Switching to Macbook Pro Switching - Getting Started (Reboot)?

Question

Now I am in my second year in computer science. I still enjoyed programming, but actually I just slipped through. I did not do much programming outside of the required class work. For the same reasons, I never invested in download / training software to help me with programming (IDEs, editors, compilers, etc.).

I know this sounds tiresome, but my current setup is: notepad ++ for encoding; Filezilla for transferring .cpp and .h files to school aludra / unix and compilation; unix tells me where my errors are, and I return to notepad ++ for debugging; repeat to the end.

This is not fun, and I know that it could be easier. But I put it off, knowing that I would be switching to Mac soon. And tomorrow, I switch.

So...

• How do I customize my Macbook for a better programming experience?
• What IDEs, editors and debuggers, etc. should download?
• How is Mac programming different from PC?

I am open to all ideas and comments, even the simplest.

(Background - I am learning / programming in C ++ right now. Next semester my classes will switch to Java. I am also going to take a class in web development using HTML / CSS / Javascript / PHP. The laptop will be at the end of 2009 Macbook Pro with Leopard or perhaps Snow Leopard. Free will be preferred for all programs.)

Thanks to everyone.

Answer 1

As you are interested, I am sure that your new girl will be able to make your life a newbie programmer much easier.

Here is what I will do.

• Download and install eclipse. It is free, and it is a very good IDE if you intend to program Java. There are versions available for c / C ++ and php, and there are silly amounts of great plugins for everything you'll ever need. Get here .
• Get a disruptive plugin for your eclipse. It will simplify your life when it comes to managing your code through svn. You can download the plugin via eclipse.
• Download Ruby. Ruby is (imho) a great language for beginners, and the irb environment is very convenient for solving small problems. Get here .
• Get emacs. Emacs is a great editor, and it's free. Use it to edit system files or to encode if you think it suits you. Get here . (I can also recommend Textmate, it’s a really good editor, but unfortunately it’s not free. If you want to mess it up a bit, I would really recommend it.)
• If you are doing a simulation, you should definitely be a license to omnipotence. It will definitely make your life easier, and it will allow you to draw models like nothing else. Get here .
• I would advise you not to worry about macports. As a rule, I find that he will install everything, each and his dog on your lappy evertyime you use it, and it becomes tiresome pretty quickly.
• If you make any php materials, get MAMP. MAMP puts you in three clicks from running apache, mysql and php-setup without you, as well as thinking. I think a very good piece of software. Get here .

For the rest, just download the material when the need arises. Most of the things you need to install are included in the small installer packages, and you don’t need to know much to install them and work on your computer.

You are all lucky!

Answer 2

You definitely need Apple Developer Tools . These include:

• Xcode , a very good development environment and editor
• InterfaceBuilder
• gcc, g ++ and clang for compiling code in various versions
• gdb as a debugger
• Performance Analysis Tools

as well as many other utilities for programming in C, C ++, Java, Objective-C and Objective-C ++.

Python, Ruby, and PHP utilities and libraries are shipped with every Mac, so you don’t have to install it manually. (Apache web server is also included, so you need MySQL to have a full MAMP stack)

A developer tool kit comes with every MacOSX DVD, but I recommend that you download the latest version directly from Apple (this requires a free developer account).

Once you have installed it, install Xcode in the Dock and this! Nothing else is required.

NB: This is the easiest and only way to get compilers and debuggers for C languages, even if you will not use Xcode as an editor.

Speaking of editors, I recommend you stick with Xcode for a while, because it's simple enough, but very powerful and free.

If you don't like this, try TextWrangler (free) or TextMate (paid). Vim and Emacs are two other good editors, but I do not recommend you check them out now because they use obscure and non-standard keyboard shortcuts, so you will spend a lot of time learning how to use them instead of programming.

In any case, the best thing you can do is to learn one editor very well, efforts to study it will undoubtedly be paid every day.

Answer 3

Eclipse is the best editor for java. It is available on Mac for free, as well as on windows.

There is a good text editor created by barebones software called text wrangler. It is free and good for syntax coloring for basic editing.

The best of the best for web development on a Mac is the link between text match and coda. If you are going to do a lot of web development, they are worth the investment.

To run the test environment in mysql / php, download MAMP (Mac macro in WAMP). Google search is free and very simple.

Mac programming is no different from Windows programming if you write java, php, etc., because everything goes the same way. Java just boils your code differently depending on your machine, but it does the same. PHP will probably be stored in some kind of Linux distribution, so this is one and the same. C ++ is the same as the corresponding compilers.

Enjoy your Mac!