I have been using Macs now for around five years and I was wondering if this would hurt me while I am trying to get my Computer Science degree? I have Ubuntu on my iBook and run OS X on my iMac. I think I read somewhere that CS students use Visual Studio, so would it help to have my own PC? I would like to buy a new IBM Thinkpad, but I was just wanting some input on this.
This is probably going to spark a huge debate. I'm a CS Major, and I use Mac (Exclusively) but I also dual boot with Vista which runs Visual Studio, for which is damn near mandatory for writing code, for me at least. I guess you could write with XCode though.
I guess it all depends on what you want to do after you get out of college. The CS professors don't really care as long as it will run in visual studio on THEIR computer. Just ask Dr. White. I wrote almost all of my graphics programs in xcode, but as long as it built in visual studio, he didn't care.
Now, with that said, A LOT of developers use V.S., and rightly so as its a very good IDE. If you think you're going to go into C++ or .Net development after college, then you may want to look into getting a new windows machine, or making that Mac run Windows. (and no, you don't have to have an intel chip... MS used to make virtual PC for PPC Macs (G4's and G5's) which would let you install windows; It wasn't the fastest thing in the world, but it runs VS.Net)
As a side note, you could just use the computers in the CS lab. There's several labs in the EB, and the open hours are pretty generous.
If you're thinking about making a professional career out of doing C++, Java, Ruby, Python, PHP, or a slew of any of the other languages, then you may want to familiarize yourself with xcode, or some other IDE, like eclipse.
So I guess my answer is twofold:
1. As long as it compiles and executes correctly on the Professor's or TA's computer under Visual Studio, no one is really going to care how it got from your brain and into the computer. You could use notepad for all they care.
2. For all intents and purposes, you are in college to learn and (somewhat) master a marketable skill. Use the development environment that caters to the direction you want to take your career.
Hope this helps!
a good friend and former coworker of mine Bill graduated with ease and never had a PC. At least, a PC that ran windows.
Alright. Thanks. Is there anything else that I will need? Are there any books I should read that would better prepare me for my classes in computers?
Will this be your first semester as a CS Major? If so, unless you've just got cash to spend, there really isn't any extra books that you need to have. CS 140 doesn't really require any knowledge outside of what's in the textbook and powerpoint slides in class.
There is however one book on the suggested purchases list at the book store for CS majors. I believe the title is "The complete C++ reference" (someone correct me if I'm wrong) and costs $50. I haven't bought it yet though so I couldn't tell you much about it.
Also, if you wanted to get a head start, assuming you're just starting in CS, head to www.cs.siue.edu/sklein/ The ppt slides there will cover everything you need to know in each of the first few CS courses.
Robert Kennedy
Yes, this will be my first semester, starting in the fall. Thanks for the help. I think I am either going to buy a Thinkpad T60 or the Alienware mobile laptop. Suggestions?
Howabout something from this website...
Macbook Pro (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=D2D493CA&node=home/macbook/macbook_pro)
Or...
Macbook (http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?nnmm=browse&mco=520F94DC&node=home/macbook/macbook)
I would suggest any computer from one of those sites. Good Luck.
I have a brand new iMac and a four year old iBook. I love my macs to death, but I kind of want to buy a PC laptop just to run windows/linux on. I really have it between a Alienware Sentia M3450 or Thinkpad T60. The alienware has the looks and lower price, but the Thinkpad has the battery life and great linux support.
Both your systems can already run Windows or Linux. You just need to use Parallels Desktop or Bootcamp on your iMac or VirtualPC on your iBook.
I would recommend picking up a copy of parallels, with student discount AND 1 year maintenance it will cost you less than $100. Then you can run Windows as a Virtual Machine. This will allow you to easily switch between OSX and Windows with a simple movement of the mouse or a keyboard command.
I have a MacBook with Parallels and it works great. Furthermore, if you want to run a setup like this, you will have a free copy of Vista and XP from the school available to you as soon as classes start (not to mention Visual Studio). I tutor in the CS lab and I can show you how the whole setup works sometime.
The decision is yours. There is no need to buy a new computer though when you can run Linux, Windows, and OSX concurrently from your current Mac (or have multiple boots).
Oh....and I didn't know how to program when I started going here, and I had no problem at all getting started thanks to Steve Klein and CS111 & CS140.
Best of Luck to you
Thanks for the input. I might sell my iBook and pick up a Macbook, reason being is because I really want a laptop, im still not quite sure if I want to take my imac to school or not. How frequently do things get stolen?
Well I have a brand new Macbook, an HDTV, a Xbox 360, and a Nintendo Wii in my room. My roommate is a complete dumbass and leave the room unlocked and sometimes propped open and nothing of mine has ever been stolen, nor have I ever heard of anything being stolen in the dorms.
QuoteWell I have a brand new Macbook, an HDTV, a Xbox 360, and a Nintendo Wii in my room. My roommate is a complete dumbass and leave the room unlocked and sometimes propped open and nothing of mine has ever been stolen, nor have I ever heard of anything being stolen in the dorms.
I wouldn't be bragging if I were you. I wouldn't want to advertise that your dorm is an easy hit... You can never be too careful these days...
Nah, it's cool. I've never stated where I live, what floor (if any), or what room (assuming I have a room number). We only have 2 weeks left of school anyway, most of my prized possestions are either home already, or are taken with me (my laptop, iPod, phone). So they would most likely resort to stealing my roommates shitty ass Gateway laptop (as if that's worth a dime) and maybe my Mighty Mouse. :-)
So is a macbook a pretty common laptop for computer science majors?
I have one, and about 3 or 4 people in my CS classes have them. I wouldn't say they're common though.