element14 Community
element14 Community
    Register Log In
  • Site
  • Search
  • Log In Register
  • About Us
  • Community Hub
    Community Hub
    • What's New on element14
    • Feedback and Support
    • Benefits of Membership
    • Personal Blogs
    • Members Area
    • Achievement Levels
  • Learn
    Learn
    • Ask an Expert
    • eBooks
    • element14 presents
    • Learning Center
    • Tech Spotlight
    • STEM Academy
    • Webinars, Training and Events
    • Learning Groups
  • Technologies
    Technologies
    • 3D Printing
    • FPGA
    • Industrial Automation
    • Internet of Things
    • Power & Energy
    • Sensors
    • Technology Groups
  • Challenges & Projects
    Challenges & Projects
    • Design Challenges
    • element14 presents Projects
    • Project14
    • Arduino Projects
    • Raspberry Pi Projects
    • Project Groups
  • Products
    Products
    • Arduino
    • Avnet Boards Community
    • Dev Tools
    • Manufacturers
    • Multicomp Pro
    • Product Groups
    • Raspberry Pi
    • RoadTests & Reviews
  • Store
    Store
    • Visit Your Store
    • Choose another store...
      • Europe
      •  Austria (German)
      •  Belgium (Dutch, French)
      •  Bulgaria (Bulgarian)
      •  Czech Republic (Czech)
      •  Denmark (Danish)
      •  Estonia (Estonian)
      •  Finland (Finnish)
      •  France (French)
      •  Germany (German)
      •  Hungary (Hungarian)
      •  Ireland
      •  Israel
      •  Italy (Italian)
      •  Latvia (Latvian)
      •  
      •  Lithuania (Lithuanian)
      •  Netherlands (Dutch)
      •  Norway (Norwegian)
      •  Poland (Polish)
      •  Portugal (Portuguese)
      •  Romania (Romanian)
      •  Russia (Russian)
      •  Slovakia (Slovak)
      •  Slovenia (Slovenian)
      •  Spain (Spanish)
      •  Sweden (Swedish)
      •  Switzerland(German, French)
      •  Turkey (Turkish)
      •  United Kingdom
      • Asia Pacific
      •  Australia
      •  China
      •  Hong Kong
      •  India
      •  Korea (Korean)
      •  Malaysia
      •  New Zealand
      •  Philippines
      •  Singapore
      •  Taiwan
      •  Thailand (Thai)
      • Americas
      •  Brazil (Portuguese)
      •  Canada
      •  Mexico (Spanish)
      •  United States
      Can't find the country/region you're looking for? Visit our export site or find a local distributor.
  • Translate
  • Profile
  • Settings
Test & Tools
  • Technologies
  • More
Test & Tools
Forum Mac (potentially) for Engineers/Developers who use Windows.. Recommended or not? What issues did you encounter?
  • Blog
  • Forum
  • Documents
  • Files
  • Members
  • Mentions
  • Sub-Groups
  • Tags
  • More
  • Cancel
  • New
Join Test & Tools to participate - click to join for free!
Actions
  • Share
  • More
  • Cancel
Forum Thread Details
  • Replies 52 replies
  • Subscribers 352 subscribers
  • Views 6579 views
  • Users 0 members are here
Related

Mac (potentially) for Engineers/Developers who use Windows.. Recommended or not? What issues did you encounter?

shabaz
shabaz over 1 year ago

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone has made the transition from Windows to Mac and what difficulties were encountered. (I don't wish to move to a Linux desktop; as much as I love Linux for development, I would not like it for a desktop).

I need to start considering replacing my laptop, and it's tempting, from looking at the hardware specifications alone, to buy a Macbook Pro. 

However, I will have some legacy software that uses Windows. ARM64 Windows can run in a VM, and ARM64 Windows will perform x86 emulation, but I can't tell if x64 emulation is supported. I also have no idea, with typical engineering software, what problems may occur with connecting USB devices like debuggers. I don't know which hypervisor is most suitable for that.

For sure I'd need to move over to native Mac software to minimise the need to bring up a VM, but for a year or two at least, I'm sure I'd need a Windows VM to make as much of a transition as possible.

Depending on the above, I'd also need to think about whether it is worth it - because there would be a productivity hit since I've never used a Mac (apart from for a week or two about 15 years ago, when I decided to give it a go, and I didn't get on with it. Maybe I didn't make enough effort).

Any thoughts/opinions are gratefully appreciated!

  • Sign in to reply
  • Cancel

Top Replies

  • Andrew J
    Andrew J over 1 year ago +8
    I run a Mac and have done so for around 24 years. Simultaneously, for 18 of those years, I used a Windows laptop for work. I mention that just to say that I have familiarity with both as native machines…
  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz +5
    I was expecting the Boot the Apple sketch youtu.be/kAG39jKi0lI
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 1 year ago in reply to baldengineer +4
    That is good. Drat, I was kind of hoping to do this at at the Apple store but with my USB dongles: youtu.be/IbGMS5jQFcs
Parents
  • acdc90
    acdc90 over 1 year ago

    Hello my job is repairing electronics But i do need to keep 2 old laptops running with XP.

    i use them for programing Anilog mobile RT radios in trucks etc and also the security pedestal in shop door ways and mobility scooters

    and industrial PLC VSD used in engineering workshops 

    all using the DP9 serial port. yes you can get a USB Adaptor and i have tried several adaptor and W7 and W10 with out being reliable

    and at one stage updating firmware on TV and stereo 

    None of this software is on apple or lynx.

    the Digital mobile radios can just connect to adaptor to ethernet port. with windows but they have other draw backs      

    possibly off topic for you. but please think out side the box. 

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +2 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • anniel747
    anniel747 over 1 year ago in reply to acdc90

    You are right. Also most chip programmers only work reliably on Windows some can work in a VM but you're on your own. Look at Xeltek, GQ-4X, Dataman etc. 

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 1 year ago in reply to anniel747

    This is a worry I have. Are all the various USB programmers that I have going to continue working or not. Maybe I need to be ruthless and just decide that some are used so infrequently that I can use a separate Windows machine for those on the rare occasions I need them.

    I don't like that idea though. But currently open to it, will need to think more and also check out some of the machines, and also do that visit to see the Macs. Each time I look at the capabilities of the Macs, I'm super-tempted, but I also like a few of the Intel machines.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • anniel747
    anniel747 over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    Never been tempted by overhyped crapple stuff and never felt underpowered. Engineering software and hardware where always principally designed for Window$. HP Xeon servers, Asus gaming i9 self built desktops and Aorus gaming i7 laptops. Also a few old machines for historical compatibility. 

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 1 year ago in reply to anniel747

    I've never been interested before, either.

    I can see more GPU use in my future, and the processing capability and "Unified Memory" is getting interesting, i.e. being able to allocate more memory when needed to cover that for a few years at least, I hope. On the other hand, the Intel machines (probably i7 + decent GPU; the i9's are quite steeply priced) are highly attractive, too, as any decent PC is.

    Whatever I do will be a compromise. If I make a mistake and accidentally end up with not the best choice for me, it's unlikely to become a complete disaster although it could become a minor or a major irritant!, so I reserve the right to whinge about it regularly! : )

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • anniel747
    anniel747 over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    Keep in mind decent GPU on laptops require two fans and you will definitively hear them speed up when crunching graphics.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • anniel747
    anniel747 over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    i9 is lots of power, normal usage only use 3-5% of the CPU. Then when power is unleashed with heavy usage fans on the desktop go wild. Normally only the CPU fans turn mildly, even the PSU fan is off. 

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • baldengineer
    baldengineer over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    Apple has a shockingly generous return policy.

    I bought a custom-configured iMac Pro from the website. Within the 14-day return policy, I found there was a very significant issue with the security co-processor and one application I needed. I took the iMac Pro to a retail store and returned it. No questions asked. (Actually, I was annoyed no one asked why because I had a few comments.)

    So. If you decide to go the Mac route, then test it with anything you are worried about.

    Worst case, return it.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +3 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • Andrew J
    Andrew J over 1 year ago in reply to baldengineer

    This is a great point that I’d actually forgotten about.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • Andrew J
    Andrew J over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    Shame you don’t live closer because you could have come around to try this stuff on my MacBook.

    edit: I really dislike that this Verint software doesn’t properly thread responses hierarchically.  This was in response to your post above about trying various programmers.

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +1 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 1 year ago in reply to Andrew J

    Hi Andrew, 

    Thanks for that! 

    I think I'm 90% ready to go with Mac. I'm coming around to the thinking that even if I have to keep a Windows machine running for the occasional USB device, so be it (I have dedicated Linux machines too, so it's not too different I guess!). 

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up 0 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 1 year ago in reply to baldengineer

    That is good. Drat, I was kind of hoping to do this at at the Apple store but with my USB dongles:

    You don't have permission to edit metadata of this video.
    Edit media
    x
    image
    Upload Preview
    image

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +4 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
Reply
  • shabaz
    shabaz over 1 year ago in reply to baldengineer

    That is good. Drat, I was kind of hoping to do this at at the Apple store but with my USB dongles:

    You don't have permission to edit metadata of this video.
    Edit media
    x
    image
    Upload Preview
    image

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +4 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
Children
  • Jan Cumps
    Jan Cumps over 1 year ago in reply to shabaz

    I was expecting the Boot the Apple sketch

    You don't have permission to edit metadata of this video.
    Edit media
    x
    image
    Upload Preview
    image

    • Cancel
    • Vote Up +5 Vote Down
    • Sign in to reply
    • Cancel
element14 Community

element14 is the first online community specifically for engineers. Connect with your peers and get expert answers to your questions.

  • Members
  • Learn
  • Technologies
  • Challenges & Projects
  • Products
  • Store
  • About Us
  • Feedback & Support
  • FAQs
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Legal and Copyright Notices
  • Sitemap
  • Cookies

An Avnet Company © 2025 Premier Farnell Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Premier Farnell Ltd, registered in England and Wales (no 00876412), registered office: Farnell House, Forge Lane, Leeds LS12 2NE.

ICP 备案号 10220084.

Follow element14

  • X
  • Facebook
  • linkedin
  • YouTube