Essential Linux Apps For A Computer Science Student

Yo all,
I'm studying CS at Cardiff Uni (Wales). Pretty shat, but that's besides the point. What I'm wondering is, are there any other CS students who use linux for doing work, and if so, what apps do you use?
For example, our labs have things like Matlab and Mathematica, I'm not sure if there are any non-license equivalents. I need software for mathematics/graphs, development tools for HTML (any WYSIWYG?), Java, PHP, maybe Perl.
Atm I'm using Bluefish for editing web stuff, and Jedit for Java, tho it tends to bugger up sometimes and I lose keyboard functionality.
If anyone has any suggestions for editors, IDEs, generally useful stuff, I'd be interested to know.
Peace hermanos.
T

tmadhavan wrote:For example, our labs have things like Matlab and Mathematica, I'm not sure if there are any non-license equivalents. I need software for mathematics/graphs, development tools for HTML (any WYSIWYG?), Java, PHP, maybe Perl.
try TeXmacs (GUI) and Octave. Octave has the same syntax with Matlab and does a good job. [no toolboxes though]. You can find it in ArchLinux. Also SciGraphica (a tu repo) is nice, R (mostly statistics), Rpy (via python), and of course PYTHON as a calculator and much more.
Atm I'm using Bluefish for editing web stuff, and Jedit for Java, tho it tends to bugger up sometimes and I lose keyboard functionality.
Bluefish is nice, if you want GUI, try nvu (nvu.com). It's Open Source.
I don't know Jedit and what you lose. There are TONS of JAVA Editors, also you can run eclipse (and with the new VE it rocks)
If anyone has any suggestions for editors, IDEs, generally useful stuff, I'd be interested to know.
Anjuta, KDevelop, Eclipse, MonoDevelop, Emacs, Vi and so on..
Peace hermanos.
T
Greets from Greece

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IMac + iPad 2 or MacBook Pro for computer science students

Hi there,
I would be joining college this September and as usual I am looking for a new computer. I would be majoring in Computer Science and hence would be doing a lot of programming and that kind of stuff. I don't like taking a computer to my classes (it's very distracting) and will take my notes using pen and paper. I've narrowed down my options as :
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iMac 21.5 inch 2.5 Ghz + MacBook Air 11" 64 GB (new July 2011)
I've worked out my budget and the three option cost almost same. Now my questions :
Is 11" too less for comfortable working ? And does the 11" MBA gives a good performance as far as web browsing and programming is concerned ?
This would be my first experience of college so I don't know what sort of portable computing I could need. If someone can tell me about this, it would make life a lot easier for me.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks

Talk to the Computer Science Department at your school. They may have computer requirements. They will likely also have educational discounts on hardware and software. Some of your programs may be provided free by the school. So get the school's advice on what you will need for the Computer Science College.
"I would be majoring in Computer Science and hence would be doing a lot of programming and that kind of stuff." does not tell us much. There are many programming languages and just as many IDEs. You need to pick a computer that supports these. You also will be taking other classes besides programming. You need to ensure your computer meets the requirements of these classes as well.

Power Book vs. Mac Book Pro for Computer Science Student

I am a Computer Science Masters student that is looking into switching completely off of Windows machines in my home in the next 2 to 4 years. I’ve never used Macs before, but I’m tired of feeling like my hands are tied with Windows and I’ve been impressed with the G4 Power Books some of my peers have. I’ve actually been so impressed that I decided I want to start my switch from Windows to Mac with the purchase of a new Mac powered laptop for school.
I plan on using this laptop for the following tasks: writing papers, writing/compiling/debugging programs including an independent study project on OpenGL Computer Graphics, photo editing and some webpage design. Also some game playing and movie watching when I’m traveling.
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Jeremy
2800+ Athalon XP Windows XP

I'm not a compsci student, but I think I can give you some insight on what to expect...
The G4 will handle a lot of what you throw at it, depending on how much RAM and how many things. I'm still running the stock 512MB and have found little-to-no need to upgrade at this time. I even went so far as to try a 1GB PC2700 SODIMM from my HP ZV6000 and it didn't change anything, so I'm good for now. Over the years, I've been impressed w/ the performance and efficiency with the G4 design and architecture, so I doubt there will be anything that it can't do based on what you're describing.
Gaming may be another story, although with the latest rev. of the 12" PB, I am impressed and mildly surprised at the performance w/ gaming. I play Call of Duty and Doom 3 on occasion and both run great. Just remember to put your processor performance on "Highest" as to turn off the processor throttling (much like Cool 'n' Quiet on AMD architecture). I played Doom 3 last night w/ medium quality @ 1024x768 and it ran quite well... Call of Duty will fly even on battery (ie. reduced processor speed) or AC... I've yet to try Call of Duty 2 but I hear it's going to be a monster w/ system requirements.
Writing Papers -- You can do this with anything...but if you're referring to the comfortable aspect, I think you'll love the keyboard personally. Typing on my big HP and on my 12" PB, it's night/day. The HP has a good keyboard, but it's not something I can 'fly' on...and by fly I mean 80-90WPM w/ little to no mistakes. I notice I make fewer mistakes on the PB keyboard because the keys seem to be 'grouped' together better and it's got a nice feel when you're slamming the keys down while you're in thought on a particular subject.
I also use Office X (or 10)...have had no need to upgrade since it works very well for what I do. I've never used Appleworks...
Future Software? -- Two words -- Universal Binaries...they will be around for many moons to come, and then some. Apple supported 68k for almost 11yrs (if I'm not mistaken) and software developers have already committed to Universal Binaries (aka. UB, or Fat Binaries) because of the sheer install base of PowerPC. The Intel transition will probably be in the 'teething' stage for another 2yrs before it's the standard Apple base across the board, and by then it will still only be a percentage of the PPC install base. Rest assured--your PPC Mac will be working long after you even upgrade (4-6yrs down the line).
The only thing I recommend is AppleCare, and not because I get anything from Apple over it. I've used it on my Rev. B (1.0Ghz) 12" PB and it paid for itself in the last year I had it. It covers everything that isn't accidental, so if you have issues w/ the LCD or Logic Board (aka. MLB), it'll pay for everything and shipping (both ways). It's also worldwide, so if you're on a trip to the UK and have problems w/ it, you can stop by any one of a handful of Apple Stores (Regent Street is awesome, I'm told) and they can fix it for you. There's also hundreds (if not thousands) of Apple Authorized Service Providers worldwide, and from what I'm told, they prefer Apple over many manufacturers because they are 'no hassle' when it comes to warranty claims. In other words, AppleCare may be the only investment that you may never use, but if you do, it'll pay for itself.
Computer Graphics, well, I don't do graphics but I can say that almost everything Adobe makes runs and runs well on Mac hardware.. I think you'll love the Quartz engine too...it's really quick compared to Direct X (I notice this in gaming, but what do I know...).
Good luck to you in whatever you decide...

What macbook should i get for university (Computer Science major)?

I need a macbook for homework, school, programing, and possibally running windows 7 or 8 using bootcamp. I will not be gaming on this machine at all. I was stuck between the 13' macbook air with 8gb ram, 512gb storage, and i7 or i5 for $1849. Or the macbook pro 13'' i5, 8gb ram, and 512gb storage for the same price. I'm looking for decent battery life and good performance overall. keep in mind that i won't replace this laptop for 3-4 years. And is it really a big difference between the i5 and the i7 in the air and should i get 256gb or 512gb in the air if that is the outcome.

I just happened to google "macbook for computer science majors" and this is the first thread I found. Weird Since All the students are at Univ of Waterloo. I know different school, but same city. http://www.studentawards.com/forum.aspx?g=posts&t=30988

Computer Science Student - MPB 13" i5 or i7?

I will be starting the first year of a 4 year Computer Science course in September and wanted to know which MacBook Pro 13" model would be best for me, the i5 or the i7?
Considering my CS course is 4 years, would the i7 processer model with the 8GB RAM and 750GB HDD be worth the extra £214 to me in the coming years, or do you think that the base i5 model would be just as good?
Another reason why I am considering the i7 model is in the event that I might run another OS on my MBP, using either a virtual machine or Boot Camp and I thought that the extra CPU power may come in handy.
Anyway, given my situation what would you recommend I buy?
Many thanks

go with the baseline i5 and spend the extra cash and upgrade to 16GB via third party - using RAM from either Crucial, Corsair or Mushkin.....
the i5 will basically do what the i7 13 inch Macbook will do since they're still both dual core....
it is however, worth spending the extra cash for the i7 13 inch since you're getting a faster processor - more RAM and a larger hard drive.

Ideal Linux distro for a computer lab

I'm looking for a good Linux distribution to install on a ~40 PCs programming laboratory. The desktops need to be user-friendly for both Linux and non-Linux users (which means that's probably a KDE/Gnome desktop). I think that a rolling-release distro (like Arch) is out of question, since updating 40 boxes would be really messy (if there's no automated way to update all the machines at once).
What Linux distro would you recommend installing on such lab?

No matter what distribution you are going to operate, thats quite a few machines to setup at any one time. I'd recommend that you use the distribution you are most familiar with. So why not use Arch?
Probably the best way to do it would be to use kdemod for your desktop. Two of the machines should be set aside for special functions. The first machine is your test machine. You perform all the updates on here manually. Make sure the updates work etc before you roll them out to the other machines. (I am assuming they are all similarly specced if they are in the same lab).
Setup a ftp server on the second machine and use that as your repository. When you have sufficiently tested the updates, update the repository as needed. You can then run say a weekly cron job on each of the lab machines which will update them to the latest packages in your repository. This will significantly reduce the amount of work you have to do to maintain the lab. Also has the advantage of reducing the amount of bandwidth you use when updating them. Whilst downloading 100-200mb of updates on one machine isn't too bad, hammering those out accross say 40 machines is completely different. Whichever distribution you decide on running, you will need to maintain a local repository.
Also if you need to re-image a machine, then all you need to do is grab the packages from the ftp server locally rather than going accross the internet. Means you reimage much faster.

Laptops for college (computer science)

Hey! I'm going to be a college student in just a few weeks, and one of the hardest things about it is trying to buy the perfect laptop. I have been searching for one with certain specs that still remains good in quality and relatively cheap.
My specs are:
4th gen i7
at least 500gb hard drive
6-8gb ram (preferably 8)
dvd drive (blu ray if possible)
backlit keyboard (important)
webcam (usually standard)
matte (only if possible)
Max budget (probably 900 at the very most)
Do you guys have any suggestions? Do you have any laptops that people haven't really complained about as far as hardware failures or any problems? Are you coming out with any laptops in a few days? I still need to actually go to the store and try some out but I just wanted to hear some quick suggestions! Thanks!

adbdragonmaster wrote:
Hey! I'm going to be a college student in just a few weeks, and one of the hardest things about it is trying to buy the perfect laptop. I have been searching for one with certain specs that still remains good in quality and relatively cheap.
My specs are:
4th gen i7
at least 500gb hard drive
6-8gb ram (preferably 8)
dvd drive (blu ray if possible)
backlit keyboard (important)
webcam (usually standard)
matte (only if possible)
Max budget (probably 900 at the very most)
Do you guys have any suggestions? Do you have any laptops that people haven't really complained about as far as hardware failures or any problems? Are you coming out with any laptops in a few days? I still need to actually go to the store and try some out but I just wanted to hear some quick suggestions! Thanks!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot, BluRay has only found itself on TVs as the norm for viewing entertainment. It still has not caught up to the world of computers yet for some odd reason perhaps technology costs and barriers, but if you do find one, prepare to pay a pretty penny. You can buy an external one for not too much money but be sure the hardware you buy can decode and playback BluRay if you decide to go this route.
*******DISCLAIMER********
I am not an employee of BBY in any shape or form. All information presented in my replies or postings is my own opinion. It is up to you , the end user to determine the ultimate validity of any information presented on these forums.

For studying computer science/engineering...

Which would be better, a maxed out 13" MBA, or the base model Retina MBP? Those are the only two options I currently have.
This computer has to last me around 5 years, and I cannot upgrade to ram on the RMBP to 16gb.
I could also consider a regular MBP and upgrade to 16gb much later on but I'm rather have the portability of the other two options.

Actually the rMBP is not that portable. It does have a 15" screen.
Get a standard 15" MBP so you can upgrade it in the future.

Arch Linux for Google Compute Engine

Hi Arch users,
I’ve created a tool that can create an Arch Linux image for Google Compute Engine. It has the compute-image-packages software preinstalled so basic GCE integration works.
I’m working to improve the boot times and shrink the image since it’s a bit larger than I’d like it to be. You can follow the instructions below to boot a virtual machine running Arch.
The source code is hosted on Github: https://github.com/GoogleCloudPlatform/ … ge-builder, pull requests welcome!
I've already built one today and has been made public on Cloud Storage at gs://jeremyje/arch-stable/arch-v20140906.tar.gz
Instructions to boot a VM with the image:
1. Create a project or pick an existing one. Turn on Compute Engine.
https://console.developers.google.com/
Click "Create project"
Enter a project name and project id.
Go to Compute > Compute Engine
If necessary, enable billing.
2. Add the Arch Image to your Project
Go to Compute > Compute Engine > Images
Click "New image"
Name: arch-v20140906
Description: Arch Linux built on 2014-09-06
Source Type: Cloud Storage object
Cloud Storage Object Path: gs://jeremyje/arch-stable/arch-v20140906.tar.gz
3. Create an Arch Linux instance.
Go to https://console.developers.google.com/
Select your project.
Compute > Compute Engine > VM instances > Add Instance
Select a zone, machine type, and select the “arch-v20140906” image.
You can SSH into the VM by clicking on the SSH button after you create it.
If you like command line here's the equivalent.
Google Cloud SDK: https://developers.google.com/cloud/sdk/
# Install Python2
pacman -S python2
# Install Cloud SDK
export CLOUDSDK_PYTHON=/usr/bin/python2
curl https://sdk.cloud.google.com | bash
echo “export CLOUDSDK_PYTHON=/usr/bin/python2” >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
# Login, create a project
gcloud auth login
# Add the image to your project.
gcloud compute images create archlinux gs://jeremyje/arch-stable/arch-v20140906.tar.gz --description “Arch Linux built on 2014-09-06”
# Create the instance booting Arch
gcloud compute instances create archvm --zone us-central1-a --machine-type f1-micro --image arch-v20140906
Lastly, there’s no official support for these images but if you find a problem please file a bug or submit a fix on Github.

Hi! Do you have any update of your Arch image?
Thank you

Where do I get apps for a PowerPC? Do the ones from the App Store work on it?

I bought this computer for my dad from someone and had no idea it was a PowerPC or what that meant. I found out it was different when I bought a program for it and it didnt work because it was a PowerPC. Where do I get apps for this computer? It is a G4 and has 10.5.8 software.

The PowePC processor was abandoned in 2006 so it's hard today to find new software that supports it. PPC compatibility is a function of the software developers, not where you buy. Example, TurboTax still runs on G4 computers. Most, however, does not.
You can still get copies of Office 2008 here:
http://eshop.macsales.com/item/Microsoft/GZA00006/
It was the last version that ran on PPC. I have it on a PPC G4 1.25Ghz tower and a 1Ghz G4 PowerBook and it runs fine.
There are free suites that do what Office can. There is a PPC version of NeoOffice on this page:
http://www.neooffice.org/neojava/en/download.php
You can get PPC version of NeoOffice here, also free:
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/
If you post what kind of software you feel Dad needs, we can come up with some other suggestions. The software is out there, but takes some looking.
A Mac User Group may be your best resource for older software. This page will help you find one close:
http://appleusergroupresources.com/?page_id=394

Special education - where can I find apps for iPads?

I am looking for apps for a high school student who is ELL and SpEd, identified as SLD in reading. He needs a screen reader and speech to text. If anyone has experience or suggestions, I would appreciate your help. The Apple Store website does not seem especially user-friendly to me.
Thanks!

If you open iTunes > App Store > Drop down menu choose Education > in the right panel you will see Special Education
Not sure if that is of any help, if not your best bet would to try a Google or Bing web search.

TS1702 Can't I play the game apps on my computer too?

My son wants to play his Mine Craft app on my computer. How do we do this?

itunes does not sell any apps for your computer, only for ipod/ipad/iphone

Apps bought on computer app store

i have downloaded 7 free apps from the computer app store and i am trying to sync them onto the ipod touch that i have just set up how do i do this can someone please help me????

The computer app store provides apps for the computer, not for the iPod.

Not Many Apps for Mac

I just got the new iMac and the lack of apps for this computer is dissappointing. I have an ipad and I have many apps on there that I would like to be able to use on my Mac, since most of my day is spent on the Mac. By syncing my ipad on the Mac, would that grant me access to those apps?

Nope. The iPad Apps are not compatible with the Mac.

Purchased Sketchbook Pro 6 for iPad, didn't know it was just for the computer. Can I get credit for this.

Purchased Sketchbook Pro 6 for iPad. Didn't know it was for mac. Can I get Credit for it? Paid 59.99 for it.

Not sure what you mean. The Apps Stores for the iOS Devices and for the Mac are completely separate. You cannot purchase a computer app for an iOS device or an iOS app for a Computer. There's a Sketchbook Express for iPad that is free, and a SketchBook Pro for iPad that is $4.99, but no Sketchbook in the iPad app store that is $59.99.
GB

Essential Linux Apps For A Computer Science Student

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