<p>Like many incoming freshman, I'm buying a laptop soon. I have a few basic questions regarding the decision.
1. I'm leaning towards a Mac right now (13 inch silver Macbook), but I'm a bioengineering: biotechnology major. I'm unaware of this being a very computer-intensive major, but are there classes I would have to take requiring a Window program (here's the curriculum: <a href="http://be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/programs/majors/biotechnology/curriculum)?%5B/url%5D">http://be.ucsd.edu/undergraduate/programs/majors/biotechnology/curriculum)?</a> I'm going for reliability so Mac seems to be the way to go.
2. I don't want to pay hundreds of dollars for software. I know other colleges have this, but would it be possible to download software legally that UCSD has purchased through being a student? Ideally I would be able to set everything up over the summer without physically going to UCSD.
3. This is more unrelated, but how common is laptop theft? Obviously I plan to carry a cable lock but is the crime rate high? This may factor into how nice of a laptop I get.</p>
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<li><p>Not of that major so I’m sure someone else can answer for you. Btw, you should fix the hotlink so the “)?” isn’t included.</p></li>
<li><p>Depends what kind of software you’re going for. For most major programs, all you’ll get is a student discount at the bookstore since buying an enterprise level license for all UCSD students/staff/etc. would be really costly.</p></li>
<li><p>A couple of laptops got stolen at Muir this year, but it was because the people left their dorm room open and walked off. Don’t leave your laptop out in the open without anyone around for extended periods of time and you’ll be fine. The cable lock will end up being a big hassle unless you leave your computer around a lot. If you’re worried about theft, buy a good value laptop and you’ll be fine (generally not Macs unless you can find them on sale on ebay or somewhere like that).</p></li>
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<p>All software is free if you know how to get it. hehe</p>
<p>Striff, is there any legal way to get free software?
In the case that there isn’t, is there more of a black market for Mac software or PC stuff?</p>
<p>PCs have more of a black market than macs since macs are noob and PCs are superior. :)</p>
<p>The only program that I know of that you can download free is ChemBioDraw or (some name like that). Its a program you can use to draw organic molecules (with sterorechemistry) and name them.</p>
<p>Hey man, I’m a BENG major from UCSD. I would definitely disagree with the fact that BENG is not a computer intensive major. We use A LOT of computer software. We end up using intense software such as MATLAB, Inventor, AutoCAD, Visual Studio etc.
So I definitely recommend buying a PC for all the compatibility issues. If you want still want free software for all of these, let me know, as students you can get a lot of free software.</p>
<p>As a college student, Office 2007 Ultimate is only $60…not free, but not very expensive either. Also, you can get Inventor and AutoCAD directly from Autodesk for free because you’re a college student.</p>
<p>Reliability for macs and pc’s are about the same. The problem with pc’s are that vendors throw on a bunch of unstable software you don’t need or probably even want. If you get a Windows computer, the first thing you should do is use the recovery disk to perform a clean install. Then you’ll have a much faster/stable machine. It’s really a shame that vendors mess up their machines for us, but that’s just how it is.</p>
<p>Because of the 13-inch MacBook pro and the free iTouch/printer, I’m heavily leaning towards Mac. For those who would recommend a PC, are there any severe problems I could encounter if I go with the Mac? I plan to use VMware Fusion for PC-only software. Money isn’t that big of an issue and I only plan to use basic programs/school related stuff.</p>
<p>Just get the newer one. I’ve heard from people I personally know, and from reviews on other sites that the older (or is it current?) one is fragile…the unibody one. You should have your bases covered with a good emulator.</p>
<p>It’s fine if you own a mac and then use the computer labs to access Windows software.</p>
<p>this isn’t related to software programs, but does ucsd have a laptop discount program for its students?</p>
<p>^ There is no program, but many of the manufacturers offer an academic discount. Apple will give it to you if your order through their academic store online, otherwise the UCSD bookstore is a good deal.</p>