Don't Buy a Mac for Programming or Cybersecurity

Only purchase a Mac if you intend to do Apple iOS development. Most development can be done for less money and with more capability on a PC with multiple monitors and a lower-powered laptop that can remote into a desktop.

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[justinmccoy]

You having a tiny apartment, old computers, and a Tesla is the most NCO thing I have ever seen.

[TheBobcat]

I’m a third year CS student and mostly a Linux guy, my main system is a Ryzen 5600g with 32gb of ram and an ultra wide monitor. I have two laptops, a cheap Celeron machine with Linux that I use like the chromebook you mentioned, and a 14 inch MBP. I got the Mac cause I like doing creative work on the go and to be honest, wanted to explore how far ARM had come for desktop use, in addition to some iOS development. The killer feature of the Mac for me is honestly the battery life, in part due to the ARM processor but also the reliability of sleep. I’ve had a few windows machines over the years and have yet to find one that holds a charge nearly as well as the Mac while sleeping between uses. The Mac software ecosystem does annoy me though since so many things are paid that are free on Linux, I’m also a big VM guy and that’s complicated even more by Apple silicon. UTM (based on QEMU/Apple Hypervisor) is a good free option, as is the new VMware Fusion (free for personal use). I think my ideal laptop would be a fairly powerful but cheaper ARM based linux laptop in addition to my desktop, still waiting for that to come to market though. Great video and advice!

[AndyFarnham]

I used to be IT manager at a secondary school which also was a 6th form college (17-18 year olds doing their pre-university qualifications and the like). I had a dad call me asking about a Mac book air his son claimed he would need in 6th form. I explained that for what they'd be using it for, a less expensive Windows laptop would be more than enough. "Oh great, he's got a gaming laptop, would that be up to it?" said the dad, and I told him it would be more than up to the job. "Brilliant! I think you've just ruined someone's Christmas!" he laughed :D

[greyfin]

While I am not in cybersecurity (and that may be why your are not recommending it), for general development and systems, daily driving a Linux workstation has had MANY synergies for me learning my way around the shell and systems in general. The Linux mindset is geared towards becoming extremely productive for the sorts of lower level things I need to do professionally. And while I grant you that you showed VMs as being "a few clicks away", I'd say there's a very real difference when you commit to making Linux your main squeeze.

[FarmerDrew]

This is a certified Windows 7 Home Office Edition moment

[ahmadrtube]

“when a $1, 000 [fanless] M1 laptop can outdo a maxed-out, $6, 000 MacBook Pro with quadruple the RAM and Intel’s best chip, while also running cooler and quieter in a smaller and lighter form factor and with twice the battery life, where do competitors even go from here?”
—TheVerge

[robertopreatoni]

A cyber security expert promoting a VPN service (today the biggest scam of the world) doesn't add up. Besides, I have been a regular speaker at the most known hacker conferences in the world (DEFCON, HITB, Chaos Communication Congress etc etc) and I'd say 80% of the hackers/ITsec experts used Macs.

[geraldschittenhelm]

- Don't buy a Mac
- Atlas VPN ad
😂

[XSmile]

Macs on m1/m2 are top stuff here in Ukraine right now. The battery lasts full working day. And performance when running on battery is the same compared to when powered from the wall. This is critical because Russians should not be visible in thermal scope.

The build quality is excellent, the screen is just awesome. It is somehow unpleasant to work on my old Thinkpad T480s after experiencing a 16" MacBook pro.

[jeroenstrompf]

I switched from Windows to Linux in 2007 and never looked back. One aspect I specifically like about Linux, is not being dependent on big companies like Apple or Microsoft

[onerimeuse]

The single greatest productivity enhancement I've ever experienced was a multiple monitor setup. I always thought it was stupid until the army has our stations in the TOC set up that way and I got used to it. It was an uphill learning experience going back to one.

[WarttHog]

As a developer in some huge web apps, I've fallen in love with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). It's way better than I'd expected!

[BonkoTheFat]

i think it's also important to know what kind of programming environment the school will be using. i worked somewhere that was very heavily integrated with visual studio, sql server, etc. and it was a nightmare for everyone who had a mac. but of course, whenever we had to do a bug fix for iOS we had to pull out a macbook.

[AndrejPodzimek]

False dichotomy starts already at 0:15. 🤪 I’m struggling to understand why anyone would want a Mac or a Windows machine to study computer science. I studied computer science, all the way to a PhD, I work in computer science, and yet I have *never* used a Mac or a Windows machine. When someone asks me if they should get a Mac or a Windows machine, my answer is *neither* — always strive to stay in control of your software, do not let bad closed-source software control you.

[drach]

I got a 2018 MacBook pro a while back, and ended up mostly coding and doing reverse engineering projects within Linux VMs. I paid a premium just to end up using debian anyway.

[Dave-dm]

My 2012 MacBook might be no programmer’s tool but it’s still going strong after 10 years and feels as fast as it ever did. It won’t do video editing but then it never did that.

[Thesaltymaker]

I like the Chromebook concept, but for the desktop I went Linux years ago, and have not looked back. Windows has an obsession with making the experience worse with each release. Also, Steam works the same for the games I play.

[JonasBergling]

Solid advice!

Also, I tutored hundreds of students at a department of Computer and Systems Sciences before i left university last June.
I could make a pretty good guess as to what degree specialization any particular group were getting just based on what mix of laptops they had:

"Enterprise Systems and Service Design", "Business Administration & IT", or "Market Communication & IT":
70-100% Mac, the rest Windows, mostly smaller models

"Interaction Design" or "Digital Media":
50-100% Mac, the rest Windows, more of the larger models

"Computer Science and Software Engineering" or "General Computer and Systems Sciences":
10-40% Mac, 50-90%, 10-20% Linux, mix of smaller and bigger models

Computer Game Development:
No Macs, 80-95% Windows, the rest Linux, mostly 15-17" gaming models

[robertstorms]

Great video, as usual. However, I didn't think you'd be so foolish as to stray into the religious holy war that is choice of OS! As a long-time computer professional, I get asked all the time, "What computer should I buy, Mac or PC?" My answer is usually, "Yes."
The Mac vs. Windows question is further muddied with the advent of Apple Silicon. Those machines do not have the same virtualization tech as the Intel machines, but they have such great power and battery life.
What it really comes down to is your answer to "What are you going to do with it?" If you want least maintenance on an appliance to read/write email and watch cat videos, get the cheapest iPad and have at it. If you're developing software, you'll likely need more than 1 computer. Personally, I prefer Macs, but I'm not going to shame someone that buys a Windows machine because that machine does what he needs done.
As far as cyber security, there is merit in having multiple OSes available. Malware written for Windows will likely not affect MacOS, and vice-versa.

[mrjakobt]

Apple silicon is a game changer though. I can work 12hrs straight with plenty of battery to spare.