<p>My laptop recently stopped functioning and I want to get a new one this week. What is the best computer to get if you plan to be a CS major? Will a Mac suffice or is it better to get a PC?</p>
<p>I'll be a freshman this fall. Thanks a lot!</p>
<p>Either should be fine. On campus as a whole, Macs outnumber PCs, though for engineers, the number of PCs is probably closer to equal or a little bit more than Macs. You should be fine with either one. In the case that you have CS courses that require Windows software and you have a Mac, you should be able to get a copy of Windows (I believe CS students can get a free copy of windows 8) and dual boot your computer so you have both operating systems.</p>
<p>I think you should go with whichever platform you prefer. I’m a big fan of the aesthetics of Macs (and the hardware quality is usually higher), but a Mac and PC pretty much function identically. I wasn’t a CS student, but I did take a class and for what it’s worth, the professor for the class used Macs. If you go Mac, you can always dual boot Windows, though I don’t think that will be an issue. And of course, there are plenty of computer labs to fill your needs and you’ll probably be using them no matter what.</p>
<p>If you’re willing to spend the money, it will hard to beat the new 12-hour 13" Mac Air.</p>
<p>If you are not too attached to getting a Mac, I suggest PC. All my CS friends use PC but it can just be a personal preference than due to course needs. I say get a pc just in case since it can be hassle using a Mac and having to convert/look for certain programs due to compatibility issues.</p>
<p>^ I think of it the other way around: Macs can run Windows programs (dual boot or Parallels), but not vice versa.</p>
<p>Out of curiosity, what Mac program would you want or need to run on a PC?</p>
<p>^ I think of that the other way around, too. With a Mac you have the benefit of design, ease of use, lack of malware, Unix, etc., and if you ever find a PC-only program you want, you can run it.</p>
<p>^benefit of design, ease of use</p>
<p>That seems like personal preference. I’ve been using a mac in school for a year now and I still go crazy when I try to maximize a screen and it decides that, instead, it would like to shrnk to a quarter of it’s original size and go hide in a corner. Plus I don’t like the whole no right click thing. The exterior design is nice though, I’ll give you that.</p>
<p>For CS major, I would prefer using PC 
Many of my friends at UC Berkeley use Ubuntu instead of Window or MacOS tho.</p>
<p>Is there any computer at Cal not running BSD? :eek:</p>
<p>What is BSD? And Yes, many of them are in EECS major.</p>
<p>Berkeley Software Distribution, a Unix operating system derivative developed by the Computer Systems Research Group (CSRG) of the University of California, Berkeley. Its networking runs the Internet. It’s what’s in Macs.</p>
<p>From what I know (I’m Elec/Comp Engineering, but I know a lot of CS majors), PC is generally better. True, you can always dual-boot, but it’s less of a hassle to just have Windows. If you really like Macs, of course you can do that, but just remember that if you aren’t comfortable with dual-booting you’ll most likely run into trouble.</p>