Recommended specs for Windows Development computer.

[Martin Koob]

Thanks everyone for your advice on this topic.   As a user new to Windows all of the discussion is helpful.  This has been a very interesting thread.


Regards,

Martin Koob





> On Oct 6, 2019, at 10:30 AM, Martin Koob <mkoob at rogers.com> wrote:
> 
> Hi Curry
> 
> Thanks for your take on my question.  I too believe in developing for the lowest possible common denominator.  My MacBook Pro Retina is the 15 inch early 2013 so my theory is if my Mac can handle it in the IDE  then the end users will likely be able to as well as a standalone.  
> 
> Thanks for the advice re testing on actual PC hardware. I was trying to apply both principles  when I bought my first budget PC but I set the Bar too low.  It is an Acer Aspire XC — CPU was an AMD E-Series E1-7010 Dual Core 1.5 G Hz  with 4 GB  RAM. My application uses  the cameraControl and Player and so the foundations of those are so different on PC and Mac so I need to test on hardware.  I was able to do some testing on the Acer and found the Player not working as expected but I am not sure if it is the machine or LC.  But that will be the subject of another post.
> 
> Thanks for the suggested specs.   
> 
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Martin Koob
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>> On Oct 4, 2019, at 4:34 AM, Curry Kenworthy via use-livecode <use-livecode at lists.runrev.com <mailto:use-livecode at lists.runrev.com>> wrote:
>> 
>> 
>> For anyone truly interested in the original question of "Recommended specs for Windows Development computer"
>> 
>> (... as opposed to any OS-partisan virtue signaling, or avoiding Windows hardware, or maintaining a single computer as the rule, etc ...)
>> 
>> here's my take, from many years of often "Windows first, but not Windows only" experience:
>> 
>> - Biggest OS difference/biggest factor: anti-virus. I've literally seen a Mac running with software techniques similar to today's PC antivirus, and similar results.
>> 
>> - I don't trust my PC to run Mac, nor my Mac to run PC. I get my hands dirty on both, with dedicated hardware for each. You notice more....
>> 
>> - PC doesn't require a huge investment. I use a budget (but not bottom) laptop with as much hard disk and RAM as possible. Currently an i5 chip and 8 GB memory, 1 TB RAM.
>> 
>> - The specs I listed are quite adequate for professional LC dev. Any extra power feels great, but remember that it also could cause you to overlook issues affecting some of your end users. I intentionally use budget hardware to make sure software is snappy for everyone.
>> 
>> - Again, with Windows 10 it's all about managing antivirus and various other software/settings to be allowed to use the inherent performance of your machine. The power is in there, but you have to remove the ball and chains.
>> 
>> - Any OS-partisan biases (in other words reliving the 80s and 90s, which felt so good) will tend to be confirmed by their own cognitive influence on your perception of your limited experiences on another OS. Using a system efficiently takes experience and learning, built into habits. (There once was a system called MacOS that for a number of years pretty much broke that rule. And during those bygone years, I was proudly "Mac-first, but not Mac only.") Whatever OS you use, just realize that many everyday users are equally efficient on the other operating systems.
>> 
>> I like having and using both almost daily, as long as I'm developing for both. And developing for both is specifically how I ended up right here! :)
>> 
>> Best wishes,
>> 
>> Curry Kenworthy
>> 
>> Custom Software Development
>> "Better Methods, Better Results"
>> LiveCode Training and Consulting
>> http://livecodeconsulting.com/ <http://livecodeconsulting.com/>
>> 
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