher…

A PC can run *nix too, it's not limited to Windows. In fact, it can run OS X too :)

Getting OS X run under a PC would be tougher than getting Windows and Linux run over a macbook.

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#34

Post by PostOnce »

So you're saying you mostly edit text? There are only so many variations on typing things on a keyboard and having them appear in a text editor. You'd probably be fine either way, so you're really just looking at cost.

I'd suggest that if you've never used a Mac, the potential lost productivity you'll have using and learning an unfamiliar OS could be a burden to you.

What have you been developing on up to this point?

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#35

Post by whatusername »

cglee wrote: post #8
makecheck wrote: post #3

Mac, most definitely. For one, Mac OS X comes with a Python version installed. It also comes with a whole toolbox of Unix utilities, including a number of text editors. (There are many other 3rd party text editors for the Mac, too. Though I stick with "vim" or Xcode myself, both of which are included.) You can't understate the value of being able to pop down to the Unix layer when needed. There are lots of times wher…

As a web developer, you'll also probably need to test in Windows and IE. For that, get Fusion or Parallels and you can have Windows and OSX running side by side.

This would be the key reason to get a mac. To test anything in OSX legally - you need to be running Apple hardware. (Boot-camp/VMWare Windows and Linux). Until/unless Apple go to selling the OS on it's own - from a testing perspective (if you have to do that) - then a mac is the only way to go.

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#37

Post by dhotson »

I find a combination of OSX with an Ubuntu VM (vmware) works really well. That way you can keep your dev environment the same as your production linux machine .. it's pretty hard to beat apt-get.

By using VMWare, the OS you use doesn't actually matter that much as long as you have a decent terminal and your personal editing weapon of choice (jEdit in my case).

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#38

Post by joechung »

zealog wrote: post #29
cglee wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a web developer, you'll also probably need to test in Windows and IE. For that, get Fusion or Parallels and you can have Windows and OSX running side by side.

That's true - and another reason to go with Mac. On my Mac I can test Mac versions of Safari, Firefox, and Opera. I can also have virtual machines to test for Windows Firefox, IE6, IE7, and IE8 at the same time. If I were on a PC I would only be able to have one version of IE installed. It's still funny to me that to develop websites that work on all of the Windows browsers a Mac is the only thing that makes sense.

"If I were on a PC I would only be able to have one version of IE installed."

That's not true. You can have virtual machines to test multiple versions of IE, too.

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#39

Post by avinashv »

ideamonk wrote: post #36

Don't forget that on OS X you would find Textmate, which has no match yet. On windows the best editor would be Notepad++. But nothing comes closer to Textmate. If you wish to save some money, then better got for a PC.

That's quite an opinion you've thrown there. I run OS X and refuse to use anything but Vim--but I'm not going to try convince developers to switch. I think it's a little ridiculous (even though I'm sure it happens) to switch to an operating system exclusively for Textmate...

I'm not saying you're necessarily wrong, but it's completely unreasonable to say Textmate has "no match yet". And, for the record, yes, I do own a copy of Textmate, and wasn't happy with it after several months of usage and went back to Vim. MacVim is my editor now.

Re: Ask HN: MAC vs PC for a developer?

#40

Post by avinashv »

Honestly, if work is buying the computer for you, I'd get a Macbook (or Macbook Pro depending on the budget they're giving you) and run OS X and your Linux flavor of choice side-by-side. Develop in Linux--you may find that you never need to go to OS X so you might even opt to get rid of it. The hardware is really great; the new models are built very well and I hear there is good support for the hardware features like the camera etc. in Linux (double-check that obviously).

Especially for Python, which is installed in Leopard but is frozen at 2.5.1, and general web development, you won't struggle at all in Linux. If you're comfortable in a portable power editor (read: vim/emacs) then you're golden. Plus, apt-get is _incredible_. Coupled with multi-booting or VM'ing, you'll happily test across multiple operating systems and browsers.

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