I'm starting Computer Science this fall, what kind of computer should I get? Should I get a Mac or PC...

I'm starting Computer Science this fall, what kind of computer should I get? Should I get a Mac or PC? I'm mostly used to Mac but maybe PC is more ubiquitous in CS?

Get a thinkpad and dualboot Ubuntu and Windows

>maybe PC is more ubiquitous in CS?

No.

mac os

macOS on a T420

Note on ubuntu,
get a distro with a different DE, such as Kubuntu.

+1

Get a older thinkpad so your not tempted to play games and will actually learn stuff.

Op of Ubuntu comment. Agreed. Kubuntu is pretty comfortable

>I'm starting Computer Science this fall, what kind of computer should I get?
Whatever you like.

>maybe PC is more ubiquitous in CS?
Probably. But it matters not, for you can use whatever computer you like.

Mac. Trust me, if you're actually doing work on it, it will be easier to do coding and *nix stuff than windows, and it will be easier to deal with then either windows or Linux.

Don't get me wrong, I love Linux, and if you don't have the money to spend definitely grab something cheap USB and toss Linux in there, but if you can afford it, get a mbp. It's got great productivity apps, like Fantastical and Airmail, and shit like that that makes it worth it. Linux is getting closer, but it still has gaps in available software, and usability.

Not OP of Ubuntu comment. Disagreed. Kubuntu is sheit. Try Xubuntu.

Whatever you want. The principles of computer science apply equally to each platform. My advice is not to get a laptop. All laptops are shit.

'ello Tim C(r)ook

This would be your best bet.

i'm not a fan of apple, and i'm a thinkpad fanboy too but my honest answer is get a mac if you can afford
you can install other (better) operating systems, but if in any case it becomes more convenient to use a macOS, you can easily use macOS, instead of having to jump through hoops

I'm not even memeing to be honest. I use Linux in my home machines, but when you're dealing with retarded shit, be it schoolwork or just regular work, the last thing you want to deal with is some unexpected breakage or gap in feature set. Windows sucks massive dick in terms of stability and reliability, and Linux has a lot of gaps in usability.

No one cares about you or what product you buy. If you have to ask this question you're probably a fucking idiot to begin with.

...

It is very likely your schools course does in fact have a recommendation for this

Do what I did, buy cheapest Chromebook possible, then use Crouton to use linux in a chroot.

>in b4 botnet

It's light as fuck, cheap as fuck, solid state drive, so you can take it everywhere without even thinking about it and bang it around without worrying about breaking it. It can do 99% of everything you need to do for CS, anything else just ssh into your school's servers.

It's all different flavors of the same shit. Use whatever you like.

I like Thinkpads though.

Why would you get a new mac?
That's a really stupid question.
You can't even install Linux on a new mac.
All mac command line tools are non-standard.
The OS X terminal doesn't even have bash completions.
System Integrity Protection wrecks everything under /usr/
You can't even get updates for software without creating an App store account

Mac is horrible. Below shit tier. Walled garden morons use Macs. Are you a walled garden moron? No? Then get a decent machine.

Razer Blade Stealth
Dell XPS 13

If you're going to learn C++ or C# and will be using MS Visual Studio don't bother with mac or linux unless you want to use a VM

I have never in my entire life heard of a non-elective CS course that uses C# as a requirement.

I did Data Structures and Algorithms 2 this semester and we worked with C++.

Next semester I have a course that focuses on design patterns, clean code, etc. in which we use C# and Entity framework.

Figure out what classes you're taking first and see what they require. Don't be afraid of talking to your professors either.

C++ is normal
C# is an extreme outlier, and you should not base your college laptop purchase around it

Also that sounds like an elective

Sure, but if user has a course like that and he goes for a mac or wants to use exclusively linux he's going to run into trouble.

It's not.

Maybe he's from outside 'murka.
Poland here and one of my programming classes had mandatory C#.

This guy's right desu, all your shitposting can be done from macOS almost as efficiently as linux. Tinkering your distro is the worst way to spend a day tbqh

Find out from the school if you'll be doing work at the computer labs in class or have to bring your own laptop.
In either case, I'd recommend either a thinkpad or else a dell lattitude.
Thinkpad T series is ideal. But most of them should be fine.

I'd strongly advise looking into ones with good battery life and get something that's roughly as heavy, place it in your backpack along with anything else you'll carry and see how it feels walking around for a while. That tends to be the biggest problem for people is they don't like the weight.

If you want something very slim/small, you can go with the X series.

it doesnt matter lol, CS is not about computer or operating systems

>should I get a mac or pc?
reconsider your major, try something like web design

Same user adding to this.

What:

posted is very accurate. Outside of really advanced stuff, you won't need more tha 8GB of RAM or beyond an i3 (5th gen onwards)u processor.

But I would recommend the thinkpad T or X series with long battery life. Solely because you will be able to practice outside in different enivronments for more than 4 hours.

You shouldn't be doing computer science if you can't tell an OS and the name of a computer apart

>having so much of a victim complex that choosing to use something that isnt mainstream is in your head being brutally assaulted by everyone else
What can we do about the macfag problem?

It could be worth getting USED Macbook and using a virtual machine with Windows and Linux. That way you get experience with all three which is be beneficial.

I was principally opposed to using Mac anything. It ended up setting me back a bit when I got into an IT position. I can hold my own with the best on Windows, but I looked like a real noobie on Mac.

Wtf is
>*nix stuff
exactly? I see mactoddlers use this buzzword all the time.

seconding this, xubuntu is very nice

>Should I get a Mac or PC? I'm mostly used to Mac but maybe PC is more ubiquitous in CS?

You can start by fucking off from any computer-related trade/university and don't even walk near them until you fixed your fucking retarded "le mac vs. le pc" mentality.

Protip nigger: modern macs are PCs both as in personal computer and IBM PC compatible.