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Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

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Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#201

Post by tootie »

coredog64 wrote: post #192
tootie wrote: post #87

Not a hardware req, but I've recently become quite enamored with Win 10 + WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) after years of using a Mac. WSL lets you run a lightweight Linux shell (Ubuntu, SUSE, Kali are supported atm) without a VM. It's purely for command-line purposes, no X, but that's fine for me. Windows for UI, then I can run all my bash in the Ubuntu shell almost seamlessly. You can run the shell directly from s…

I tried this at work. IT doesn't use the latest Win10 build (:rolleyes:), so the WSL experience leaves a lot of room for improvement. Docker for Windows is similarly disappointing. The private network docker uses for containers conflicts with our corporate network. I can set the bip for a Linux daemon, but DfW just hangs and then crashes when doing so.

Yeah, it's still kinda bleeding edge. I only run it at home. At work I can't use it and even Hyper-V is not stable because we're on some in-between build of Win 10. We'll catch up soon.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#202

Post by systematical »

I nabbed this for $1,100 just over 3 years ago: https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1683431...

It's giant and my next system will def be smaller. But it does the trick and I plan on getting another 2 years out of it before replacing. Here's what I do when I am looking for a new laptop. I really research the CPUs. I don't need the best, but I make sure I am getting good performance for what I spend. I live on here while researching my system https://www.cpubenchmark.net

I don't care much about the brand of the system, some people laugh that I got an Acer. Whatever, I am concerned with whats inside, not outside. Does it come with bloatware? Doesn't matter as I install Linux on it as soon as I get it. Just before I do that I burn the bastard with prime95 to see if I can get it to fail before setting it up.

Never had problems before.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#203

Post by roywiggins »

coredog64 wrote: post #192
tootie wrote: post #87

Not a hardware req, but I've recently become quite enamored with Win 10 + WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) after years of using a Mac. WSL lets you run a lightweight Linux shell (Ubuntu, SUSE, Kali are supported atm) without a VM. It's purely for command-line purposes, no X, but that's fine for me. Windows for UI, then I can run all my bash in the Ubuntu shell almost seamlessly. You can run the shell directly from s…

I tried this at work. IT doesn't use the latest Win10 build (:rolleyes:), so the WSL experience leaves a lot of room for improvement. Docker for Windows is similarly disappointing. The private network docker uses for containers conflicts with our corporate network. I can set the bip for a Linux daemon, but DfW just hangs and then crashes when doing so.

My work IT runs an old enough and locked down enough Win10 build that WSL isn't even available. Drives me bananas.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#204

Post by JoshMnem »

I went with ThinkPad T460 with Ubuntu 16.04 and it has been great. I had looked at Macbooks, but the ThinkPad was about $1,000 cheaper, has much more RAM (24 Gb), more battery life (11+ hours using Linux), has a matte screen (lower glare), 4-year next-day at-home repair plan, and was under USD $2,000, including tax and shipping. I'm very happy I didn't get a Mac. It's my 3rd ThinkPad and all of them were great.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#206

Post by drivingmenuts »

whywhywhywhy wrote: post #79
drivingmenuts wrote: post #59

MacBook Pros haven't changed much since 2012, at least not in ways that would affect your work, in particular. You might upgrade the storage, but unless (or until) Apple replaces the Intel processor with one of their own (rumored), you're golden. Rumor has it Apple might switch to an internally-developed processor at some point, and that might mean a significant memory upgrade, but that's at least a year away, near a…

>MacBook Pros haven't changed much since 2012 I use the pre-usb-c one at home and the post-usb-c one at work. They feel like completely different machines by different companies. I’d by my home machine again in a heartbeat. But I’d never spend my own money on one of those usb-c butterfly keyboard MacBook pros...

OK, yeah, I forgot about the latest ones. I have a mid-2015, which I tend to think of as the current model.

So, I'll modify my statements to say "if you have anything before the current trainwreck and it's working fine, don't worry too much about it".

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#207

Post by donttrack »

mattlondon wrote: post #165

Yes, there are reasonable alternatives to MBP for developers. I know that I might be an outlier here, but I personally find using OS X to be a frustrating experience - the only positive I could personally see for developers vs windows was ( was - past tense!) the unix command line (linux has historically always been a struggle (drivers etc), so I personally steer clear). But now Win10 has a unix command line too so w…

How is the Windows Unix shell these days? I have a Macbook Pro, which I installed Windows on, since I couldn't get used to OSX for my daily use (little things like Windows management and keyboard shortcuts and other stuff that added up).

Went back to OSX mainly due to the native Unix shell. On Windows I had some problems on and off with sockets and sometimes I would encounter a system call that hadn't been implemented. This was maybe 10 months ago.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#208

Post by noir_lord »

michaelangerman wrote: post #158
noir_lord wrote: post #38

I went through this last year. I looked at Macbook Pro, Dell XPS15 and Thinkpad T470P. In the end I went for the T470P (i7-7700HQ (4 core/8 thread) w/ 2560x1440 screen, 16GB of RAM (upgraded myself to 32GB)) and the bigger battery (pretty much no optional with a 35W TDP processor). I tried the XPS15 but the keyboard was bad and the fit and finish wasn't awesome. I've had zero issues with linux support or the machine…

What version of Linux are you running where you have had zero issues, Thank you...

Fedora 27.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#209

Post by 147 »

tootie wrote: post #87

Not a hardware req, but I've recently become quite enamored with Win 10 + WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) after years of using a Mac. WSL lets you run a lightweight Linux shell (Ubuntu, SUSE, Kali are supported atm) without a VM. It's purely for command-line purposes, no X, but that's fine for me. Windows for UI, then I can run all my bash in the Ubuntu shell almost seamlessly. You can run the shell directly from s…

I couldn’t find a terminal I liked on windows. Got any suggestions?

Re: Ask HN: Are there any reasonable alternatives to MacBook Pro for developer?

#210

Post by thinkmassive »

michaelangerman wrote: post #138
shazow wrote: post #89

I switched from a 2014 13" Retina MBP to a 2018 Thinkpad X1 Carbon (6th gen) and I'm extremely happy with it. https://www.notebookcheck.net/Lenovo-ThinkPad-X1-Carbon-2018... is the most objective/detailed review I've seen. One of my biggest anxieties was the fear of "upgrading" to an inferior device after a decade of being on Apple devices. Thankfully, that has not been the case. - The 14" WQHD HDR screen is remarkab…

What version of Linux would people recommend for this machine ? 2018 Thinkpad X1 Carbon (6th gen)

Fedora works well on most hardware I've tried, especially the ThinkPad T & X series. Currently running F26 on a 5th gen X1 Carbon.
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