MacBook Air for Java/J2EE/RoR kind of development work? [closed]

Question

How far MacBook Air is suitable for developers? Can it handle running Eclipse, JDK, Flex Builder, Apache, Tomcat and couple of usual applications together and still perform well ?

Or is it purely for business people?

Answer 1

Suitable yes in the sense that it is above the "minimum system requirements". I've ran (older) versions of Eclipse and J2EE on much slower machines. I still recoil when I think of the time I tried to build distributed Eclipse plug-ins on an IBM T20.

Are you going to enjoy it and be very productive on it? I would bet not. You probably want more cores, more memory, etc. Developers are also prone to loss of concentration, so an added delay when switching windows, starting debugs, etc. will affect your performance.

In addition, I would highly recommend against trying to do full-time dev on a 13" screen. If you have to use your laptop screen, go with at least 15" with a decent resolution. IDEs require resolution these days because of the sidebars.

For about the same cost you can get a 15" MBP, better bang for the money. Core i5 in the new MBPs is also better structured for multithreading, IMHO, than the core 2 duos.

Answer 2

I have been using a 13" MB (before they became pros) with 4GB/2GHZ Core 2 Duo for some time now for work with Eclipse, XCode, Cassandra, Apache/Tomcat and Photoshop. Here is my take away:

• Screen size: At times I wish I had more but you learn to become a minimalist with all the windows available and use the hiding option on most of them. Major annoyances are typically having to go back and forth between dev environment and Console. Most of the time I code from home where I have an external monitor which solves all of this.

• Speed: The CPU is sufficient but the memory is not if you're doing major dev work with Java. Java is a memory-whore. I started with 2GB but had to upgrade to 4GB. Typically this was when I was working with Eclipse and had the whole stack running on my machine (app server, data store, dev environment). I've read that MBAs are upgradable to 4GB but it's soldered on in which case you should order the upgrade directly from Apple to be safe (whereas with MBPs you can do it yourself no problem).

• Convenience: My 13" MB is light. But, I don't know if it's age or spending too much time coding, I find myself wishing it was even lighter especially when I fly somewhere.

All in all, I'd be willing to switch to a MBA if cost weren't an issue. Another thing to keep in mind is that you'd have to be OK with working on high-resolution laptop on a smaller screen. It's worth going to the Apple Store to see it with your own eyes.