Thinking about getting a Macbook

**wmorri** · 12-12-2008, 03:09 PM

Hi,

I have been thinking about getting a macbook for a couple of years now. I am thinking about getting one of the new 13 inch ones. I am just wondering if there is anything that I need to know or be concerned about when getting one?

I don't think that I will be getting one till after the new year when I have some more money too.

Cheers!

sinclair_tm · 12-12-2008, 04:34 PM

All I can say is that I love mine. I got the 2.4Ghz Macbook with the backlit keyboard and feel it is so worth it. If you can, get it with the RAM maxed out. What do you plan to do with it?

**wmorri** · 12-12-2008, 07:18 PM

I will probably do programming with it. I am currently getting into ruby and will be taking java next semester at school so that is probably what I will be doing the most. I also, plan on doing a lot of posting and editing of threads on TSF too. But, for the most part this is for learning purposes, I have learned that it is never a bad thing to learn how all three major systems work.

Cheers!

shuuhen · 12-12-2008, 11:26 PM

Well, at least on my install of Leopard, the version of Ruby included is 1.8.6_p114. 1.8.6 is probably the most common version, but you may decide you want a newer version (like Ruby 1.9 - which has a much faster interpreter). Macports is a relatively easy way to get a 1.8.7 or 1.9 version of Ruby. MacRuby is another option, but I have not tried it yet myself. Nice thing about Macports is it lets you install plenty of open source programs. Fink (based on the Debian package format) allows that too, but I personally prefer Macports (source-based, similar to FreeBSD's Ports system).

Xcode supports both Java and Ruby, but there are plenty of IDEs and text editors that should work great. I use vim most of the time, so I don't have as much experience with the IDEs available (although I could list a few if you want to experiment with them).

**wmorri** · 12-13-2008, 01:02 PM

Quote:

If you can, get it with the RAM maxed out.

Would it make sense to get all the ram from Apple or should I get after market ram and just add it to my laptop? It seems a little expensive to buy my ram from Apple. I could probably get just as good ram from some place like newegg.comm or another place.

Cheers!

sinclair_tm · 12-14-2008, 05:52 PM

Right now, buying the RAM from Apple is pretty much the same as getting it anywhere else. And when it comes to RAM for a Mac, there are only two places I would even consider, Apple, and OtherWorldComputing. When you get it, it has two slots, with a matched pair of 1 Gig sticks in it. To upgrade, you will be removing both and replacing it with a matched pair of 2 Gig sticks.

*edit* Just checked RAM prices, and they seemed to have gone up, so it is cheaper to get the RAM from OWC than Apple. And when I have the money, that's where I'll get it from.

12-12-2008, 03:09 PM	#1 (permalink)
wmorri Moderator/Fedora Amb. Join Date: May 2008 Location: /pm/etc Posts: 2,840 OS: Window 7/Fedora 10 My System	Thinking about getting a Macbook Hi, I have been thinking about getting a macbook for a couple of years now. I am thinking about getting one of the new 13 inch ones. I am just wondering if there is anything that I need to know or be concerned about when getting one? I don't think that I will be getting one till after the new year when I have some more money too. Cheers! __________________ Linux Forever!

12-12-2008, 07:18 PM	#3 (permalink)
wmorri Moderator/Fedora Amb. Join Date: May 2008 Location: /pm/etc Posts: 2,840 OS: Window 7/Fedora 10 My System	Re: Thinking about getting a Macbook I will probably do programming with it. I am currently getting into ruby and will be taking java next semester at school so that is probably what I will be doing the most. I also, plan on doing a lot of posting and editing of threads on TSF too. But, for the most part this is for learning purposes, I have learned that it is never a bad thing to learn how all three major systems work. Cheers! __________________ Linux Forever!

12-12-2008, 11:26 PM	#4 (permalink)
shuuhen Manager Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Colorado Posts: 988 OS: Mac OS 9.1, Mac OS X 10.5.8, WinXP Pro, FreeBSD 6.0, Gentoo Linux My System	Re: Thinking about getting a Macbook Well, at least on my install of Leopard, the version of Ruby included is 1.8.6_p114. 1.8.6 is probably the most common version, but you may decide you want a newer version (like Ruby 1.9 - which has a much faster interpreter). Macports is a relatively easy way to get a 1.8.7 or 1.9 version of Ruby. MacRuby is another option, but I have not tried it yet myself. Nice thing about Macports is it lets you install plenty of open source programs. Fink (based on the Debian package format) allows that too, but I personally prefer Macports (source-based, similar to FreeBSD's Ports system). Xcode supports both Java and Ruby, but there are plenty of IDEs and text editors that should work great. I use vim most of the time, so I don't have as much experience with the IDEs available (although I could list a few if you want to experiment with them). __________________ Has it been a few days since I replied to your thread? Don't panic! I'm a busy college student and may forget a post if I'm extra busy (or it might just take me a while to be able to do a decent reply). If you still need help and are awaiting my reply after a few days, PM me about it. When posting what errors you get, please give the full message. It makes helping you much easier.