Question about Macbook for Bsc (1 Viewer)

[bubbrubb]

Hey guys,

I'm starting Bsc/ MBBS at Queensland University this year where the first two years of my course are BSc. I have used windows my entire life but, now that I am in search for a new laptop, the Macbook looks awfully inviting. I have heard good things about how smooth and problem free the operating system is but i have also heard many many incompatibility issues involving the Mac OS X.

I have researched a bit and found out theres a ton of annoyances like only being able to VIEW (not edit) particular filetypes like excel spreadsheets. This could be a major issue since I will be living on campus and will want to share my work with other people. The equivalent to Microsoft Office for the Mac is iWork but things are lost when trying to export iWork files to those on windows (in certain circumstances anyway).

I also hear that (for some courses) the Uni requires you to use some software that won't run on a Mac. I know that this is the case for commerce but I'm wondering if there are any science students out there (particularly UQ students) who run into this problem in their course.

I am aware of Bootcamp which allows you to install both operating systems and select either one during startup. However, I would assume there are also problems with running Windows XP on a Mac - one of which is that the files stored on the Mac OS X will be basically invisible to files stored on the XP.

So essentially, I'm looking to buy a new laptop within this week but these are concerns that I need answered before I can make a decision between Mac or PC.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jb_nc]

just buy a macbook

 

[madsam]

just buy a macbook

No, don't

 

[MongMan]

Get Microsoft Office for Mac.

Set up a FAT partition which you can access from both OS X and Windows for documents you want to share between the two if you use Boot Camp.

Alternatively you could use VMware or Parallels for the rare instance that you need Windows for a task within OS X.

I would recommend getting the Macbook for computer science topics - i.e it saves you from having to screw around installing linux while providing you with a unix workstation, hassel free.

 

[ssglain]

I have researched a bit and found out theres a ton of annoyances like only being able to VIEW (not edit) particular filetypes like excel spreadsheets. This could be a major issue since I will be living on campus and will want to share my work with other people. The equivalent to Microsoft Office for the Mac is iWork but things are lost when trying to export iWork files to those on windows (in certain circumstances anyway).

As MongMan pointed out, there is Microsoft Office for Macs.

I also hear that (for some courses) the Uni requires you to use some software that won't run on a Mac. I know that this is the case for commerce but I'm wondering if there are any science students out there (particularly UQ students) who run into this problem in their course.

I am aware of Bootcamp which allows you to install both operating systems and select either one during startup. However, I would assume there are also problems with running Windows XP on a Mac - one of which is that the files stored on the Mac OS X will be basically invisible to files stored on the XP.

I recently bought a MacBook Pro and I'm dual booting Windows 7 for gaming. BootCamp should be perfectly fine if you install it properly.

If you know that you are primarily going to be using software that may not be supported or may be poorly supported in Mac, then you may as well save yourself the trouble of having to overcome compatibility issues and buy something with Windows pre-installed. I personally think that there's really not much advantage in buying a Mac unless you are going to make use of the software/web development functionalities that are built-in - like the Unix kernel-based OS X or the built-in Apache web server.

 

[bubbrubb]

ah i c

thanks for the responses

I think the disadvantages outweigh the advantages I would be making use of so I'll prob just get an asus.

 

[MongMan]

I am aware of Bootcamp which allows you to install both operating systems and select either one during startup. However, I would assume there are also problems with running Windows XP on a Mac - one of which is that the files stored on the Mac OS X will be basically invisible to files stored on the XP.

Surprisingly the latest version of Bootcamp access OS X files from Windows without any extra work.

Fair enough. What model Asus are you going for?

 

[biopia]

I own a mac, and run VMWare fusion. It's amazing. You have no restrictions as to what programs you can put on it... EVERYTHING works!!! I have XP installed on my machine, and it runs so much faster than any other XP machine I've seen... And with VMWare, you can run both operating systems at the same time - not just boot into one or the other. You can integrate them both into the one desktop or you can have it as a stand alone window and just switch between the two however frequently you need to (I do it this way, and switching is a snap with hot corners). Also, there is an option upon set up that allows 100% integration of files, so you don't need to transfer them from OSX to the virtual drive. Seriously, with this one cheap program, the sky's the limit...

 

[MongMan]

Mac Pro?

 

[biopia]

Mac Pro?

Yep =] I love my computer! Wherever I take it, it's like taking two amazing machines with me hehe.

 

[bubbrubb]

Yes the mac does sound like a viable option now but I think I'll get the Asus K42JR -VX047X simply because its cheaper and has greater specs while maintaining lightness (core i5 2.26ghz, 4gb DDR3 ram, 14", 2.2kg). However, only 4400 mAh 6 cell battery so I'm guessing a mere 3-4 hours with light work? No reviews are out on the model since it is new or perhaps not interesting enough for one . Luckily I'm going to be living on campus so I'm not sure if battery life is so important for me :|

 

[tommykins]

Half the people that bring laptops to uni proabbly bring a charger as well, so the 'long life of a mac' is not worth it.

 

[MongMan]

Half the people that bring laptops to uni proabbly bring a charger as well, so the 'long life of a mac' is not worth it.

Laptops are overrated at uni anyway, unless you're actually studying computer science. Pen and pad for note-taking.