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How to run Android Studio?

Mac + iPhone or Ubuntu + Android?

  • Shoud I get a Mac + iPhone or Ubuntu + Android? I need to change my laptop and phone. Work's paying for the laptop, I'm paying for the phone. I need to figure out whether to get a Mac + iPhone or Ubuntu + Android. I'm run a web development studio, and also teach 3d modelling at my old Architecture School. My current http://ask.metafilter.com/97341/mac-dell-or-lenovo boots Ubuntu 10.10 and Windows 7. My main OS is Ubuntu. My current phone is not even worth mentioning (hint: Sony P.O.S.). I spend most of my work time programming Django websites in PyCharm on Ubuntu, using a dual head setup (Laptop+External Screen). I spend about 10% of my time designing in Fireworks or Rhino in Windows 7. I've been thinking about getting a Mac for a while, and wonder whether I should get a 13" MacBook Pro + iPhone 4 or the equivalent in Lenovo or Dell + Android Phone (which?). I'll probably be dual booting regardless of what I end up getting, Mac+Ubuntu or Ubuntu+Windows. I'm comfortable at the command line and like how easy it is to install libraries &c. in Ubuntu. I don't play any games except Minecraft. I don't do any hardcore rendering or modelling anymore, though I used to and might in the future again, I suppose.

  • Answer:

    It's quite easy to set up a MacBook to boot into Windows 7, Ubuntu and OS X - and you can, of course, run multiple versions of GNU/Linux and Windows in VM software. This isn't because the Mac hardware is any better of course, but because Apple won't let you run OS X on other hardware (though of course you can do that technically, just not legally). That said, if you don't need or want OS X for anything, there's no reason to get the Mac. The Mac OS is, on it's own, a pretty phenomenal piece of software for people who work in the GUI. As a command line user, however, that might not mean much to you. Even though I'm a self-identified member of the cult of Mac and use only Macs myself, if I were in your position, I'd go with the GNU/Linux & Android option simply because I think the Free Software is the more ethical choice and you already have the skills necessary to get as much out of the Free Software as you could out of the proprietary software. Also, from a usability perspective, your skill set means that you could, theoretically, encounter barriers in OS X and iOS, and to some degree even in the hardware. I'll give you an example of the kind of barrier I'm thinking about: Macs will not let you change the region code for the DVD player more than 5 times. This is an issues at the intersection of the drive firmware and the software - but it still exists and affects all software, and even if you're managing a university full of Macs (as I do), and have machines in a Library that need to play DVDs from every region, Apple's system engineers response is "this cannot be changed."

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Being that Mac OS X is essentially BSD anyway, you may find that you don't need Ubuntu at all. Many, if not most, *nix software is available for OS X either as a full port or an X11 application. Pycharm, as an example, most definitely is.

Oktober

Whichever you go for, you may want to wait a couple months to see when a 4G iPhone is coming out and/or see how the reviews are on the 4G android devices that are out.

Grither

Are you required to match the phone against your laptop? I have an OSX laptop and an Android, and I'm pretty happy. The laptop lets me have fun developing (I use Netbeans mainly), while the Android can be developed for via Netbeans, and I just can't bring myself to work on stuff for iOS with the ever-present possibility that Apple might shoot the app down.

babbageboole

(Sorry, I meant Eclipse for Android above)

babbageboole

We're an Android shop, but we all use Macs. The Unix side of OSX is about as friendly as Ubuntu (see Homebrew for a package manager), and it's nice to not run into funny hardware incompatibilities. Not sure why you're tying your phone choice to your laptop OS, Android works equally well with both.

ConstantineXVI

Absolutely get a Mac. I've used both OS X and Ubuntu extensively. Your experience with the Mac will be MUCH less painful. Not trying to slam Ubuntu or Linux, but OS X has a better, more consistent and logical UI. Apple really focussed a lot of effort on that UI :) Also, you can run Ubuntu on your Mac hardware and there are several inexpensive options for doing that such as Bootcamp and VMware fusion. I switched from Linux for Web development work to OS X and I'm really glad I did. Linux is a great server OS but has never really caught up as a workstation. In some cases, the cathedral produces better software.

eeby

This may not make the decision easier, but a Mac will let you triple-boot Ubu/OSX/7. Or run Ubu or 7 VMs inside OSX via Fusion or Parallels. Or just do your *nix stuff in X11. If you want to cover all your bases, a Mac is going to give you a lot of options and good build quality. But it'll be pricey, especially if you're going to boot 7 (you'll need to buy a full copy); you might have to charm the powers that be a little bit.

bartleby

Get a Mac and get VMWare Fusion 3. No need to dual boot. Fusion 3 is awesome.

Burhanistan

If you don't have to pay for the laptop (so cost is no concern), you should most certainly get a Mac if for not other reason than the build quality. The timing is perfect as they just refreshed with Sandy Bridge components. And, it will throw just about any OS you want to throw at it, although you'll probably find OSX to be just fine for everything. I especially have grown accustomed enough to the multi-touch gestures that using my work PC drives me batty. Phone? That's up to you. I really like my iPhone 4 more than my friend's Android. He likes his more than mine. It's a personal decision that really doesn't matter what OS you're using on the laptop. Although, I will note that iTunes runs about 7 trillion times better on the Mac than the PC.

General Malaise

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