31–40 of 47 posts
I have a 12.5" lenovo thinkpad x220. i5, 8gb ram, kingston hyperX SATA III ssd. The screen is an IPS screen. I run 64-bit ubuntu. I have a 9 cell battery which, after running powerTop, I get ~12 hours battery life out of coding. This machine is great because I can travel, but it also has VGA out and HDMI out so I can connect to a larger monitor. The SATA III drive was VERY easy to swap out and is ridiculously fast (~…
My only regret now is not getting the convertible tablet version, since I underestimated how much I use wacom tablets, and having one built into the screen would be extremely convenient for me.
However, what's best for me isn't best for you. If you use Linux and don't like tap to click or the Thinkpad trackpoint (the famous red pointing stick in the center of their keyboards), you might test drive the X220 before considering it, because the clickpad they put on these models will probably drive you nuts -- especially if you're used to the multitouch clickpads on Macbooks.
Also, about the screen size. It's big enough to see what you're doing, but since it's a lot wider than it is tall, you should consider how the development software you use will work with it. I spend most of my time inside of VIM, so I just maximize the window and split everything vertically. With a nice bold 9 or 10pt font (96dpi), I still get about 100-110 columns of text in each vertical window and almost 50 lines, without having to resort to small fonts (I don't like squinting). So for me, this screen size and ratio actually works out very nicely. If you spend all of your time inside of Eclipse or Visual Studio though, the lack of screen height will probably cause some pain.
Some people also report problems with noisy fans on this model. I haven't had this problem at all, but I intentionally avoided getting a soup'd up Core i7 configuration.
That said, I would also suggest considering a Macbook Pro. They usually have excellent battery life and a fairly solid design.
I recently purchased my first ubuntu-linux laptop from system76 ( http://www.system76.com/ ) --theyre a hardware company that ships exclusively ubuntu-linux laptops. I've been meaning to try them for a while now, but just had the chance to purchase one a few weeks ago. So far, I'm loving it. Among other things, here's what I enjoy presently: * They sell large screen models (17.3", here). * The hardware is completely…
I have a '10 MBA 13. It's really an almost ideal laptop. Pros: -It runs a Unix based OS, but one that I don't have to install and configure myself. -It's thin and light -Battery lasts 7 hours (although recently I've been getting ~5:30, which is not quite enough for "all day usage") -The display is high res. Has the same res as many 15" displays. Cons: Limited storage and RAM with huge markups for upgrades. edit: love…
If you don't mind me asking, what kind of development do you typically do on your MBA? I have a 15" MBP, and considered a MBA, but I am worried that having available real estate a tad smaller would be a detriment, even with the high resolution.
I'm pretty much sold on Lenovo/Linux laptops when it comes to development, although I'm pretty sure that the even-lighter Macbook Air would cover 90% of my current needs (after a huge RAM boost ¬¬). Were I more on the run, I'd probably go for the mac. Right now, I need the raw power of the X220. :)
Oh and BTW if Apple started selling ARM based laptops, I'd get one for sure.
Presently a T520i. Needed to upgrade to wheezy and 3.x kernel for full HW support, but it's a dream now.
I have a '10 MBA 13. It's really an almost ideal laptop. Pros: -It runs a Unix based OS, but one that I don't have to install and configure myself. -It's thin and light -Battery lasts 7 hours (although recently I've been getting ~5:30, which is not quite enough for "all day usage") -The display is high res. Has the same res as many 15" displays. Cons: Limited storage and RAM with huge markups for upgrades. edit: love…
The keyboard setup isn't ideal for Windows, but I adapted to it pretty quickly.
The SSD is the big deal. Whatever you get, get something with an SSD.
I visited the showroom and had a look at the various entry level HP and Dell models and not very much impressed with the build quality of the ~ 1000$ range. I have seen people recommending MBP in many forums and thought I would give it a try.
I visited an Apple showroom last week and played with the 13 inch MBP for sometime, the build quality and looks are extremely good, but I felt a bit strange when trying to use it (that was my first experience with Mac), I had used Windows and Linux with various UI (GNOME,KDE,XFCE) etc but I couldn't navigate comfortably on Mac , It felt a bit different. I came to know that Mac doesn't have a backspace key, I was also not very much comfortable with the touchpad in Mac (I was apparently searching for the trackpoint)
I will be using a Thinkpad for my office work (client mandates windows XP). How useful would be to get a Mac, will the transition be easy? I would have to work on the Thinkpad in office and Mac by evening, will this won't affect my productivity by causing confusion due to different keyboard layout and mouse.
Really a question I thought I should have asked. I am a long time Thinkpad use, I am thinking of getting a personal laptop. I visited the showroom and had a look at the various entry level HP and Dell models and not very much impressed with the build quality of the ~ 1000$ range. I have seen people recommending MBP in many forums and thought I would give it a try. I visited an Apple showroom last week and played with…
Of course, if you work in an SSH terminal, there will be basically no difference.