On Thu, Aug 9, 2012 at 6:55 AM, Jacob Keller <j-kell...@fsm.northwestern.edu> wrote: > one. Are there any really reasonable arguments for preferring Mac over > windows (or linux) with regard to crystallography? What can Mac/Linux do > that windows cannot (especially considering that there is Cygwin)? What > wonderful features am I missing?
Mac vs. Linux: mostly a matter of personal preference, but I agree with Graeme. Most programs run equally well on either - with Coot a partial exception, apparently due to problems with the X11 implementation (but once you get used to these, it's not a big deal). Windows, on the other hand, simply doesn't support the full range of modern crystallography software. And in my experience, it has crippling flaws that mean some programs will always work better on Mac/Linux. I wouldn't ever endorse trying to use Windows for serious scientific computing unless you need to run an application that won't work on any other OS, and as far as I know there isn't a single (macromolecular) crystallography program that falls into this category. -Nat
