Welcome to the Java Programming Forums


The professional, friendly Java community. 21,500 members and growing!


The Java Programming Forums are a community of Java programmers from all around the World. Our members have a wide range of skills and they all have one thing in common: A passion to learn and code Java. We invite beginner Java programmers right through to Java professionals to post here and share your knowledge. Become a part of the community, help others, expand your knowledge of Java and enjoy talking with like minded people. Registration is quick and best of all free. We look forward to meeting you.


>> REGISTER NOW TO START POSTING


Members have full access to the forums. Advertisements are removed for registered users.

Results 1 to 7 of 7

Thread: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    3
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    Hey,

    Okay so I'm a starting software engineer student, till now I have used a Sony Vaio laptop but it's time to change and upgrade. I'm looking to buy a laptop that will work for long and will perform well.. (Battery life, speed,etc)
    Games are not so important to me.
    Also If it's easier for you guys then just tell me which Operation system Is better to use.

    I need my laptop to be good for programming and coding a lot!
    I have spoke to some of my teachers asking their point of view... Most answered I should get a Mac.

    So what do you people think? I don't need any Apple fans or Apple haters here! I need why is the laptop/ or operating system u advising me to get suite my situation best.

    Thank you very much everyone!


  2. #2
    Crazy Cat Lady KevinWorkman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    Washington, DC
    Posts
    5,424
    My Mood
    Hungover
    Thanks
    144
    Thanked 636 Times in 540 Posts

    Default Re: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    This is entirely up to personal preference. There is no "best operating system" for programming, especially programming in Java.

    You should get whatever you're comfortable using.
    Useful links: How to Ask Questions the Smart Way | Use Code Tags | Java Tutorials
    Static Void Games - Play indie games, learn from game tutorials and source code, upload your own games!

  3. #3
    Forum VIP
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    1,676
    Thanks
    25
    Thanked 329 Times in 305 Posts

    Default Re: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    Personally, I wouldn't get an Apple for programming, especially if you are used to Windows. I found setting up a fully operation dev environment on a Mac to be extremely unpleasant. But, this is coming from someone who is accustomed to Windows. I'm sure it's not too bad after you get used to the system, but I don't want that sort of learning curve and frustration when I just want to hit the ground running and start programming.

    For non-Mac brands, I usually recommend either HP or Toshiba if you are looking for the best bang for your buck. Once again, very subjective, but that's my opinion. A HP or Toshiba laptop for around $800-$1000 (US) should be more than capable of letting you run several VMs, dev environments, watch movies, play video games, ect. without much trouble. And as much as I dislike Windows 8, I hear MS will be offering a free (or extremely discounted) upgrade to Windows 9 when they release it next year. So, I would probably be inclined to get a Windows 8 over a Windows 7, myself.
    NOTE TO NEW PEOPLE LOOKING FOR HELP ON FORUM:

    When asking for help, please follow these guidelines to receive better and more prompt help:
    1. Put your code in Java Tags. To do this, put [highlight=java] before your code and [/highlight] after your code.
    2. Give full details of errors and provide us with as much information about the situation as possible.
    3. Give us an example of what the output should look like when done correctly.

    Join the Airline Management Simulation Game to manage your own airline against other users in a virtual recreation of the United States Airline Industry. For more details, visit: http://airlinegame.orgfree.com/

  4. #4
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    3
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    Thank you very much for all the answers. aussiemcgr would you be able to recommend one or two laptops from to shiva or hp? 800-1000$ is some I can offered.
    (I'm looking for names so I can look them up and read some reviews.)
    Thank you

  5. #5
    Forum VIP
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    1,676
    Thanks
    25
    Thanked 329 Times in 305 Posts

    Default Re: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    I actually did a breakdown the other day for my dad. Here are 3 we looked at for each brand (the links might not work):

    Toshiba Direct | 15" - 16" Laptops & Notebook Computers
    Toshiba Satellite P50-BBT2N22 Laptop (Toshiba Satellite P50-BBT2N22 Laptop)
    Price: $699.99
    Processor: i5
    Touchscreen: No (optional: yes for +$100)
    Screen Size: 15.6" 1920x1080
    Memory: 8GB
    Hard Drive: 1TB
    Wireless: 300Mbps (optional: Dual-band 867Mbps for +$25, I recommend)

    Toshiba Satellite P50-BBT2G22 Laptop (Toshiba Satellite P50-BBT2G22 Laptop)
    Price: $899.99
    Processor: i7
    Touchscreen: No (optional: yes for +$100)
    Screen Size: 15.6" 1920x1080
    Memory: 8GB
    Hard Drive: 1TB
    Wireless: 300Mbps (optional: Dual-band 867Mbps for +$25, I recommend)
    Why more expensive: More advanced processor

    Toshiba Satellite S70-BBT2N23 Laptop (Toshiba Satellite S70-BBT2N23 Laptop | Toshiba Laptops)
    Price: $899.99
    Processor: i7
    Touchscreen: No (optional: yes for +$120)
    Screen Size: 17.3" 1600x900 (optional: 17.3" 1920x1080 for +$100)
    Memory: 6GB (optional: 8GB for +$50)
    Hard Drive: 750GB (optional: 1TB for +$30)
    Wireless: WiFi Wireless 802.11b/g/n (optional: Dual-band 867Mbps for +$25, I recommend)
    Why more expensive: larger screen size (actual cost for larger screen size would be: +$180)

    HP ENVY x360 - 15t Touch Laptop (HP ENVY x360 - 15t Touch Laptop | HP Official Store)
    Price: $679.99
    Processor: i5 (optional i7 for +$130)
    Touchscreen: Yes
    Screen Size: 15.6" 1366x768 (optional: 15.6" 1920x1080 for +$50)
    Memory: 6GB (optional: 8GB for +$40)
    Hard Drive: 500GB (optional: 750GB for +$40 and 1TB for +$65)
    Wireless: WiFi Wireless 802.11b/g/n (optional: 802.11ac 2x2 for +$30)
    NOTE: **no DVD or CD drive**

    HP ENVY - 17t (HP ENVY - 17t Laptop | HP Official Store)
    Price: $729.99
    Processor: i7 with chipset (optional: i7 with dedicated graphics for +$140)
    Touchscreen: Yes
    Screen Size: 17.3" 1600x900 (optional: 17.3" 1920x1080 for +$100)
    Memory: 12GB
    Hard Drive: 1TB (optional: 1TB Hybrid for +$40 or 1.5TB for +$90)
    Wireless: WiFi Wireless 802.11b/g/n (optional: 802.11ac 2x2 for +$40)
    Why more expensive: more memory, hard drive space, and built-in optical drive

    HP Pavilion - 15t Touch (http://shopping.hp.com/en_US/home-of...lion-15t-Touch)
    Price: $749.99
    Processor: i5 with chipset (optional: i7 with dedicated graphics for +$140)
    Touchscreen: Yes
    Screen Size: 15.6" 1366x768 (optional: 15.6" 1920x1080 for +$50)
    Memory: 8GB (optional: 12GB for +$110, not worth it)
    Hard Drive: 750GB (optional: 1TB for +$30 or 1TB hybrid for +$80)
    Wireless: WiFi Wireless 802.11b/g/n (optional: 802.11ac 2x2 for +$30)
    Why more expensive: more memory, hard drive space, and built-in optical drive

    HP ENVY - 15t Touch (HP ENVY - 15t Touch Laptop | HP Official Store)
    Price: $779.99
    Processor: i7 Quad with chipset (optional: i7 Dual with dedicated graphics for +$70 or +$140)
    Touchscreen: Yes
    Screen Size: 15.6" 1366x768 (optional: 15.6" 1920x1080 for +$50)
    Memory: 8GB (optional: 12GB for +$75)
    Hard Drive: 1.5TB
    Wireless: WiFi Wireless 802.11b/g/n (optional: 802.11ac 2x2 for +$30)
    Why more expensive: more advanced processor, larger harddrive
    NOTE TO NEW PEOPLE LOOKING FOR HELP ON FORUM:

    When asking for help, please follow these guidelines to receive better and more prompt help:
    1. Put your code in Java Tags. To do this, put [highlight=java] before your code and [/highlight] after your code.
    2. Give full details of errors and provide us with as much information about the situation as possible.
    3. Give us an example of what the output should look like when done correctly.

    Join the Airline Management Simulation Game to manage your own airline against other users in a virtual recreation of the United States Airline Industry. For more details, visit: http://airlinegame.orgfree.com/

  6. #6
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2014
    Posts
    3
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts

    Default Re: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    Wow great! Thank you very much.
    Really appreciate all the answers.
    Keep them coming

  7. #7
    Administrator copeg's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    US
    Posts
    5,320
    Thanks
    181
    Thanked 833 Times in 772 Posts
    Blog Entries
    5

    Default Re: Buying a new laptop, software engineer student.

    Definitely personal preference comes into play, but also take into consideration the type of programming you intend to do. Scripting? Desktop applications? Cluster computing? Mobile applications? There are a vast number of different types of programming...and some are more feasible than others in different environments. I personally prefer 'nix based operating systems. Why? Very stable, very secure, isn't prone to issues common on Windows (eg malware, necessity to defragment the disk, etc...), comes standard with a whole slew of useful programming languages (perl, python, java, etc...) and tools (grep, awk, etc...). Downside is that there is a learning curve. Upside to the downside is that Mac is unix based, throwing an easy learning curve on top of a powerful OS (my experience with programming on a mac has been much different from aussiemcgr's). This being said, if you've used Windows for years, moving over can be a challenge (perhaps try to get your hands on a mac to play with it for a few days and see how you like it).

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 0
    Last Post: February 25th, 2013, 02:41 AM
  2. Replies: 0
    Last Post: February 22nd, 2013, 06:12 AM
  3. Replies: 0
    Last Post: May 23rd, 2012, 04:55 PM
  4. Senior Software Engineer
    By Captain Recruiter in forum Paid Java Projects
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: January 17th, 2011, 06:43 PM

Tags for this Thread