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Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

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Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#241

Post by pw »

mahmud wrote: post #29

You can't go wrong with a Thinkpad, in fact, I wouldn't use any other laptop if it came free. I ran thinkpads exclusively for the last 10 years. My last desktop machine had an AMD Duron and 256 megs, that's long ago it was. They're not the most good looking, but they're rugged and functional as hell. A Thinkpad looks the same after 5 years, most others peel and scratch. When I was backpacking, my road-mate had his ma…

Have a T61. Very solid. Wonderful keyboard. But...horrible LCD. Now most laptop screens aren't very good (MBPs being a notable exception), but this is bad enough that it's almost unbearable if you're used to a desktop LCD or decent laptop screen. And, unfortunately, poor screen quality seems to be a Thinkpad family trait.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#242

Post by eru »

vilya wrote: post #213
eru wrote: post #207

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't you just use your own layouts on the Mac, if something about the keyboard bugs you? (I only tried using dvorak an the Macbook, and it works fine.)

To be honest I've never tried. I use a standard UK keyboard at work and I've got a vague feeling that there'd be too much cognitive dissonance for me to learn a new layout without the right labels on the keys.

How about not learning a new layout, but just using a `normal' layout you are used to? Instead of having to get used to the Mac layout.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#243

Post by saveriomiroddi »

technomancy wrote: post #146
yummyfajitas wrote: post #69

If 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…

Confirmed here. I've chosen a Thinkpad x200s over a MacBook Pro.

Advantages of an x200s over a MacBook Pro 13": - high screen resolution: 1440x900 - smaller and lighter - I can change the HDD very easily - one USB plug more - the x201s also has support for Intel Core i7.

Disadavantages: - Battery life, I guess - Speakers, but doesn't matter for business users - Webcamera, whose lank on TP is quite strange

DVD writer is personal preference. I explicitly don't want it in laptops.

From a strictly techical perspective, although more loosely business one, choosing a Thinkpad x20*s over a Macbook Pro 13 is a no-brainer.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#244

Post by eru »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #215
eru wrote: post #200

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Perhaps. Have you given the BSDs a try?

I'm dabbling with FreeBSD on a VM right now. I plan to build a router/fileserver on FreeBSD at some point in the near future. ZFS looks sweet.

OK. On a grander scale, we should probably look into non-Unix operating systems more often, too.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#245

Post by jonhendry »

wtallis wrote: post #230
jonhendry wrote: post #171

Earlier quoted context omitted.

locate isn't missing. The database isn't built by default, but you can do that. Mouse-Rig-Test:~ jon$ locate usage: locate [-0Scims] [-l limit] [-d database] pattern ... default database: `/var/db/locate.database' or $LOCATE_PATH Mouse-Rig-Test:~ jon$ which locate /usr/bin/locate

Or, just use mdfind, the command line interface to spotlight.

Spotlight can be a little wonky as far as what it indexes. At least by default, it ignores things locate doesn't.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#246

Post by samstokes »

pocoloco wrote: post #54
samstokes wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Got a T510 here (with the extra-high-res 1920x1080 display) and it's great. Everything works in Ubuntu 10.04 (I don't have any problems with suspend-to-RAM or -to-disk). I spent a while looking into MBPs and it seems the Linux support is still fairly laughable - the latest models won't even boot it, and even the older ones require a kernel recompile to get sound working. I'd buy an MBP without hesitation if I wanted…

Same here. I got mine about two months ago. I also installed 10.04. I love the trackpoint (the red pointing stick in the middle of the keyboard) and the mouse buttons just below the space bar (don't have to leave the keyboard to use the mouse). The only major issue that I have now is the inability to control the backlight. This seems to be due to a bad driver by nvidia [1]. The backlight controls work if you use non-…

Yes, the backlight is the only thing that doesn't work so well. I can control the backlight - I think I had to tweak some setting that I found on Google, but I don't remember which - but its auto-darkening on inactivity is pretty broken. When I move the mouse or type a key, the screen brightens again, but only about halfway back to what it was before the auto-darken, so I then have to manually jack the brightness up each time this happens.

Hoping some new driver release will fix this some time, but it's only a minor irritation.

BTW, your link [1] seems to be broken?

I love the trackpoint. I've disabled my touchpad completely.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#247

Post by samstokes »

c00ki3s wrote: post #176
bitwize wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I just bought a ThinkPad T510. What caused me to convert was the advertised EIGHT HOUR battery life. Yes, it's true. Under moderate load you can expect to get maybe six or seven; under heavy load maybe four. But that's not bad. Better than many netbooks and this is a full-sized laptop.

Just wondering, is this under Linux or Windows? And what version? Thanks in advance.

One data point: running Ubuntu on my T510 I don't get anywhere near eight hours with the standard battery - at least not with wifi on. However, I haven't done any battery life tweaking (powertop etc), and it probably doesn't help that I have the higher-res 1920x1080 screen (which I assume chews up battery, but I wouldn't give up for anything).

However, I got the backup battery as well (it plugs in over the top of the normal battery) - it pretty much triples the battery life. It's heavy as hell, but if you're going to be in one place for a while (at home, on a long-haul flight, etc) that's not a problem.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#249

Post by mgedmin »

fnl wrote: post #180
yummyfajitas wrote: post #69

If 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…

I use OSX 10.6 for C and Python, at times Cpp and only if forced to I even do Ruby or Java development on my MBPs (got two - boast...). I do not like either fink or MacPorts and install everything myself. So far, I have not encountered a single library or program I needed and was not able to install after some research at worst. This means virtually all essential C and C++ libraries mentioned in these posts (I do not…

And if you want something in the middle, get Ubuntu.

Re: Ask HN: Best Developer Linux Laptop?

#250

Post by mgedmin »

robin_reala wrote: post #118
qjz wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I loved my T41p. It was so pleasant to use that it became my main workstation. Unfortunately, the battery stopped holding a decent charge and the fan stopped completely. Since Macs were growing in popularity, I needed one for testing, so I made the switch to a 17" MBP. It was rough at first (I really miss the pointing stick, extra trackpad buttons, and the incredible range of the hinge on the T41p), but after three y…

I was a TrackPoint junkie until I got myself a unibody Macbook Pro. That was the first trackpad I actively enjoyed using, and now I honestly wouldn’t want to go back.

My T61 has both, and I use them about equally often.

My sister's Dell has a touchpad that's basically unusable.

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