1. Why Do Developers Use Mac
2. Mac App Development
3. Macbook For Developer

Monaco, Regular, 10pt. This font is my default font. It’s excellent font, originally from the Mac.

1. Lenovo Legion Y720 Gaming Laptop. This Lenovo company product is good for anything, as far as.
2. The best laptops for developers to buy in 2020 come with different specifications and you could be confused while making the selection. Some basic specifications are a must and without them, it wouldn’t be a pleasure using the laptop for development work.
3. L inux-based operating systems are the most sought after and best suited for developers and programmers. They use Linux distribution to get their work done swiftly and create something new.

A guide to setting up an Apple Mac for DevOps and software development. This is current for macOS 10.14 (Mojave).

Log in once, run Software Update, and ensure that the operating system is at the latestpoint release. After all of the updates have been applied, restart the computer.

Log in again and create an Admin user account for your use. If other people will beusing the machine, create Standard accounts for them. Log out of the initial account,and log in to the Admin account that you have just created.

Always log in with this new Admin account. The benefit of leaving the initial accountuntouched is that it ensures that you always have a working account to login with.

Admin accounts have sudo privileges: All Admin accounts on a Mac may use sudo to runcommand-line utilities with administrative (root) privileges.

You should also find an external hard drive. Begin using Time Machine as soon aspossible, as it provides the most easy method for backing up your system.

Configuring The Trackpad

To make the trackpad behave correctly, ensure that these settings are enabled:

• System Preferences > Trackpad > Tap to click
• System Preferences > Accessibility > Mouse & Trackpad > Trackpad Options… >Enable dragging

Creating a Private Applications Folder

Once you have logged into your account, create a folder called Applications withinyour home folder. Whenever you are prompted to drag a new applications into the globalApplications folder, put it in this private Applications folder instead. Someapplications have to be installed to global folders, but in most cases you can keep thesystem directories clean by storing third-party products in your private Applicationsfolder.

Securing the Safari Browser

Whether or not you regularly use Safari, you should open it once, and adjust thesettings in case that you use it later.

First, choose Safari > Preferences > General and deselect the option Open “safe” files after downloading.

Second, go to Safari > Preferences > Search. Decide which search engine that you want to use. Ensure that Safari Suggestions is not enabled.

Then, check the plug-in settings. Go to Safari > Preferences > Security > Plug-in Settings… and review the plug-ins and settings.

Apple provide quite secure operating systems, but unfortunately convenience has won outover security in a few places. These can easily be corrected by changing a few settings.If you are using a laptop then you should probably make all of these changes as soon aspossible.

Basic Settings

Select System Preferences > Security & Privacy, and set the following:

• Under General, set require a password after sleep or screen saver begins toimmediately
• Click Advanced… and select Require an administrator password to accesssystem-wide preferences
• Under Firewall, click Turn Firewall On.
• Under Privacy, select Analytics and ensure that the options are not enabled.

Disable Spotlight

By default, Spotlight sends queries to Apple. Unless you want this feature, turn it off.

Select System Preferences > Spotlight > Search Results, and ensure that Spotlight Suggestions is not enabled.

Enable File Vault NOW

Current versions of macOS include File Vault 2, a full-disk encryption system that haslittle in common with the much more limited File Vault 1. You should enable File VaultNOW, because it is the only protection against anyone with physical access to yourcomputer. All other security measures will be completely bypassed if someone withphysical access simply restarts the computer with a bootable pen drive.

File Vault really is secure, which means that you can permanently lose access to yourdata if you lose the passwords and the recovery key.

Set a Firmware Password

Set a password to stop access to theRecovery mode. Otherwise, any maliciousindividual can change the firmware settings to boot from a disc or device of theirchoosing. If you did not enable File Vault, then the attacker will have complete accessto all of the files on the system.

Apple Knowledge Base article HT204455provides full details.

Setting Up Time Machine Backups

Time Machine is simple to set up. Just take a suitably large external hard drive, plug itin to your Mac, and agree when prompted. The drive setup process will reformat the harddrive. The only settings that may need to change are the exclusions.

Choose System Preferences > Time Machine, and click Options. Add to the exclusionslist any folders that contain ISO disk images, virtual machines, or database files (suchas Entourage). If the external hard drive is short of space, exclude the Systemfolder.

The first step is to install a compiler. The easiest way to install one is with theXcode Command Line Tools package.

Once you have the compiler that is provided by Xcode, you can useHomebrew to install everything else that you need.

Getting Xcode

Apple now provide the Xcode suite as a free download from the App Store. To installXcode Command Line Tools, install Xcode from the App Store, then open a Terminal windowand enter the following command:

Setting Up Homebrew

Homebrew provides a package management system for macOS, enabling youto quickly install and update the tools and libraries that you need. Follow theinstructions on the site.

You should also amend your PATH, so that the versions of tools that are installed withHomebrew take precedence over others. To do this, edit the file .bashrc inyour home directory to include this line:

You need to close all terminal windows for this change to take effect.

To check that Homebrew is installed correctly, run this command in a terminal window:

To update the index of available packages, run this command in a terminal window:

Once you have set up Homebrew, use the brew install command to add command-line software to your Mac, and brew cask install to add graphical software. For example, this command installs the Slack app:

Installing the Git Version Control System

The Xcode Command Line Tools include a copy of Git, which isnow the standard for Open Source development, but this will be out of date.

To install a newer version of Git than Apple provide, use Homebrew. Enter this command in a terminal window:

If you do not use Homebrew, go to the Web site and follow thelink for Other Download Options to obtain a macOS disk image. Open your downloadedcopy of the disk image and run the enclosed installer in the usual way, then dismountthe disk image.

Always set your details before you create or clone repositories on a new system. Thisrequires two commands in a terminal window:

The global option means that the setting will apply to every repository that you workwith in the current user account.

To enable colors in the output, which can be very helpful, enter this command:

Text Editors

Installations of macOS include older command-line versions of bothEmacs and vim, as well asTextEdit, a desktop text editor. TextEdit is designed for light-weight word processing,and has no support for programming. Add the code editors or IDEs that you would prefer to use.

If you do not have a preferred editor, consider using a version of Visual Studio Code. Read the next section for more details.

To work with a modern Vim editor, install Neovim.

Visual Studio Code

Visual Studio Code is a powerful desktop editor for programming, with built-in support for version control and debugging. The large range of extensions for Visual Studio Code enable it to work with every popular programming language and framework. It is available free of charge.

The Microsoft releases of Visual Studio Code are proprietary software with telemetry enabled by default. To avoid these issues, use the packages that are provided by the vscodium project instead.

Once you have installed Visual Studio Code or VSCodium, read this article for more information about using the editor.

Why Do Developers Use Mac

Neovim

If you would like a modern Vim editor with a good default configuration, set up Neovim.

Setting The EDITOR Environment Variable

Whichever text editor you choose, remember to set the EDITOR environment variable inyour ~/.bashrc file, so that this editor is automatically invoked by command-linetools like your version control system. For example, put this line in your profile tomake Neovim (nvim) the favored text editor:

Setting Up A Directory Structure for Projects

To keep your projects tidy, I would recommend following theGo developer conventions. These guidelines may seemslightly fussy, but they pay off when you have many projects, some of which are ondifferent version control hosts.

First create a top-level directory with a short, generic name like code. By default Gouses a directory called go, but you can change that when you set up a Go installation.

In this directory, create an src sub-directory. For each repository host, create asubdirectory in src that matches your username. Check out projects in the directory.The final directory structure looks like this:

Creating SSH Keys

You will frequently use SSH to access Git repositories or remote UNIX systems. macOSincludes the standard OpenSSH suite of tools.

OpenSSH stores your SSH keys in a .ssh directory. To create this directory, run these commands in a terminal window:

To create an SSH key, run the ssh-keygen command in a terminal window. For example:

Use 4096-bit RSA keys for all systems. The older DSA standard only supports 1024-bitkeys, which are now too small to be considered secure.

JavaScript Development: Node.js

Homebrew provides separate packages for each version of Node.js.To ensure that you are using the version of Node.js that you expect, specify the versionwhen you install it. For example, enter this command in a Terminal window to install theNode.js 12, the current LTS release:

Add the bin/ directory for this Node.js installation to your PATH:

If you need yarn, enter this command in a Terminal window toinstall it:

Go Development

Use Homebrew to install Go:

This provides the standard command-line tools for Go.

The current version of Go includes support for dependency management with modules. Use modules for new projects. Some existing projects still use dep, or an older tool.

Setting a GOPATH

Current versions of Go do not require a GOPATH environment variable, but you should set it to ensure that third-party tools and Terminal auto-completion work correctly.

Set a GOPATH environment variable in your ~/.bashrc file:

Then, add this to your PATH:

Close the Terminal and open it again for the changes to take effect.

Java Development: AdoptOpenJDK

Which Version of Java?

Many vendors provide a JDK. To avoid potential licensing and support issues, use the JDK that is provided by the AdoptOpenJDK project. The versions of Java on the OpenJDK Website are for testers, and the Oracle JDK is a proprietary product that requires license fees.

Use the LTS version of the OpenJDK, unless you need features that are in the latest releases.

Once you have installed a JDK, get the Apache Maven build tool. This is provided by the Maven project itself, and is not part of the OpenJDK.

Use jEnv if you need to run multiple JDKs, such as different versions of the same JDK.

Setting up Java with Homebrew

Run these commands in a terminal window:

This installs version 11 of the OpenJDK, from the AdoptOpenJDK project.

Run this command in a terminal window to install Maven:

Setting up jEnv

Run this command in a terminal window to install jEnv:

Next, add this to your PATH:

Add this to your ~/.bashrc file:

Open a new terminal window, and run this command:

This enables jEnv to manage the JAVA_HOME environment variable.

To avoid inconsistent behaviour, close all the terminal windows that you currently have open. The jEnv utility will work correctly in new terminal windows.

Lastly, run this command to register your current JDK with jEnv:

To see a list of the available commands, type jenv in a terminal window:

Manual Set up of AdoptOpenJDK

To manually install a copy of the JDK:

1. Download the version of the JDK that you need from AdoptOpenJDK
2. Unzip the download
3. Copy the JDK directory to /usr/local/lib
4. Edit your ~/.bashrc file to set environment variables. For example, to use jdk-11.0.3+7 as the Java version:

To manually install a copy of Apache Maven:

1. Download the latest version of Maven
2. Unzip the download
3. Copy the Maven directory to /usr/local/lib/
4. Add /usr/local/lib/MAVEN-DIRECTORY to your PATH environment variable

Replace MAVEN-DIRECTORY with the name of the directory that Maven uses, such as apache-maven-3.6.0.

Maven is written in Java, which means that the project provides one package, which works on any operating system that has a supported version of Java.

Python Development: pipenv

Unfortunately, macOS includes a copy of Python 2, so you will need to install Python 3 yourself.

To maintain current and clean Python environments, you should also use pipenv. This builds on two features of Python: the virtual environments and the pip utility.

Enter this command to install Python 3 and pipenv using Homebrew:

Use pipenv to manage your Python projects. The pipenv tool itself will automatically work with the copy of Python 3 from Homebrew.

To use the Python 3 interpreter outside of projects that are managed by pipenv, specify python3 on the command-line and inyour scripts, rather than python:

If you need to run the pip utility, rather than setting up a development environment with pipenv, always use the command pip3:

The Python Guide tutorialshows you how to work with pipenv.

Rust Development: rustup

The official rustup utility enables you to install the tools for building softwarewith the Rust programming language. Click on the Install button on the front page of theRust Website, and follow the instructions.

By default, the installer adds the correct directory to your path. If this does notwork, add this to your PATH manually:

This process installs all of the tools into your home directory, and does not add anyfiles into system directories.

Ruby Development: RVM

All macOS systems include a copy of Ruby, but it is outdated. To maintain current andclean Ruby environments, use the RVM system.

RVM relies on Git, so you must have a working installation of Git before you can set upRVM.

By default, RVM downloads copies of Ruby that have been compiled for your operatingsystem. If there is no compiled version, RVM then falls back to downloading the sourcecode and then compiling it on your computer. Enter this command to ensure that therequirements for compiling Ruby are on your system, using Homebrew:

Finally, you can speed up installation of gem packages by disabling the generation oflocal documentation. To do this, create a file in your home directory with the name.gemrc and put this line in it:

Minikube sets up and manages Kubernetes on a single system, so that you can develop and test without needing a set of servers.

To install Minikube with Homebrew, run these commands in a terminal window:

By default, Minikube uses a virtual machine manager. If you do not need VirtualBox, install hyperkit, which provides a minimal virtual machine manager.

To install Helm with Homebrew, run this command in a terminal window:

To install Skaffold with Homebrew, run this command in a terminal window:

This article explains Minikube in more detail.

Consider using containers to run the databases that you need. If you prefer to install servicesdirectly on to your workstation, Homebrew provides packages for PostgreSQL, MariaDB and MySQL.

Installing PostgreSQL

To install PostgreSQL using Homebrew, enter this command in a terminal window:

This command installs the server, the command-line tools, and the client libraries thatare needed to compile adapters for programming languages.

Homebrew also provides some commands for managing your PostgreSQL installation. Forexample, to start the server, follow the instructions that are displayed after theinstallation process is completed. If you upgrade your copy of PostgreSQL, you shoulduse the postgresql-upgrade-database command that Homebrew gives you.

Installing MariaDB or MySQL

To install MariaDB using Homebrew, enter this command in a terminal window:

To install MySQL using Homebrew, enter this command in a terminal window:

These commands install the server, the command-line tools, and the client libraries thatare needed to compile adapters for programming languages. To start the server, followthe instructions that are displayed after the installation process is completed.

For compatibility, MariaDB uses the same names for command-line tools as MySQL.

Remember to set a password for the root accounts. First, login with the mysqlcommand-line utility:

The -q Option Disables Command History: By default, the command-line client storesthe full text of every command in a history file. If you know that you are going torun statements that include passwords or other sensitive data, use the -q option.

Run these statements to change the password for root access:

You now need a password to login to the installation as root. To login with root again,use this command:

Enter the password when prompted.

You should also remove the anonymous accounts and test database that MySQL automaticallyincludes:

If you intend to duplicate a production environment for testing, create a configurationfile on your Mac. Production installations of MySQL should be configured withappropriate SQL modes to enable data integrity safeguards. By default, MySQL permitsvarious types of invalid data to be entered.

Database Management Tools

• Azure Data Studio for Microsoft SQL Server
• pgAdmin for PostgreSQL

• LibreOffice suite: brew cask install libreoffice
• VirtualBox virtual machine management: brew cask install virtualbox
• Docker container management: brew cask install docker

Apple offer overviews and task-orientated help on theirsupport Web site for new macOS users.

Every new user should probably readHow to switch to the Mac, by Rui Carmo.

The macOS Privacy and Security Guide by Dr Doh provides extensive information about those topics.

Mac Tips

Ever wondered why programmers use Macs? So did we. We’ve talked to our developers and found out why Macs are so great for programming—and not only on macOS and iOS. In this article, we’ll talk about the best Macs for app and web development and the best configurations of MacBook Air and MacBook pro for coding. We’ll also cover the minimum tech specs a computer should have for you to code comfortably.

Here’s our personal ranking of Macs for programming:

• Absolute best: MacBook Pro (16-inch or 13-inch)
• Best alternative: MacBook Air (2020)
• Best desktop computer: 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display

Why choose a Mac for app development?

Just a few years ago the IT world was dominated by Windows-based computers. However, Apple machines have been steadily gaining popularity among developers in recent years. Why did programmers suddenly get so into Macs?

In a nutshell, the answer lies in the Unix command line. Most of the currently existing servers and file systems are built on top of Unix, so the Unix-based OS X / macOS is now everyone’s favorite. You can also benefit from macOS cross-platform compatibility and easily run both Linux and Windows.

On top of everything, the architecture of any Mac is exceptionally attractive. However, some models are more suited for coding than others—let’s see what the essential features are in the next section.

Recommended system requirements

First of all, it’s important to keep your Mac up to date—not just for coders, for any user. But programmers will especially benefit from it, since some essential software, such as Xcode, only works with the latest versions of the operating system.

Other specifications of high importance are listed below.

Screen

Having a large screen with a high-definition Retina display is important for app development. It’s likely that you’ll be using at least three windows simultaneously. A big display is what you need to fit all of them on the same screen and eliminate the need to constantly switch.

A 27-inch iMac with a 5K Retina display is the number one candidate in terms of screen size and quality resolution. The pixel-dense screen with 500 nits of brightness will make small letters and numbers of code look pleasantly smooth and pretty much perfect.

However, is a 27-inch screen really worth the money for a programmer? Not so sure about that. After all, nothing is preventing you from plugging in one or two separate displays to a smaller and more affordable MacBook Pro, or even an Air. You save money and you gain portability—what’s not to love.

When it comes to GPU, that’s not an important specification in programming unless you’re creating something very graphics-heavy, so we’re not covering that here.

CPU

Having a processor that is powerful enough to manage all of the essential app development software is crucial. It doesn’t have to be the best one on the market—a Mac Pro with its 28-core beast would definitely be an overkill. However, you want to make sure that you’re getting the best value for money.

In general, you don’t need to get anything too fancy. A dual-core i5 or even an i3 will suffice, even though you will benefit from a faster processor with more cores. If you’re running the latest versions of Xcode, i5 is the minimum requirement. However, if you use an IDE, a virtual machine, or work on a graphics-heavy project, you’ll need a Core i7 and substantially large RAM.

GPU

Unless you are working in game development, you shouldn’t be concerned about your graphics card. The default option that comes with any up-to-date Mac will do a perfectly fine job for creating an app.

RAM and storage

Of all the things that we have listed so far, random access memory is the most important. Xcode alone is very RAM-heavy, and along with other apps getting any work done will be a real struggle.

Currently, the minimum amount of RAM you need for a comfortable coding experience is 8GB. Older MacBooks that have 4GB are out of the picture unless you manage to upgrade their RAM and install the latest versions of macOS. Ideally, you should be looking at 16GB and more to create a safety net for future updates.

As for storage, you don’t need much for programming, although we do recommend that you opt for a solid-state drive rather than a hard drive.

Battery life

Software development tends to be energy-costly. Consequently, battery life is something you shouldn’t ignore. Luckily, new generations of MacBooks offer up to 12 hours of battery life, particularly the 2020 MacBook Air. If you are into vintage and would rather buy an old or a second-hand model, be prepared to charge your laptop frequently and remain tied to your desk.

Ports

Make sure that your Mac has enough ports so that you can connect all of your peripherals. As a coder, you might want to use an external display, a keyboard, a mouse, or a flash drive. Some models of MacBook only have a pair of Thunderbolt 3 ports, such as the 2020 MacBook Air—in this case, you would need a USB hub. In contrast, a big desktop computer such as a 27-inch iMac has four USB-C ports and two Thunderbolt 3s.

The best Macs for software development

MacBook Pro for app development

Both the 2019 16-inch and the 2020 13-inch MacBook Pro are the ideal options for app development. In both the devices portability and light weight are combined with a powerful processor, high-definition Retina display, 8GB RAM, and 4 Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Mac App Development

The new 13-inch MacBook Pro that arrived in 2020 will be a good solution for those who like the latest technological advances and don’t mind the smaller screen size. The base model has a 1.4GHz quad-core 8th Gen Intel Core i5 processor which can be upgraded to a 2.0 GHz quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5. Base 8GB RAM can be expanded to 16GB and 256GB storage can be boosted up to 512GB. The price range for this model is from $1,299 to $1,799.

Let’s compare it to the 16-inch MacBook Pro. This model replaced the 15-inch Mac in 2019 and has much better specs. The 2.6GHz 6-core 9th Gen i7 processor can be upgraded to a 2.3GHz 8-core 9th Gen i9, 16GB RAM and up to 1TB storage. The price range here is from $2,399 to $2,799.

Overall, although the 16-inch Pro has much better specs, the 13-inch one is enough for all of your programming needs.

Optimal specs for the 13-inch model:

• 2.0GHz quad-core 10th Gen Intel Core i5 CPU
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD

Optimal specs for the 16-inch model:

• 2.6GHz 6-core 9th Gen i7 CPU
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD

If you would like to have a bigger screen when you’re at your desk, get an external monitor. Don’t rush and buy the Pro Display XDR—there are a lot of affordable options that match its quality.

MacBook Air for app development

MacBook Air has always been a topic of controversy among creatives. It’s kind of borderline meeting the requirements for most professional users, including coders. What did we learn about Air?

The new 2020 release introduced to the world the most powerful Air yet. The tiny 1.27 kg laptop is equipped with an impressive 1.1GHz quad-core 10th Gen Core i5 processor with a Turbo Boost option up to 3.5GHz. 8GB built-in RAM (can be configured to 16GB) is combined with 512GB of SSD storage in addition to two Thunderbolt 3 ports and a 13.3-inch Retina display with True Tone. All of this in a cheapest MacBook you can buy—price ranging from $999 to $1,299.

Overall, we can say with confidence that this is a solid option for casual to medium-level app development and will serve you well—just like Apple products always do.

Optimal specs for MacBook Air:

• 1.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD

iMac for app development

If you spend most of your time working at home, you might be looking for a stationary computer. In this case, it’s also worth investing in a device with a large display. Apple has got your back with a 27-inch 5K Retina display iMac.

The base model has 3.1GHz 6-core 10th Gen Core i5 processor with a Turbo Boost up to 4.1GHz 8GB of on-board RAM that can be configured to 32GB, 1TB fusion drive, two Thunderbolt 3 ports, and 4 USB-C ports. The price ranges from $1,799 to $2,299.

Compare it with the 21.5-inch iMac—the base model has a dual-core processor, which is a no-go for programming. A slightly more expensive variant has a 3.6GHz quad-core 8th Gen Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM (configurable to 32GB), 1TB hard drive, and a Retina 4K display as opposed to 5K. It costs $1,299 or $1,499 for a slightly more advanced model.

The 27-inch model is slightly more expensive for something that only adds 6 extra inches to the screen, but if you decide to purchase the smaller iMac instead you will have to swap the hard drive for an SSD and upgrade RAM, adding extra expenses. Is it really worth it?

To sum it up, an iMac is an excellent choice for someone who doesn’t move around for work and prefers sitting at the desk.

Optimal 27-inch iMac specs:

• 3.1GHz 6-core 8th Gen Core i5 CPU
• 16GB RAM
• 512GB SSD

Mac vs. PC for software development

Both Macs and PCs are great for software development. When choosing the best computer for coding, we recommend considering the tools you like to use and their compatibility with both Windows and macOS. You should think about the type of language and framework that you work with.

Pros of coding on a Mac:

• Macs are less susceptible to malware (although not completely virus-free)
• Programs native to Apple don’t slow down the performance of a Mac
• Macs are based on Unix, so they are more suitable for creating back-end web server code
• Macs can run all major operating systems including Windows, Linux, Android, etc.
• Apple offers great service and support

Cons of coding on a Mac:

• Macs are usually more expensive than PCs
• macOS is not the most popular operating system
• There aren’t many third-party tools available on Mac

Pros of coding on a PC:

• PCs’ hardware can be easily customized
• There are a lot of third-party tools for graphics, debugging, and profiling
• Windows has a lot of Linux functionality
• There are more software programs, games, and utilities for Windows because of the number of users

Cons of coding on PC:

• Windows devices are manufactured by companies other than Microsoft, so quality is not always guaranteed
• Running macOS on PC creates an unstable environment that can interfere with your app development process
• You can’t run Xcode on PC, so it’s impossible to develop macOS and iOS apps on non-Apple computers

These are the major pros and cons of both platforms. To avoid getting the wrong device, look out for cross-platform and hardware compatibility to avoid disruption to your work.

How to Optimize your Mac for Programming?

Having chosen a perfect Mac for your coding needs, it's high time to pick an app that will do all the routine tasks for you. By routine, we mean cleaning, optimization, and taking care of security and privacy too.

For you to code interruption-free, MacKeeper will be in charge of clean up space on Mac from accumulated junk files, duplicates, logs, and caches. It can even suggest deleting apps that haven't been used for a long time (read more: how to delete Anaconda from Mac or uninstall Java from Mac). In addition, it will keep your apps updated at all times for the seamless work of your Mac.

Finally, to fully focus on programming, let security and privacy tools in MacKeeper shield your Mac from viruses, online threats, or email breaches. Besides, you can use a built-in VPN to surf more securely or access websites that are geo-blocked.

Conclusion

You can go for any type of Mac depending on your needs—a powerful MacBook Pro, a super-light MacBook Air, or a stationary iMac with a big screen. Regardless of your choice of tech, always make sure to have the latest version of macOS installed on your computer to be able to run Xcode and avoid security threats.

FAQ

Is Core i5 enough for programming?

Depending on the type of coding you practice you might want to invest in a Core i7 processor or go with a cheaper Core i5. For example, a front-end web developer that only uses a text editor and a browser on an everyday basis will do just fine with an i5.

Is 4GB RAM enough for coding?

Generally speaking, 4GB RAM is not enough for most tasks required in modern-day programming. You’re looking at 8GB minimum to run Xcode alone, and that is if you don’t embark on anything too heavy. For more intense projects that need additional tools, consider investing in 16GB or more.

Do you need a powerful computer for coding?

Macbook For Developer

As a programmer, you don’t need a powerful computer at all. A quad-core i5 processor with 8GB RAM and 256GB of SSD memory will suffice. As for screen size and resolution, aim for a 13-inch Retina display to get the best coding experience.

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