Ask HN: What brand of laptop do you use?

My work computer was recently upgraded from a Dell Precision 7520 to a Dell Precision 7670 (i7-12850HX, intel graphics, 32GB RAM, 2x 1TB NVMe SSD). We use Dell Precisions for developer laptops and I am happy with them. I personally run Linux on them, and have a Windows VM (on KVM) for Windows-only stuff.

As Linux distro, Debian has been my favorite since forever (Potato). The last couple of years, I used to run Debian Stable, but I went back to Debian Testing on the Dell Precision 7670 for better support for the Alder Lake cpu and graphics.

I am a software engineer and work mainly with .net; mostly cross-platform .net 6 nowadays.

Regarding the 7670:

- love the screen (1920x1200)

- love the look and the weight; thinner and lighter than the previous generations

- I like the big trackpad, allthough I miss the physical buttons (middle click is very difficult in a dim environment, because you have to aim about right in the middle of the bottom of the trackpad)

- I was suspicious about the keyboard, but I'm pleasantly surprised: I like typing on it

- why-oh-why does every laptop vendor always try to be "innovative" with the keyboard?

- I hate the half-size up & down

- I'm happy that the num-lock got a light to indicate whether num lock is on or off

- I hate that "home" and "end" got dual function with "F11" and "F12"

- I hate the position of usb-c + headphone out on the right side of the laptop: that specific usb-c port is the only one that can be used for an external screen; if you want to use those, the cables are right in the position where you would use an external mouse (honestly, no one at Dell noticed this??); this is annoying because I usually use an external mouse (even though the trackpad is decent)

Several Thinkpads ranging from a P50 with 32MB, a T540P (under restoration, broken screen - which is why I got it cheap...), A T42p (single-core Pentium M, 2GB but the 1600x1200 screen and keyboard make it one of my favourite machines), some T23s are in use as terminals. I can use these older machines because I offload heavier jobs to the server-under-the-stairs (DL380g7, 128GB RAM) which is reached through a VPN (Wireguard running on a virtual router on that same machine).

All machines run Debian Sid except for the server which, through Proxmox, offers a variety of operating systems through containers and VMs. While Debian Sid is supposed to be "unstable" it is quite stable in practice, probably also because I shun the more fancy bits given that I run Xmonad on X11 instead of some glitzy/glitchy desktop environment on Wayland...

HP Spectre x360 w/ OLED and has treated me well, just use Win11 and WSL.

FWIW the machine I use most at home is a ReComputer SBC Powered by a J1045. Connects to a LG ultrawide and a Microsoft all in one Keybord. Best desktop I’ve ever had.

MacBook Pro 15 as main work machine, Thinkpad T480 for linux, and purchasing a MacBook Air M2 for travel sometime soon because I hate lugging around the 15 inch.