I've been staring at a surface go for a while now which I think meets all these needs. The one thing I'd like is a case with an attached keyboard (like the old clamcase) rather than the soft keyboard/stand.
A small notebook for a system administrator
111–120 of 274 posts
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#112Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm on one right now, it has magsafe (good), 3.5mm (good), 2 usb and a thunderbolt I'd rather it was a little thicker and had two ethernets and a second thunderbolt, but aside from that it's a great alternative to a chromebook. I wouldn't do real work on it though
I do lots of real work on mine. I wish it could do 4K output to an external monitor. But I run things like Emacs and VS Code for smaller projects, iTerm for SSHing into all my beefier machines. Battery life is still great for a machine almost 5 years old now: I still get about 5 hours. And then, I can also do writing with the keyboard I prefer, over the newer style. I'm even keeping my eyes open for a used MB Air 11"…
> I really like a low priced, almost disposable computer that I don't care about
I use the X220 for that; it's a nice, robust device, great keyboard, I like a trackpoint better than a trackpad, runs Linux well and excellent battery life with the 9 cell battery (which you can still buy on Ebay & Amazon). And it's cheap enough now to just rip everything out and get a new one without even thinking about it.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#113I use a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 for all my mobile needs. I bought it on eBay for ~$200 two years ago, and it's now 5 years old. It's light as all get up, runs Linux perfectly out of the box and I bought it to run a browser and SSH into things. It also has a displayport, and a single USB, and I can ultimately connect it to everything I need. It's literally the best piece of technology I've ever owned. I use it for so…
What shape, form, colour, flavour, texture and consistency of Linux?
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#114I just want a company to keep making the previous generation MacBook Air. Keep the ports. Keep the MagSafe. Don’t screw with the keyboard. More memory and disk space would be nice, but it’s not a deal-breaker. I don’t mind going for a walk or enjoying a cup of coffee while I wait for GHC to compile. It’s a good machine. Now leave it alone.
I've not really been a fan of iOS, but for the holidays this year, I got a cheap 10" iPad 6, and and add-on Brydge keyboard for it. It makes for a small 10" laptop and I'm finding myself using it for 90% of my home computing tasks. My favorite computer of all time was my 11" MacBook Air. I almost wish that apple would make a clam-shell iPad. I find the clamshell design makes for a superior stand, that works better in…
I'm super tempted by the Brydge, but I already have a Logitech Slim Folio that's almost as good, but also provides all-around protection.
Unfortunately, it's not backlit, which is something I'd really enjoy, but since the SF is so good I can't see dumping it to switch to the Brydge.
I also love to use it as a stand for reading at lunch or whatever, which is nice.
(ZOMG native emacs on iOS would be KILLER.)
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#115I use a Microsoft Surface Pro 2 for all my mobile needs. I bought it on eBay for ~$200 two years ago, and it's now 5 years old. It's light as all get up, runs Linux perfectly out of the box and I bought it to run a browser and SSH into things. It also has a displayport, and a single USB, and I can ultimately connect it to everything I need. It's literally the best piece of technology I've ever owned. I use it for so…
> runs Linux perfectly out of the box When did that happen? I admittedly haven't looked in a while but I thought the SP2 had some basic issues with Linux (keyboard docking, wifi; the expected things).
Check r/surfacelinux there's always always recent info on how things run on each surface version.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#116> Such notebook is suitable for posting photos on Instagram, but not for work. At least not for mine. Why do people feel the need to be so snide and put down what other people do as 'not work'?
Probably because it’s much easier to post pictures on Instagram than to be a sysadmin? Or requires different hardware (in the author’s opinion, anyway, not mine, I don’t get why you need any of this to admin a system). Do you think that being a social media person is equally valuable to being a sysadmin? If so, why do sysadmins get paid more? It’s because fewer people have those skills, and everyone and their mother…
The original comment didn't say it was worth less - they said it wasn't real work at all. If someone's willing to pay you for it then it's real work.
So saying it pays less is irrelevant. It's not a competition to see how can look down on whom.
And it's not just Instagram. They said that the MacBook Air wasn't suitable for work, and just gave Instagram as one example of what it is suitable for. I could do my job (programming language research) on a MacBook Air. I know someone who writes medical text books on a MacBook Air. Are these things not real work?
I don't know why the author couldn't just say 'A MacBook Air wouldn't be suitable for my work'? Why add the extra snide bit that if you could then you aren't doing real work? Why communicate that idea at all, directly or indirectly?
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#117Mostly reminds me of https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/The_Homer On a serious note, I mostly disagree about the small size. The author mentioned his preferred size being A5, which is about half a letter. Having to type commands on machine that just fits under your palms is painful. I'd rather have a large keyboard, large screen and a large battery. My current EDC setup is an X250 with a huge bag of adapter dongles, ca…
My mind also immediately went to the Homer.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#118Earlier quoted context omitted.
That was my favorite Apple laptop. So annoying they do not produce it anymore.
My big mistake was to buy the 2GB/64GB version. I could upgrade the SSD to 128GB, but the RAM is soldered. And it’s juat not enough for today.
I bought the 13 inch one with 4gb after my 11 inch one died and that really doesn't work anymore either; for anything serious 4gb is just always thrashing seeing the lovely colored ball which makes you wanting to pull your hair out.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#119This is the TempleOS of computer hardware.
I don't know whether to be impressed or weirded out.
I am also a network engineer, and I have an X200 and an 11" Chromebook (yeah ChromeOS can do FTDI serial) set up as rudimentary on-the-go engineers stations but they're still not at flexible as my 15" MacBook Pro -- so I just end up lugging my 15" MBP around and propping it up precariously in racks.
I still dream, though.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#120Mostly reminds me of https://simpsons.fandom.com/wiki/The_Homer On a serious note, I mostly disagree about the small size. The author mentioned his preferred size being A5, which is about half a letter. Having to type commands on machine that just fits under your palms is painful. I'd rather have a large keyboard, large screen and a large battery. My current EDC setup is an X250 with a huge bag of adapter dongles, ca…
Some of us (I assume OP is one of them) think that since your screen won't be large anyway, there is little point to having a screen bigger than your preferred keyboard size. And since your battery won't be large enough to support compiling LLVM in reasonable time anyway, it's better to just get used to do CPU-heavy stuff by ssh-ing to a rackmount somewhere use the laptop for terminal-ish tasks.
If your goal is a portable SSH client, even an original iPad mini with a bluetooth keyboard would be a better option than this thing.