Java Development on a Macbook?
June 2008
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Why develop Java applications on Mac? Well, why not? Aside from the coolness factor, here are some business and technical reasons to do so.
- Macbooks are faster and more stable than any other Vista machine.
- Macbooks can run multiple OS – Linux, Windows and Leopard. With VMWare or Parallels, you can even run Windows within your Mac environment.
- You have a better brand than any other outsoucing or software development company. Imagine sending 5 consultants to your clients each carrying a Macbook.
- They have the tools needed for Java development – including Eclipse, MySQL, Xcode and any other Java IDE.
- The graphics interface is inspiring. Who says developers don’t need inspiration?
- Prices of software (e.g. iWorks, etc.) is cheaper than its Microsoft counterparts. Besides, most of the tools are open source.
- Prices of Macbooks are competitive if not cheaper than other laptop brands.
- It’s secure… it’s built on top of BSD.
- Did I mention NO virus?
- The coolness and intuitiveness of Time Machine encourages data backup. The video below is available now in Leopard and it works!
Mac OS X Leopard – Time Machine
And the Macbooks have better battery life than its PC counterpart. On the average, I get 4-5 hours of unplugged time after a full charge. More than enough coding time when I’m in Starbucks.
Correct me if I’m wrong but up to now I think only the 64-bit Intel Macs support Java 6, and I think that’s really one huge issue that Apple needs to address.
See some of my comments here.
Hi Dayg, good point.
Fortunately for us, we purchased our first Macs last October 2007 and they are 64-bit Macs (Core 2). Phew. In addition, we have not officially upgraded to Java 6 yet, although some machines have Java 6 upgrade.
But then again, Apple should really address this issue… its quite a while since Java 6 was released.
Hi guys,
I’m working on an iPhone application and so I’ve added Mac to my OS’s (I still plan to use Ubuntu). It’s worked for about 98% of my Java needs (with some major symlink tweaking to get 1.6 jdk). Spring, Maven, etc. BUT: Hibernate in Eclipse–Console Configuration is NOT working! Ergh! If you can live without this I’ve been able to get a pretty darn complete java dev env going.
I like your style of writing, I can’t say agree with everything, but it is fun to read
> It’s secure… it’s built on top of BSD.
> Did I mention NO virus?
That is a very complacent attitude to security and factually incorrect. There may be less viruses but there are rootkits, trojans and backdoor attacks for Macs as well as attacks via Flash,.pdf & Quicktime.
This is evidenced by the number of security updates available see http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222 for
Apple security updates (15-Jan-2008 to 03-Dec-2009)
Apple security updates (25-Jan-2005 to 21-Dec-2007)
Apple security updates (03-Oct-2003 to 11-Jan-2005)
Apple security updates (August, 2003 and earlier)
I love Macs as much as the next fanboi but I am realistic. To reduce the possibility of trouble keep the OS up to date, Run TimeMachine for restores, create DVD disk images of important projects once in a while and most of all use a separate non-privlidged account when surfing the underweb.
Gannett