Jun
27
27
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.