[mikef]

I am a Windows software developer and would like to expand my horizons and develop applications under MacOS X.

I currently have an AMD T-Bird 1.2 GHz running Windows 2000. I am considering buying the $1799 1.25GHz G4 at the Apple Store. Would this machine be comparable in performance to my Intel box?

While I would love a G5, I cannot justify the expense right now and I am basically doing this for fun not profit.

Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Strongblade]

Well, you certainly have come to the right place for that question (albeit, probably a place with a *slight* bias to one particular platform...)

The G4 1.25 is indeed a capable system that would probably be on par with your current system.

As for programming/developing, I am not so knowledgeable, but there is the Apple Developer Connection (ADC Page) which is a free sign-up. (I'm a member and i couldn't program the "Hello World" without alot of help from friends

)

it provides all sorts of developer tools.

There are Mac programmer/developer types here on ehMac as well that could provide a better understanding of the environment.

 

[ShnickyShnack]

It's worth noting that ADC members get hefty discounts off Mac products ...

 

[Strongblade]

True, if they purchase the ADC account (there are free accounts, and then there are the more professional "paid" level that companies and businesses use (as opposed to hobbyists I guess)

 

[JohnnyG4]

That's only if they're select members or better (a.k.a. paid). Also, 'Select' means that you get seeds (if you sign and keep your non-disclosure agreement).

There are also a bunch of mailing lists that you can subscribe to at http://lists.apple.com. The carbon one seems to be nice and busy. There are also openGl lists, and firewire lists, cocoa lists, darwin lists, java and games (to name a few).

And there are the project builder tools that are on your new Mac. Different mind set from Visual Studio, but so is Codewarrior.

John

 

[Strongblade]

Interface builder is DA BOMB!

Of course, i can't program my way out of a wet paper bag, but OOoooOooooO! Pretty buttons!

 

[minnes]

Full ADC membership is something like $1500.
I keep thinking the 1.,25 would be faster than the AMD 1.2.
The single 1.25 is nice, but if you can afford the extra $400, you get a big performance boost with 2 CPUs, this will likely be more utilized in future OS updates, I think it would be a better investment.

Still, I think you should be pleased with the single 1.25 performance.

check www.cpuscorecard.com for comparisons

 

[hayesk]

Welcome to the club.

Personally, I think that 1.25GHz G4 will be very impressive comparied to your T-Bird.

I strongly recommend getting the book "Cocoa Programming for MacOS X" by Aaron Hillegass. It'll take you through most of the Cocoa foundations to get you started.

 

[mikef]

Thank you for the info, everybody.

If the info at CPU Scorecard can be trusted, the single G4 1.25GHz should compare quite favourably with even an AMD Athlon XP2000 (which is quite a bit faster than my current CPU).

With respect to the ADC hardware discount, depending on the savings, it might be worth it. The Select membership is $500USD and if I can get close to a $500 USD discount, it might be worth subscribing.

I will definitely think harder about getting the dual CPU config instead since it's not that much more.