What kind of computer do you use for programming?

[Rohan_DHS]

I was just wondering what sort of computers people use for programming their robots. Last year we used an old 400 mhz amd processor with I dont know how much ram

That was one of our programmer's old computers. This year, since he graduated, I found an old p2 lying around with 128 MB ram (with a non-working CD Drive )running Windows 2000 Pro in one of our computer labs. So this year we are stuck with that unless we find another computer lol. Oh well, it get's our job done

But back to the original question...what computer do you (or your programmers) use to program on?

ps mods please relocate this thread if it is in the wrong place

[Astronouth7303]

Whatever's handy.

I think I'm primarily going to use PCs in the Pentium 3 area, 500-600 MHz. RAM varying greatly.

[Eldarion]

A Pentium I 233 MHz laptop with a 3 gigabyte hard drive and 128Mb RAM, running Windows 2000 Professional.

Laugh away

[Redneck]

Pentium III 700 Mhz desktop with 128 MB of RAM for programming in class.
Pentiurm III 500 Mhz laptop (not sure about RAM) for programming at the competitions.

[jdhawg]

Team Fusion has been using my personal laptop (Intel Celeron 1.8GHz w/ 512 mb RAM) for the past two years. Very handy to take into the shop where we do our building and driving. Also nice to have when we go to regionals. This year, I think we may downgrade to a laptop a friend gave me for being a really nice guy. (Any Team Fusion members should stop laughing right now! I mean it!) It's a 400 MHz with 256mb RAM. Not the fastest thing in the world, but if it gets busted then there's no big loss.

I mean really, does it matter if it takes 10 seconds to compile versus 20 seconds. You only have to do it once if you wrote it right the first time.

[CmptrGk]

i will be either using a laptop with 768 mb of ram with a amd 2400+m or a laptop with a 500mhz celery and 192mb of ram. im personally hoping for the 2400+m

[devicenull]

We used my laptop last year.. dell inspirion 2600 -- 1.2 ghz, 128mb of ram. Its got a broken cdrom drive, and a dead battery, but it works fine for what I use it for

I've got a USB->Serial converter from cablestogo.com, works perfectly!

[Hutch]

For most of my stuff, I use my desktop (AMD64 3500+ 2.21Ghz, 2 gig RAM, dual 80gig raptors) because it has two monitors (dual Dell 2001FP's). But at competition I use whatever old laptop I can find (usually the team's really really old inspiron).

[Ryan M.]

We don't have any team computers, so the computes are all the programmers:

• 2.4 GHz P4 512 MB RAM (desktop)
• 2.4 GHz AMD Sempron 512 MB RAM (laptop)
• somereallylownumber P3 196 MB RAM (laptop)

[aaeamdar]

Our school computers, which are fairly good, in the basement (for school computers). They take for-hever to boot up and a long time to compile.


LINKING....

1 minute later(for a short program)

LINKING...
Building....

etc.

Anyway, I'm not sure about their exact RAM and processor numbers. We have a school wide server with 300 gigs of storage. The computers run windows 2000 I think. I would guess 128 ram and an 800 meg processor, but I could be wrong (probably not by much though).

Lesser of two weevils and all that.

Just my 2cp.

[Eldarion]

Originally Posted by aaeamdar

LINKING....

1 minute later(for a short program)

LINKING...
Building....

etc.

Um, shouldn't that be building, then linking?

[aaeamdar]

Originally Posted by Eldarion

Um, shouldn't that be building, then linking?

Heheh I wasn't paying to close attention when I wrote that. Cut me some slack.

+O=) The pope smiles on you.

[phrontist]

I'll finally be ditching the fantastically terrible machine furnished by the school's apathetic "IT" deparment. I'm about to re-install Windows XP on my 3.02Ghz 1GB RAM Thinkpad G41. I also need to get a serial-USB adapter pronto.

[Rickertsen2]

I mainly use my laptop:
AMD64 3700
1.5 gigs of ram
100gb HD
I have to use a serial port adapter

At school in the robotics lab, we have about 18 PIIIs with 256mb of ram as well a boatload of assorted older computers. We should be getting some P4s soon.

The other programmers mostly have their own laptops, mainly macs.

[jdiwnab]

We have used, recently (as of last year) a P3 500ish MHz with about 256MB with NT. Several years ago (2001) I think we used this extreemly old laptop nicknamed "Ancient Power" 100 MHz (at the top end) with Win 3.1. The "mouse" was a detachable track ball, that could be swapped for a mouse, int he front of the computer. The most interesting item on the computer was Wolfenstine 3D. Yeah, that old. But that's OK. Old computers are fun. Oh, and yes, we have hauled the desktop to competition becuase of lack of serial ports on laptops (and lack of good USB to serial converters).