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Computer ideas,suggestions ? for software design student

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  • 14-04-2011 10:38pm
    #1
    Private_Ryan
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭


    i am doing my leaving cert this year and have applied to a LOT of computer science and software development...and my computer (i built it myself) is on its last legs and my technology teacher said i would need a hi end laptop/pc/mac for the course ...any suggestions welcome and appreciated ,even someone doing any it course wanna tell me what's it like ? thanks Ryan
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    #2
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 81,963 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    wait to see what you get next year before putting a lot of money into your pc.

    A good bet that you may want to run a 32-bit processor, though im a couple years out and I dont know how ITs have adapted to that. Some people in college couldnt crunch code on their laptops because they didn't have 8086 microprocessors in them.

    A Mac is a definite No. Everything you do will be Windows, and probably involve some degree of XNL or Visual Basic.


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    #3
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,059 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Overheal wrote: »
    A good bet that you may want to run a 32-bit processor, though im a couple years out and I dont know how ITs have adapted to that. Some people in college couldnt crunch code on their laptops because they didn't have 8086 microprocessors in them.

    What? I hope you mean x86 and not 8086. Even if you do mean x86, I doubt he'd have any problems using an x64 processor.


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    #4
    Overheal
    Registered Users Posts: 81,963 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    yes same thing, but i had a bald comp architecture teacher that wore socks and sandals. im sure if he still had hair it would have been in a ponytail. very old school. he called it 8086


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    #5
    Private_Ryan
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭Private_Ryan


    thanks for the interest guys ! my friend said "You did see the guy is in the us and he's wrong the windows front! Everything is Ubuntu! He is right about the wait and see though!! You can get the educational discount by then anyway!"
    and i was wondering what you taught ?

    i am gonna need a new computer soon i am pretty much relying on my htc and ipad (which are great) would it be worth my while leaving it till next september ?


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    #6
    AlmightyCushion
    Moderators, Education Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 35,059 Mod ✭✭✭✭AlmightyCushion


    Private_Ryan wrote: »
    thanks for the interest guys ! my friend said "You did see the guy is in the us and he's wrong the windows front! Everything is Ubuntu! He is right about the wait and see though!! You can get the educational discount by then anyway!"
    and i was wondering what you taught ?

    i am gonna need a new computer soon i am pretty much relying on my htc and ipad (which are great) would it be worth my while leaving it till next september ?

    I'd disagree that everything is ubuntu/linux but that doesn't really matter. Any windows pc can run ubuntu/linux anyways if you do need it. What sort of budget do you have?


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    #7
    Naikon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,564 ✭✭✭Naikon


    AlmightyCushion wrote: »
    I'd disagree that everything is ubuntu/linux but that doesn't really matter. Any windows pc can run ubuntu/linux anyways if you do need it. What sort of budget do you have?

    It's funny, I used to think along the same line of "Windows sucks, Linux rulz!". Then I got older and realised an OS/tool whatever is just a means to an end, really. Your processor does not give a rats ass what OS you run. The computer hardware operates the same for the most part, no matter what OS you are using. The tool is just a tool. Why limit yourself to a hammer? Every OS has it's uses, including Windows. Take a look at thread handling on Windows for example. Pretty integral to the OS, unlike Unix.


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    #8
    ShooterSF
    Registered Users Posts: 8,824 ✭✭✭ShooterSF


    Naikon wrote: »
    It's funny, I used to think along the same line of "Windows sucks, Linux rulz!". Then I got older and realised an OS/tool whatever is just a means to an end, really. Your processor does not give a rats ass what OS you run. The computer hardware operates the same for the most part, no matter what OS you are using. The tool is just a tool. Why limit yourself to a hammer? Every OS has it's uses, including Windows. Take a look at thread handling on Windows for example. Pretty integral to the OS, unlike Unix.

    I'm not anti-Windows myself and don't spell Microsoft with a dollar sign but it pains me to see our education system use proprietary software when there is free open source equivalents. Or at least teach that there are different hammers and that this is just one version.

    Anywho OP any non-mac laptop you buy will come with Windows installed and if you want you can easily install Ubuntu beside it. And the one piece of advice I'll give is definitely go for a laptop (with a 14 inch screen preferably imo) over a desktop. College computers can be old.


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    #9
    Naikon
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,564 ✭✭✭Naikon


    Private_Ryan wrote: »
    my technology teacher said i would need a hi end laptop/pc/mac for the course ...any suggestions welcome and appreciated ,even someone doing any it course wanna tell me what's it like ? thanks Ryan

    Never presume a computer can not be put to good use. Windows7 may not be up to the task of running on 486 with 8 megs of ram, but a Linux or BSD based OS is. Small resource footprints are the biggest advantages for Unix based OS's. Hell, with Uclibc, you don't even need a memory managment unit! Embedded systems exist for a reason.


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    #10
    Private_Ryan
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭Private_Ryan


    AlmightyCushion wrote: »
    I'd disagree that everything is ubuntu/linux but that doesn't really matter. Any windows pc can run ubuntu/linux anyways if you do need it. What sort of budget do you have?

    well not everything ..but theres always another way to do it ..the open source way ! which i approve of

    yeah isent the same true with mac .... i just like the fact mac has 7 hours battery and looks soo good and the keyboard is great

    i have around 1500 to send but can push to 2000
    any exact laptops in mind ...(i dont want a desktop as ill build my own at a later date)
    thanks ryan


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    #11
    Private_Ryan
    Registered Users Posts: 55 ✭✭Private_Ryan


    Naikon wrote: »
    Never presume a computer can not be put to good use. Windows7 may not be up to the task of running on 486 with 8 megs of ram, but a Linux or BSD based OS is. Small resource footprints are the biggest advantages for Unix based OS's. Hell, with Uclibc, you don't even need a memory managment unit! Embedded systems exist for a reason.

    am not the one to be throwing out old tech ...i sorta have a mini salvage yard in my room....thanks for the input


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