Macbook pro, because Linux on a laptop sucks balls.
Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
141–150 of 279 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#142Like many people running Linux I also have a Thinkpad (T400). It works okay, but it still has some significant issues. The specific things I have problems with: * Sleep; unlike some previous experiences the laptop does pretty reliably come back after sleep, but it's slow to wake up and the experience feels crude. The locked screen login screen for instance requires a keypress, and then another second before you can a…
In the latest version of Ubuntu (Meerkat), the annoying delay before being able to enter a password in the lock screen on resume is gone.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#143I faced the same question a year ago. My solution was a MBP with Parallels running Ubuntu. I couldn't be happier. I'm still working more in Ubuntu than MacOS, but it's nice to have the fall back of the host operating system.
I do this same thing (but with VMWare Fusion); the only significant drawback is the substantially slower disk I/O within the VM.
I spend all my time in an Ubuntu VM running XMonad, mainly so that I can use nice os x apps (mac end-user apps are just freakin' awesome, especially 3rd party apps) and so that I don't spend 2 days fixing my sound or my wireless card after an overzealous apt-get upgrade screws it up.
Ten years ago I considered it fun endlessly tweaking my OS to play nicely with my hardware, but these days, I just want to get stuff done. So, the Mac pretty much guarantees the host machine is running harmoniously since the OS and hardware were purpose-built for each other.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#144Nobody /needs/ a MacBook Pro. They're just fancy toys. Spend half the money on an inexpensive brand and get the same laptop. Linux will run on anything ( literally! ), so just buy the laptop that fits you the best, and don't worry too much about the rest. Personally I've been developing on a modest 10' ASUS eee PC for years. Ubuntu loaded with all of the above and much more have been no problem at all. Lately I've be…
Nobody buys a Macbook Pro because of the hardware, it's all about the OS.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#145Eeepc 1000. No noise sad. Truly portable. 5h plus battery Do not heat your lap. Got last year for 300. Amazon has now for 700 :( And most important. It does not have CPU to run things like silly flash games :)
What model? I have a 1000HE. Its portability and battery life are great for travel, but its form factor makes it painful for development (without an external monitor/keyboard/mouse).
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#146If you want to do development in a language other than python/ruby, or even want to use python libraries written in c, avoid the macbook. If you are certain you will stick to {svn, git, django, python, vim}, you'll be fine. My mac ownership timeline: Day 1: Ooh, pretty. 2-3 days: I fucking hate iTunes. Luckily ports install mpd works. 1 month: Ooh, the pretty magsafe connector saved me from dropping it when I tripped…
Macs are a lot more solidly-built than they used to be, but there are a few of things still keeping them from being competitive with Thinkpads. 0) They don't try to compete on screen resolution. The 13-inch Macbook screen is only 800 pixels tall, which is fewer pixels than my phone. 1) They're quite heavy. In particular the 13-inch is only marginally lighter than the 15-inch. 2) The glossy screens make them unusable outdoors.
Perhaps if you mostly keep your laptop on your desk this wouldn't be a big deal, but it rules them out for people who like to move around.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#147I can not rave enough about the Lenovo X201 small, fast, usable. I switched to the lenovo machine after using a MBP for the previous 4 years. But it really depends on what you need and want. I commute with my laptop, travel with my laptop, and generally like to carry it arround. I'm not willing to accept either of the choices that Apple has for me, excessive weight (MBP 15' or 17'), or last generation processors (MBP…
I tried out a X201 and really liked it, but it has two other problems as well as the video out which were deal breakers for me: - Low screen resolution. - Very tall screen (especially for a 12" - due to the huge bezel) so it won't open comfortable in the back of an economy seat. I ended up with the bottom of the range Vaio Z series instead (1600x900 res 13.3" screen that is more than an inch shorter than the X201, wi…
Supposedly you can get the X201 with 1440x900, but they're usually out of stock. Probably worth waiting for though, since 1200x800 is pretty weak. The X200 is easier to get in high-res, so if the screen is more important than raw horsepower that's an option too.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#148If you want to do development in a language other than python/ruby, or even want to use python libraries written in c, avoid the macbook. If you are certain you will stick to {svn, git, django, python, vim}, you'll be fine. My mac ownership timeline: Day 1: Ooh, pretty. 2-3 days: I fucking hate iTunes. Luckily ports install mpd works. 1 month: Ooh, the pretty magsafe connector saved me from dropping it when I tripped…
Uncanny. I'm also 4 months in and am running Ubuntu in VMWare. That's now where I spend all of my time and I'm wondering why I haven't just dual-booted already or just over-written the OSX partition.
Installed virtual box on the first day and running Ubuntu since then.The day i convince myself(atleast fool myself) that i haven't spent too many bucks for OSX, will overwrite the partition.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#149Macbook pro, because Linux on a laptop sucks balls.
2003 called, it wants its stereotypes back.
Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?
#150If you want to do development in a language other than python/ruby, or even want to use python libraries written in c, avoid the macbook. If you are certain you will stick to {svn, git, django, python, vim}, you'll be fine. My mac ownership timeline: Day 1: Ooh, pretty. 2-3 days: I fucking hate iTunes. Luckily ports install mpd works. 1 month: Ooh, the pretty magsafe connector saved me from dropping it when I tripped…
Uncanny. I'm also 4 months in and am running Ubuntu in VMWare. That's now where I spend all of my time and I'm wondering why I haven't just dual-booted already or just over-written the OSX partition.
Last company I was at provided me a quad-core 8GB mac pro. After the first week I wiped it and put Ubuntu on it so I could actually get some work done.
The biggest problem with OSX is that, for a unix-based system, it's so un-unix alike in key places that it's frustrating.