Re: Mac vs Windows laptops?
> If it's Windows software you are developing then the Mac generally sucks.
Yeah, right. You put the Windows in a VM and develop on that. You can have several VMs for different scenarios (like all the poxy IEs). All the development VMs can be copied from a single installation which you remove all the Windows shite. Even Microsoft ships pre-built VMs for testing IEs on websites (I downloaded the set of three the other day: IE9, 10, 11 on Win7. And as the Windows isn't going to be used for anything other than development, you don't need all the AV shite, orofice, or any of the other CPU-hogging cack that comes with Windows.
If, as *I* inferred from the OP, you are developing Java or J2EE, then a Mac makes for a really nice environment. Eclipse works well along with Maven and all the other development tools which are ported to a Mac environment. OK, there's no Tortoise port, so you end up using Versions or suchlike.
It's as simple as this: the majority of all "enterprise" developers I know use Macs. Admittedly I happen to know a lot of freelancers, consultants and contractors, but the fact stands.
So what's the alternative to a Mac... A horrid plastic laptop with letterbox-sized washed out screen running Windos. Haven't you got any pride in yourself man? A plumber's toolkit costs many times more than a Mac...