Ask HN: iOS vs. Linux question

1 points by sebastianavina 11y ago ↗ HN

I've been using Linux for about 8-9 years, I migrated because of a bug on Google AppEngine that only existed on Windows. As I really liked the experience I migrated all the computers on my company to linux. I always work on the computer on my office through terminal (mount the directory, directly on emacs, or a tunnel to the port of the corporate intranet) But I really need to use SolidWorks and Photoshop, so I have tried a lot of times to use a Windows computer, only to become frustrated by the experience (It just breaks, I start to have a lot of pop ups on startup, a lot of icons on the menu bar, notifications for everything, is a headache), so I'm planning to buy a MacBook Pro, but my question is.

Is there a terminal on the Mac? I understand it's BSD on the base, but I guess I wont have aptitude, so How difficult is to install latex? Go, Python, R, Emacs, OpenOffice, OpenSSH, and Dropbox?

3 comments

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mattkrea 11y ago ↗

First: Yes, there is a terminal--a great one built right in.

Second: http://brew.sh/

Homebrew will be your package manager. I do my Python and Go development on it as well.

Nanzikambe 11y ago ↗

> But I really need to use SolidWorks and Photoshop

Why not install WINE? There're several versions of both apps rated as "Gold" in appdb

    Photoshop: https://appdb.winehq.org/appview.php?appId=17
    SolidWorks: https://appdb.winehq.org/objectManager.php?sClass=application&iId=318

kaptain 11y ago ↗

I'm a long time Mac user. One thing I like about Linux is its package manager. Brew is a package manager OS X but it isn't as powerful as aptitude because it's not integrated into the system the way aptitude is.

All the things you mentioned are easily installable.

I would recommend that you get a second-hand machine; Macs ARE more expensive but I enjoy using them. They're not for everyone though so I would hedge your risk by getting a second-hand one. If you love it then the next time you're in the market for a new machine you'll know what to get. If you hate it then you can cut your losses.