Chronology Current Month Current Thread Current Date
[Year List] [Month List (current year)] [Date Index] [Thread Index] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Date Prev] [Date Next]

[Physltest] [Phys-L] Re: Mac vs. PC (no flames please!)



if connected to net w/o going thru a LAN, I recommend using Macs
[because they are ~ 3=>5% of the market, no viruses, etc.]

The "AP" Astronomy teacher at North Salinas HS has purchased with his
own money (and mine) Macs to do photo' analysis, etc.

At one time and maybe now SCIPP (High Energy Physics @ UC Santa Cruz)
had only Macs, because they have so many visitors. [Faster "learning
curve"]

OS X has included Gnu (C) compiler, etc.

On the other hand Macs are more expensive (even w/ educational discount)
and I think more used by everyone xcept graphic, video, etc. people.

I suggest asking Joe Ten (Prez of local AAPT and Chair of Phys / Astron,
at Sonoma State:

http://www.phys-astro.sonoma.edu/

joe.tenn@sonoma.edu <mailto:joe.tenn@sonoma.edu>

bc, has both a late model IBM thinkpad and a G4 PowerBook, guess which
he uses.

p.s. I read he's former Chair.

p.p.s You could ask Lick UCO at Santa Cruz, also:


http://www.astro.ucsc.edu/ (Astron. Dept.) And, finally, Ask An
Astronomer:



http://www.ucolick.org/~mountain/AAA/
<http://www.ucolick.org/%7Emountain/AAA/>



John SOHL wrote:

Hi All:

We are discussing what type of computers to install in a modest
computer teaching/research room. The obvious question is Mac vs. PC.

Nature of the room as envisioned:
1. Five to ten computers.
2. First priority goes to undergrad research (mostly astrophysics).
3. Second priority goes to classes such as computational physics ( C++,
FORTRAN) and data acquisition (LabVIEW mostly).
4. Third priority goes to physics majors needing to do homework, email,
etc.

Here are the questions that I need data for:
1. What platform is used the most (percentages??) in industry?
2. What platform is used the most (percentages??) in grad school by
theorists?
3. What platform is used the most (percentages??) in grad school by
experimentalists?

I tried a few searches with Google but clearly didn't have the search
terms that I needed to get useful hits. Seems to me that someone on this
list has likely faced the same question as to what platform they wanted
to train their physics majors on. Opinions may be interesting but what I
really need is some solid estimates of percentage of use.

One faculty member is saying that, "EVERYONE in astrophysics uses
Macs." Another faculty member is saying, "NO ONE in industry uses PCs."
Both of these statements seem biased to me, but I don't actually know.

Thanks,

John

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
John E. Sohl, Ph.D., Professor of Physics
Weber State University, 2508 University Circle
Ogden, UT 84408-2508
voice: (801) 626-7907, fax: (801) 626-7445
e-mail: jsohl@weber.edu
web: http://physics.weber.edu/sohl/



_______________________________________________
Phys-L mailing list
Phys-L@electron.physics.buffalo.edu
https://www.physics.buffalo.edu/mailman/listinfo/phys-l