Q. I don’t see a lot of Mac software around. Why? And where can I get the software I need?

Answer: You don’t see a lot of Mac software around because just about all the apps for your basic needs are already pre-installed on your Macs, ready for use right out of the box, e.g. Mail, iPhoto, iMovie, iTunes etc.

If you’re looking for games, shareware and freeware, there are two main places online you can find everything you need:

• VersionTracker
• MacUpdate

If you’re looking for Education Discounts for certain software e.g. Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia etc, go to The Apple Store (Singapore) and click on the Education Software Discounts banner ad.

Answer: Both PC or Mac will serve your needs for SoC. Just about everything is in Java, so no issue there since either Mac or Windows can do Java. In fact, with Java 1.5 for Mac released a few months ago, Java on the Mac is finally on par with its Windows counterpart. C programming is no sweat either, as the Mac’s underlying UNIX core has native support for C.

For the 1st 1.5 years at SoC, the modules are mostly programming, and most of the projects are web-based projects e.g. do a eCommerce website etc. A Mac will have no problems.

In the eCommerce course, I rarely saw code except for some projects (but depends which stream you go). It was mostly word processing and presentations etc.

For some of the SoC modules, however, they may require you to code for ASP or using Visual Basic. Obviously, these 2 are exclusively in Windows only; Mac and Linux, well, no go.

But it’ll only be a problem if you do take such modules that have projects which require you to use them. Check out the module descriptions and any seniors you might know.

Do also check with the MacNUS mailing list as new modules are introduced.

Answer: Depends on your budget and needs.

Answer: See here: Notebook Ownership Scheme

Note: As Apple releases new notebooks, they may not be available immediately to NUS students. Check back at the URL above for updates, or call NUS Co-Op for details.

Answer: That’s because the NUS offer comes with a bundled softwares like Adobe CS4 , Microsoft Office & Apple care protection plan which offers 3 years of International Warranty. The Apple Online Store’s Education discounted macs come with only 1 year (which can be extended if you buy Apple care protection plan) wit no bundled software.

Apple Care for notebooks can cost between S$300-600++.

Also, the NUS offer gives you a free bag, and the service centre is located within Campus at the IT Coop.

Answer: Yes, NUS now provides technical support for webcasts. It has been officially announced that any mac user having problems with viewing webcasts should email the module code to citsbms@nus.edu.sg. Please Install Flip4Mac before you try watching the webcast. (Refer to Apps for more info)