[Turn] Why do foreign programmers love using Macs?

Original: http://www.vpsee.com/2009/06/why-programmers-love-mac/

Macs are popular abroad, especially in the design/web development/IT staff circle. Ordinary users like Mac can understand, after all, Mac design beautiful, simple and easy to use, no virus. So why do professionals have a unique passion for Macs ? From the experience of personal use, I think there are several reasons:

1, Mac OS X is Unix-based. This is important, especially for developers, at least for me, which means that Unix's next bunch of handy tools can be picked up. If you're a Windows developer, I think you're going to install a Cygwin environment on Windows? You don't have to flex/yacc,grep,screen,ssh,make? A lot of open source projects provide only the Cygwin/gcc/make compilation environment. Mac is based on BSD Unix, all of which are built in.

2, development environment. C/c++/java/perl/python/php/ruby/lisp, a variety of shells, everything, direct support, very convenient. Would you like to develop C + + on windows and install a Visual Studio compiler? or other C + + compilers; you want to develop Java, you need to download the Java SDK, maybe a elipse or netbean; you need to use Perl to install a Perl interpreter, Active Perl? You want to Python/php/ruby, you want to install ...? Most libraries, such as libraries, image processing, video processing, AI, and so on, are supported only by Unix/linux. Mac is Unix-based, so these all work well with your Mac.

3, editor Vi/emac. As a programmer/IT staff a good editor is too important, because the Write program/change system configuration requires an editor. I almost 1/2 of the time on the MAC is Browser/email, the other 1/2 time is almost Vi.

4, no virus/Trojan. After more than 5 years of Mac did not see what the virus grow, I also do not see the need for Mac to install antivirus software.

5, do not need maintenance. MAC is bought for direct use, disk defragmentation? No need. Installation drive? The MAC is ready, and the driver is good. Re-install the system? I haven't re-installed it for 5 years (I changed my Mac a couple of times).

6, concise. All of the operations on the MAC are streamlined to the maximum, avoiding interference with users and increasing programmer productivity. For example, switch wireless network function, switch on the MAC only need 1 mouse clicks to complete, on Windows need to click multiple mouse (including some very silly confirmation dialog), such as uninstalling the USB disk, MAC only need 1 mouse clicks, Windows need to click the bottom right corner of the icon, Stop the device, confirm the dialog box, and many more clicks.

7, Multi-window switch. This is handy for managing open programs/Documents. I often have to switch between multiple virtual windows, such as looking at a Web page/Mail window, writing a program/document window.

8, the programmer culture. Foreign programmers are growing up in the mainstream of Unix. This is different from the domestic, Chinese programmers/developers are mostly from the 90 's DOS started, with the expansion of Windows, the development of a batch of Microsoft tools to use the programmer. This also explains why Macs have grown so fast since Mac switched to the Unix camp. Once the Unix-based Mac was launched, it quickly won the attention of a large number of old Unix hacker and the new Web 2.0/linux hacker, precisely because these loyal fans influenced their networks, circles and blogs, thus affecting the entire programmer culture. A little bit like Ruby on Rails, started as a small group of people (elite) trial, these people feel good in blogs, seminars and other occasions to preach, so in the field of Web development to scrape a piece of Ruby wind.

9, Apple is cool. Each computer, each series is perfectly designed, from the box, brochures, advertising, power lines, computer interior, computer appearance, computer software are carefully designed, unified style. Even tiny to screw, look over the screws on the Apple chassis, the data cable inside the chassis? That's also the design. Every Mac is tagged with: Designed by Apple in California, not desgined in USA, Apple is so cool, "we are a California company". Apple's secrecy measures can be said to achieve the ultimate, the product is not released on the market will not see the trace.

10, entrepreneurial spirit. Apple's legendary experience has attracted a large number of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, and Apple/google/microsoft/amazon/ebay/yahoo represents an innovative, enterprising entrepreneurial spirit. This is not a big reason, but it can be seen as a small reason why Macs are so popular in foreign countries, especially in the US, especially in Silicon Valley, especially in universities. According to the survey of 2007 American University Mac Market share first, these university elites after graduating to work, embarked on the society, in a few years a part of the middle, into the top, how will they affect the Mac?

If you are interested in similar discussions, you can look at Vpsee's reply on the Top Language discussion group: [TL] Re: [Beginner] Why choose a Mac? by the way, if you still have doubts about the picture above, you can take a look at the picture below, from the recent TechCrunch Hacker Conference .

[Turn] Why do foreign programmers love using Macs?