10/14/2021 0 Comments Mac Vs Windows For Development
As Linux provides more administrative and root-level access than Mac OS, thus it remains ahead of doing task automation through a command-line interface than that of Mac system. Linux vs Mac OS: Task Automation. Then, I set up my Windows development environment (with Windows Subsystem for Linux) on my new Windows computer.15. When I got my Windows computer, the first thing I did was to set up Windows so it mirrors the writing system I had on Mac.I also mirrored Mac’s modifiers as much as possible. Syncing Visual Studio Code settings between Mac and Windows 13th May 2020.When you choose a laptop for programming , it seems as though the internet is rife with opinion posts about which is better for what subject whether it be personal use, photo or video editing, web development, gaming, cat video playing, etc.macOS vs Windows: a web developer’s perspective. So it was time for me to bite the bullet and either get a new Mac, or look into a Windows or Linux laptop.The Windows vs Mac debate has been going on for as long as the two have existed. It takes a long time to start and performance is terrible system wide while it is running. It barely works on my Mac. I recently joined a project that uses a docker-compose configuration that spins up 8 separate containers.
Vs Windows For Development Free Of TheseFor a large team on a project with dozens of dependencies it does make sense. That isn’t to say that macOS is free of these annoyances, they are there, but to a lesser degree.You know, I really hate this trend of bigger and bigger virtual images to run what amounts to a web server and a database. Windows will waste it here and there (windows update churning in the background, command line quirks, hard to find certain packages, etc). Your time is very valuable as a software developer.Did you know a replacement charger for a 2015 Mac Book Pro is about $75!?In bargaining with myself, yes I could live without a physical escape key and a crappy keyboard because most of the time I hook up to an external monitor and use the Apple Magic Keyboard and Magic Trackpad 2. It’s pure genius, why remove it? It has saved my laptop from hitting the floor a few times. I will really miss the magnetic charging port. At the same time their prices keep going up but performance lags. The controversial touch bar and the redesigned keyboard have gotten horrible reviews. Dell is just trying to get rid of them. The Magic Trackpad 2 is as accurate as a mouse and is smooth like glass.Faced with the prospect of buying all new dongles and having to fight through the bugs involved with macOS Catalina (which I’m currently holding off on), I took a look at my old friend the Dell Outlet.The Dell Outlet sells machines that have been returned for whatever reason. Every Windows touchpad I’ve tried jumps around like crazy and has a rough texture. ![]() Mine came with a regular Intel graphics chip but if you dig around on the outlet you can find ones with Nvidia or Radeon graphics on board which is a nice bonus if you do the occasional gaming session.In terms of OS, you can generally reformat a Dell to run Linux which I recommend. It comes in a 14” model which is about perfect. I ended up going with a middle of the road business line, the Vostro. I looked closely at XPS and Precision, but the prices really jump up. This is moot when you dock. The Mac is a sealed product.The Mac battery is way better. Most of the Dell business machines come with Windows Pro by default.Here is the breakdown between my new Vostro and a middle of the road 2019 Mac Book Pro:14 inch FHD (1920 x 1080) Anti-Glare LED-Backlit Non Touch DisplayPorts galore (USB, HDMI, SD Card, Headphones, RJ-45)Realistic Battery Life While Doing Software DevelopmentThe Mac’s i5 is actually a bit faster than the Dell’s i7 according to this breakdown.The Dell has twice as much memory which is super important for running virtual machines.The Dell’s HDD is replaceable while Mac’s is soldered to the board.Retina displays are awesome, but if you dock and leave the lid closed it is moot.Dell has the old school USB / HDMI ports, the Mac requires dongles which you have to purchase on your own.The Dell is designed to have the hard drive, battery, and even RAM upgraded. As a developer you’ll want to activate that if you have anything beyond cat pictures on your machine. With the Pro version BitLocker is included, which offers full drive encryption. If you are buying on the outlet that model has probably already been out for long enough that you can get help by googling.When it comes to Windows the Pro version is the way to go. Personally I don’t want to lug around a $2400 machine nor a 15” 16” laptop.Yes. Or you could jump up to the 15” 16″ MBP which starts at $2,399. For an extra $200 you can get a 13″model with 16GB of RAM. Honestly they both work and a good developer should be able to get their job done on Mac, Linux, or Windows without a problem.However, I’m not so sure the 13” MPB above with only 8 GB of RAM would handle the huge dockerized development environment I mentioned at the beginning of this post. Get shift tab to work on steam for macI needed something cheap and powerful for this one particular project. Windows updates alone will rob you of at least 1 minute per day.For one thing, I already have a Mac I really like. * 60 minutes / hour = 1.035 minutes / work day In terms of developer time, it would take a savings of 13.5 hours over the life of the laptop to make up for the extra price of the Mac. A software developer’s fully loaded cost is $100/hr – benefits, payroll taxes, retirement plan, paid time off, training, hourly wage, etc. Is adobe acrobat pro comatible with osx sierraMicrosoft is building an open source terminal app. I’ve shared my setup which I still love, but there are many new sit stand desk companies on the market and they are getting more and more affordable all the time.In my review of Windows development I am glad to say it is getting a lot better for Python / PHP projects. For $646 I’m able to allocate 2 cores and 8GB to the docker-composer instance which makes it just as fast as regular local development (even though the fans do come on frequently).This situation is causing me to jump between keyboard layouts, but I just can’t let go of my Mac on my other projects! Turns out as a contractor I need both Windows and Mac in my toolbag.In terms of overall budget for your workstation also consider a sit-stand desk and nice chair. I’m still using IntelliJ (WebStorm / PyCharm, etc) but I look forward to trying it out soon.What I’ve learned is: Apple has everyone where they want them, even a pragmatist like myself. Visual Studio gets a lot of great reviews.
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