For me, Windows would be my last choice for crystallographic software. Most of the popular packages are developed for *nix in the first place, so you know you will be able to run it. Not everything is compiled for Windows. Programs will run faster and with less hardware in *nix than in Windows, and backups and file shares are both easier to set up and more secure in *nix than in Windows. And scripting (yes, it's still necessary on occasion) is less clumsy in *nix than Windows. The command shell in Windows is a pale imitation of tcsh or bash, and the freely available editors leave something to be desired. (Textpad is awesome, though.) For the random Windows-only stuff (CrysalisPro still runs only in Windows) there is Wine or a virtual box.
The choice for me is really Mac or Linux. Linux is much less expensive, especially if you build your own boxes. I've not experienced driver hell since the early versions of Fedora. In Ubuntu 12.04 Nvidia drivers install seamlessly, and I've had no trouble with wireless or Bluetooth, audio hardware, etc. Just don't buy bleeding edge hardware. Roger Rowlett On Aug 9, 2012 9:55 AM, "Jacob Keller" <[email protected]> wrote: > Dear List, > > I guess this is somewhat of a perennial issue, but I am faced with > choosing an OS for a new computer, and am curious about benefits and > drawbacks with regard to crystallography. So far, I have been using > windows, and have found no limitations whatsoever, but then again, maybe I > don't know what I am missing. But, since so many folks out there use Macs, > I am open to using 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? > > Jacob > > -- > ******************************************* > Jacob Pearson Keller > Northwestern University > Medical Scientist Training Program > email: [email protected] > ******************************************* >
