MAC or PC

[homealone3]

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Do pathologists have a preference between MAC or PC computers? What type of computers do residency programs generally provide or do they allow the residents to choose? Will one type of computer (MAC or PC) likely be superior in the future as the field of pathology becomes increasingly digital? Thanks for the input.

 

[TheCritic]

Do pathologists have a preference between MAC or PC computers? What type of computers do residency programs generally provide or do they allow the residents to choose? Will one type of computer (MAC or PC) likely be superior in the future as the field of pathology becomes increasingly digital? Thanks for the input.

You would think MAC.

 

[yaah]

Our program is almost entirely (including the laptops they give us) PC. Some attendings have macs, most have PCs. I'm not sure it really matters unless you have a personal preference. At our institution, obviously, it is easier to troubleshoot and figure stuff out if you have a PC, since that is what the IT people are more familiar with.

 

[Fluble]

I'm doubtful the software that my hospital uses is compatible with macs. Where I work all the residents have a PC at their desk. At least one program I interviewed at (Rochester) provided laptops for the residents to keep. At some programs I interviewed at, you don't really have your own desk or computer.

 

[djmd]

I think nearly 100% of hospitals are on Wintel (Windows Intel) systems. If your program has computers at your desk, then they will be Wintel, and if they buy you laptops, they most likely will not let you pick.

If you get educational money, and can buy a laptop with it... I guess you might be able to buy a Mac...

 

[TheCritic]

I know of at least one program that is all mac all the time. Oh and at this program every resident gets a new mac book. macs are literally everywhere. So if you are used to a pc and refuse to use a mac it's probably not the place for you.

 

[DarksideAllstar]

My girlfriend has a Mac with Windows parallels on it and hasnt had any problems running software designed for PCs.

 

[CameronFrye]

We are almost universally PCs. One of the senior attendings is a machead, so he has an iMac (and an iPhone). However, he also has a PC in his office to access CoPath (the information system we use in anatomic path).

 

[djmd]

I am not going to play the role of mac hater, but HIS (hospital information systems) are pretty picky, and my not work with Mac-windows emulation...

Hell HIS don't work well with ANYthing.. including and especially each other...

 

[CameronFrye]

I am not going to play the role of mac hater, but HIS (hospital information systems) are pretty picky, and my not work with Mac-windows emulation...

Hell HIS don't work well with ANYthing.. including and especially each other...

Very true. We have CoPath for AP, Sunquest for the CP labs, physician order entry uses a separate system, patient notes and lab results are reported in IDX, etc. Even though half of these products are from the same vendor (misys), they don't always work seamlessly with each other. Hospital IT people are very skeptical of anything that may rock the boat. Macs are allowed in the hospital, but as far as I know, none of the actual "work" of the hospital is conducted on them.

 

[LADoc00]

been in about...dunno 20-25 pathology groups/hospitals etc to check out computer systems and have never seen a Mac operation. Not one.

I have an absolutely killer computer set up (multiple 37" flat screens wired to a 2GB RAM/dual core laptop array carrying DX10-compat cards and a home system with a water cooled overclocked quad core system with dual 8800 GTX Gcards in SLI, but Im a gamer)..not to brag.

 

[randomlogik]

UT Southwestern is mac friendly. All of the residents get a new macbook when they start. I've never used a mac before coming here, but it is starting to grow on me a bit.

 

[deleted113029]

been in about...dunno 20-25 pathology groups/hospitals etc to check out computer systems and have never seen a Mac operation. Not one.

I have an absolutely killer computer set up (multiple 37" flat screens wired to a 2GB RAM/dual core laptop array carrying DX10-compat cards and a home system with a water cooled overclocked quad core system with dual 8800 GTX Gcards in SLI, but Im a gamer)..not to brag.

geek.

i could also brag about my setup...but why?😎

 

[Neddy]

been in about...dunno 20-25 pathology groups/hospitals etc to check out computer systems and have never seen a Mac operation. Not one.

Yale path is all macs. Kind of odd, since the rest of the hospital is PCs, but the system works very well.

 

[b&ierstiefel]

geek.

i could also brag about my setup...but why?😎

True...why brag about your setup here online when you do so at work everyday! Zing! I'm just messin...it's all good.

 

[Trenchcoat]

Most hospital networks are usually Mac friendly and you can run windows with BootCamp or Parallels. That said, the computer you get at 99.9% of hospitals is usually a PC.

Just remember:
Mac for Daily Usage, Graphics, Music
Linux for Servers, Enterprise, Backup
Windows for Solitaire

 

[djmd]

Most hospital networks are usually Mac friendly and you can run windows with BootCamp or Parallels. That said, the computer you get at 99.9% of hospitals is usually a PC.

Just remember:
Mac for Daily Usage, Graphics, Music
Linux for Servers, Enterprise, Backup
Windows for Solitaire

The network maybe 'mac friendly' but the first time some proprietary HIS thing fails for you or your department, the Mac will be the first thing they point at even if it isn't the cause.

Friendly means you can plug in and the IP/LAN works, field tested and supported are a different matter. You want to be the black sheep/pariah of HIS go ahead, but don't be surprised when you are treated as such.

 

[Trenchcoat]

Don't get me wrong, at work, I'll suffer with a PC because I have to but outside of work, it's all Apple for me. I brought up windows emulation for the programs that are critical to work that you'd want to use at home. It's just a shame that hospitals use PCs but so many research labs that I've worked in are on OS X or some other BSD or *nix variant.

 

[drhoffmann]

So what games is everyone playing. I used to be big time into WoW but it cuts into study time to much.

 

[Daddydoc]

So what games is everyone playing. I used to be big time into WoW but it cuts into study time to much.

I'm just finishing a summer quarter, and since it was so short I gave up my WoW playing so as not to fall behind. During regular quarters I usually have enough time to get caught up by the end of the quarter. My wife was very happy to not have me playing, but I am going through withdrawals. I'm trying to decide whether or not to start back up. I probably shouldn't as 2nd year is going to be a lot more demanding of my study time. I hate tough decisions.

I've picked Zelda as my temporary replacement for WoW. It's pretty enjoyable, and much easier to play for a few minutes here and there.

 

[Repeat]

I don't know anything about pathology, but I doubt all the patientfileprograms etc wil run MacOS. What I've seen is Dell or HP everywhere 😛

Except from some researchdepartments like, mol. genetics etc. They use some Macs to operate the microscopes, but otherwise everybody uses Windows.

But nobody can choose it's own computer here. All standard workstations delivered by one manufacturer.

 

[Parfocal]

Macs are not optimized for WoW...gotta get a PC