<p>Is a budget OSX computer worth it?
I have now decided on the mac mini since it is os x/aluminum/cheap/small and has HDMI for all my pirated Bluray stuff. Is the Mac mini a good choice for a math major? Im not looking to use a laptop in class since several of my community college teachers ban laptops during lecture. Im looking for something that is small, sturdy, and could fit on a tiny desk.</p>
<p>It sure is tiny - I’m not sure how everything fits in there, but somehow it does. I think it is a good choice if you already have a mouse/keyboard/monitor. If you are going to buy all those items too, then it may be a better deal to get an iMac.</p>
<p>Will the math software you need run on OSX? Most of what I know about (Maple, Mathematica, MathType, SPSS) does, but if you do run across a Windows-only application, then you will have to install Windows on your Mac.</p>
<p>When you write, “pirated Bluray stuff”, I presume that you have saved that stuff to your hard disk, right? I’m pretty sure that the Mac Mini DVD drive cannot play Bluray disks.</p>
<p>Yes. I do realize that the mac mini does not have bluray. So pirated stuff would mean the bluray dvd movies I download of the internets.</p>
<p>Just to add. Many colleges ban pirating/p2p/and iffy downloading. They might revoke your internet rights or take your computer. Pirating is illegal and colleges don’t want to get in the middle of a lawsuit. It’s hard for a company to catch you but it’s easy for a company to catch a school where 10,000 people stream illegal stuff.</p>
<p>I dunno if you already know this.</p>
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<p>He’s completely right. Any movies/files/programs you have, you’ll only be able to DL before you get to school. If you do so at school using their network, your internet privileges will be revoked and you will possibly be suspended/kicked out of they find you’ve pirated a substantial amount of media.</p>
<p>Best to simply build a desktop and bring it to college. Store everything either in disks or in an array of HDDs (I personally prefer 4 2TB drives in RAID 5)</p>
<p>No I didn’t know this. Would I be safer if I use WiFi?
Also building desktops at the size of a MacMini is difficult.
I’d rather get a tiny mac mini for both space and the OSX.
I have a netbook for my pc needs.</p>
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<p>No, as you’re still on the school’s network.</p>
<p>You’re going to have to find other options for your movies then. Netflix?</p>
<p>Wait how does the network track my physical address and how can they prove it is me who is downloading illegitimate copies of movies on p2p networks?</p>
<p>Also what steps can I take to download pirated media/software without detection?
I’d use netflix but sometimes I like to go offline to conserve battery power and watch movies from my movie library.</p>
<p>Most schools only allow you access onto their network with a unique login/password that’s linked to your student account.</p>
<p>On the other end, it’s extremely easy for network-knowledgable people to “peek” to see the IPs of those involved in torrenting/P2Ps, or they can get court-orders to subpoena hosting sites for IPs that downloaded a specific file.</p>
<p>The media publishing companies will then see that your school’s IP address shows up, and they contact your school with the evidence + time stamp + any other info, and the school can cross-check this info with account activity of their students and can easily figure out who it was that downloaded the file. Additionally, very few online activities light up like torrenting and P2P on the network. Your school can do anything from serving a cease+desist to revoking your network privileges to suspending you to expulsion.</p>
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<p>Short of using your own network, nothing.</p>
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<p>Then you’re going to have to find legal alternatives then.</p>