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

Post by sridca » Mon, Apr 09, 2018, 12:20 AM UTC

opencl wrote: post #385

tlavoie wrote: post #183

I recently migrated from a mid-2013 MBP, primarily because I was increasingly disgusted with the lack of control over my own system. I knew (more or less) what I was getting into when I bought it, but that choice grated as it needed work. The battery had pretty much gone, and not only wasn't something I could fix, but the Apple stores I visited didn't carry the part. Turns out it's not just the glued-in battery, but…

The real kicker is that the P51 with a Xeon E3-1535M v6, 64GB ECC RAM, Quadro M2200, 1TB SSD, and 4K screen costs about $500 less than the 15" MBP with 1TB storage. The weight difference compared to "thin and light" 15 inch models isn't even that dramatic, it's all of one and a half pounds heavier than the MBP or one pound heavier than the XPS 15.

Post by Per_Bothner » Mon, Apr 09, 2018, 12:25 AM UTC

147 wrote: post #209

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?

Post by ledgerdev » Mon, Apr 09, 2018, 12:34 AM UTC

Post by lasagnaphil » Mon, Apr 09, 2018, 12:38 AM UTC

Cakez0r wrote: post #246

Boulth wrote: post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Mind you, the xps 13 doesn't seem to have the same problems. Maybe not the same but I've also had bad time with 13. Coil whine, 10 seconds to dell logo after pressing power button (sic!) and u had one firmware update that bricked the laptop. Fortunately it was still under warranty. And don't get me even started on accessories (TB15 was a disaster that should've been recalled).

I have an XPS 13 and also cannot recommend it. Same deal with the coil whine (it's a very annoying buzz sound). After a while, my battery began to swell too, which has broken the touchpad and visibly elevated the keyboard.

Post by eudora » Mon, Apr 09, 2018, 12:49 AM UTC

voodootrucker wrote: post #289

Gaming laptops make great developer workstations. I love my MSI GS63VR. Nice having real CPU and GPU horse power in a laptop. I threw linux on it right away and never looked back. It has all the ports (HDMI, mini-dp, and USB-C), even ethernet. It's as slim as a MBP and much lighter. The trackpad and battery life suck though, and at 180W, don't try to use it on a plane. The Razor Blade series is really good too.