Reply to: Mac laptops, are they that great for techies?

[Stan]

I got a 15" one core 2 duo 2ghz I think, glad I got the macbook pro even if just for the metal case which is cool. If portability was key I may have gone for the 13" macbook but they have lower resolution which is not ideal for me.

I got 1GB in the knowledge that it is easily user upgradeable - in fact a little laminated card came with it telling you how.

I do need more RAM really, I tend to leave a whole load of apps open and never shut it down just leave it sleeping between use.

I'd also go for a non glossy screen as they are really bad at picking up reflections.

[Cowboy Bob]

Which one (and how much RAM)?

Whatever you buy you will do well to buy the maximum amount of RAM that you can, regardless of platform.

I've got the 13" myself, but bear in mind that MacBooks are widescreen and with the dimensions being measured along the diagonal my machine is just about as wide as a 15" regular aspect laptop.

[cojak]

Which one (and how much RAM)?

I want the 13" 'cos I'm worried the 15" will be too big to hoik around. CB says you'd only miss the better graphics if you're a gamer and I'm not...

[Stan]

I ended up buying a macbook pro last month - its great

[Buffoon]

Unless you're buying an 'al cheapo' notebook PC, I would expect much the same as a Mac. Certainly since half the components come from the same people.

Exactly. I note that they use IBM thinkpads on the space shuttle. The lauch is described as a 20min train crash. They seem to do OK.

[Joe Black]

My powerbook was very robust. It went on the train with me every day.

Every Mac I have owned has had a life of at least 5 years. Only had the one hard disk fail.

My Samsung notebook is now nearly 5 years old and has not had a single problem (except for a spilling the glass of wine over the keyboard incident). Likewise a VAIO before that, 3 years no prob's, sold it to someone else who is apparently stilll using it, so that one has managed nearly 8 years. Both of course had their fair share of travel, back and forth to Brussels each week for months. Admittedly the Eurostar is a somewhat smoother ride than most trains in the UK.

Unless you're buying an 'al cheapo' notebook PC, I would expect much the same as a Mac. Certainly since half the components come from the same people.

[Buffoon]

My powerbook was very robust. It went on the train with me every day.

Well, my Compaq Armada was fine when it was flying with me back and forth to the US over twenty or so trips. Only when I settled down back in the UK for a bit did it start playing up then died.

[OrangeHopper]

I know that when I buy my next Mac I will have: the ease of the Mac and its programs; Unix under the hood for standard C, C++ and Java development; Windows Vista if I'm that desperate.

My powerbook was very robust. It went on the train with me every day.

Every Mac I have owned has had a life of at least 5 years. Only had the one hard disk fail.

One thing that is a slight annoyance is operating system upgrades. Apple deliberately stop the latest OS version working on older machines. This means that perfectly adequate machines can't necessarily run the latest OS out of the box. Third party software may be required and may not be perfect. However, if you replace your machines every 3 to 5 years this shouldn't be a problem. Anyway, you can just stick with the OS version that is compatible.

[interested]

A couple of programmer chums of mine have recently bought mac laptops and rave about them when the subject of buying a new laptop comes up.

Are they really that good?

The short answer to that is yes, they are.

Currently using my Mac Book Pro - running XP via Parallels for some firm applications.

But the hardware is outstanding, it's the little things that make the difference like the keyboard that lights up, the magnetic power adapter etc. That said some of the software is pretty good as well - iChat does full screen video conferencing better than anything else I've seen.

I've had this thing about 3 weeks now and I can see why Mac users rave on about how good their machines are. I'm turning into a proper fanboy

[expat]

Just reading my old post up there - I'm officially a Mac convert. After being reassured that they will take the use/abuse I went for it, and I am definitely not disappointed.

Use a Mac, never go back?

Or did that come out of Apple's marketing dept?

[Cowboy Bob]

Just reading my old post up there - I'm officially a Mac convert. After being reassured that they will take the use/abuse I went for it, and I am definitely not disappointed.

[expat]

I build Lenovo systems with Linux on them for customers and its only with the recent announcement that they in fact support Liux, SLED 10 to be precise on 2 models which are currently not available outside of the USA. I have a T60p with 2gb RAM and 2*100gb hard drives (1 WIn, 1 SuSE 10.1) which works pretty good. Don't go for the T43 as you'll have hassle installing Linux on it due to drivers for the graphics and wireless being practically non-existent but if you grap a T60p and stick either SLED10 or SuSE 10.1 it goes in nice and easy.

What if I've got a T43 already? (And DEFINITELY can't be arsed with hassle) - best forget Linux for the moment?

[ratewhore]

My powerbook and powermac are the mutts nutts. Having said that, I also have a little xp lappy for when I need to do certain stuff, and for pen testing I find a CD based o/s the right tool on the day...

[cojak]

Many thanks for that Darmstadt.

I don't s'pose you'd consider a customer outside Germany? Or am I too 'small' to bother with?

[darmstadt]

I worry about the batteries, but I'm tempted...

It's either that or a Lenovo Linux.

I build Lenovo systems with Linux on them for customers and its only with the recent announcement that they in fact support Liux, SLED 10 to be precise on 2 models which are currently not available outside of the USA. I have a T60p with 2gb RAM and 2*100gb hard drives (1 WIn, 1 SuSE 10.1) which works pretty good. Don't go for the T43 as you'll have hassle installing Linux on it due to drivers for the graphics and wireless being practically non-existent but if you grap a T60p and stick either SLED10 or SuSE 10.1 it goes in nice and easy.