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Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

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Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#471

Post by dezzadk »

NorwegianDude wrote: post #174

You don't say where you are located, but unless you are in one of the few places where Dell doesn't offer on-site next business day support then XPS 13 is a great laptop. Their support is amazing: "We're not sure what is causing it, but we'll send someone to replace the whole motherboard tomorrow." "OH, your currently halfway across the world on a island? No problem, we'll be there tomorrow" I really don't understand…

IDGAF about their "sent DOA and fix later" on-site support. It will NOT fix terrible QC of their motherboards.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#473

Post by kurupt213 »

thesuitonym wrote: post #377
NorwegianDude wrote: post #174

You don't say where you are located, but unless you are in one of the few places where Dell doesn't offer on-site next business day support then XPS 13 is a great laptop. Their support is amazing: "We're not sure what is causing it, but we'll send someone to replace the whole motherboard tomorrow." "OH, your currently halfway across the world on a island? No problem, we'll be there tomorrow" I really don't understand…

The company I work for used to buy XPS's for upper management and C-levels. We stopped because every single one of them had their batteries bulge so bad they popped out the keyboards and trackpads. At first we thought it was a problem of traveling with them in standby, but then it started happening on users' desks. Other Dell laptops don't have such a problem, it has to be something with the XPS design.

Any lithium-ion battery can go spicy. The pouch form-factor common to the thin profile laptops that don’t have easily removed batteries can really swell.

It’s the same phenomenon that warps iPhones

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#474

Post by paintman252 »

dezzadk wrote: post #468

Nope. Its all buggy and shitty. Dell XPS had coilwhine for several ages despite numerous complaints and other laptops with same chipsets didn't. The cause? Cheaping out on inductors. Lenovo has firmware issues I just returned my laptop which gone black screen due to some suspend/sleep state at random. This is a huge issue btw affecting more than 20-30+ models. Actually Lenovo support guy I asked for his recommendatio…

"everything was terribly broken and half-baked"

What are you talking about? My S22 Ultra works great.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#475

Post by pengaru »

mort96 wrote: post #437
Biganon wrote: post #393

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Every single laptop does this, except bulky Lenovos. Is it really too hard to use both hands? How many times a day do you open your laptop anyway? Let alone with one hand unavailable?

Nah, even the lightest macbooks can be opened with one hand. Has a useful notch in the bottom case too so grip isn't a problem. It's not a big deal at all, I certainly wouldn't list it as a reason to not get a laptop like your parent comment does; it probably wouldn't even factor in to my decision. But it's certainly not a problem in all thin-and-lights.

> Nah, even the lightest macbooks can be opened with one hand. Has a useful notch in the bottom case too so grip isn't a problem.

Not consistent with my experience handling an ex's 11" macbook air. That thing would lift the chassis from a table readily when tilting the screen using one hand.

But it's not some apple-specific phenomenon. Even my chonky X230 with good hinges does this esp. when on carpet with the extended battery, there's no weight under the palmrest.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#476

Post by mmcnl »

This is actually quite easy.

Dell Latitude, HP EliteBook or Lenovo ThinkPad. All work well with Linux and have good support and/or can be purchased with additional warranty.

Don't expect a 1:1 MacBook replacement though. Keyboards and touchpads are good these days, but battery life is worse and resolutions higher than 1920x1080 are rare.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#478

Post by throwaway23236 »

DecoPerson wrote: post #409
throwaway23236 wrote: post #343

I love my Lenovo ThinkPad. For a laptop, the keyboard is amazing and I have been using it for 4 years now without any major issue. I did have the CPU fan die on me, but with Lenovo's practically 10/10 repairability score for 40 bucks I overnighted another CPU fan, just unscrewed the back and replaced it myself.

Concur. My 2020 ThinkPad Carbon X1 is so well designed and is of excellent build quality. In terms of laptops, I love it so much, even more than my 2011 MacBook Air. The keyboard is great, the screen is great, the Lenovo software is un-instrusive, the battery lasts quite a while, the charging port is durable, the body is durable, the dock drivers actually work, it feels nice to hold, … I could go on. I’ve done quite…

I also have the Carbon, I believe 7th Gen. It was the first one to offer a 4k screen. I ordered the laptop with the LTE card as well.

I use it for school, coding, and editing my wife's photos she takes with her camera. It has been a very solid machine. My only wish would have been more RAM. When I upgrade I will probably get the Extreme so that I can edit videos and run more VMs. :)

It's so nice to just open up my laptop and have internet everywhere without the need to tether.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#479

Post by mmcnl »

devilkin wrote: post #170
teekert wrote: post #167

I listen to a lot of Jupiter Broadcasting podcasts [0], their content is Linux related. I hear a lot of positive things about the HP Dev One [1]. JB's Coder Radio is a nice podcast about Linux and Software Development [2], although they really like their macs (which to me shows they are pragmatic and realistic), they indeed highly issues with the m.X chip based macs and what good alternatives are. [0]: https://new.ju…

Not available outside of the us, though

It's basically an HP EliteBook though. You can buy those almost anywhere in the world.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a developer laptop that does not suck and is not a Mac in 2022?

#480

Post by ImPostingOnHN »

z9znz wrote: post #445
ImPostingOnHN wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> On the road, you often only need 2 ports - one for charging and one for whatever momentary things you need to plug in briefly. perhaps that's all you often need, it's a little presumptuous to say so about others

With the hub, you have many more ports - when you need them. My little Anker has two USB-A, two USB-C (one may be thunderbolt I think), HDMI, and SD card slot. You're not going to find a laptop with more than those ports. So I stand by my comment that 2 ports (and the optional little hub in your bag) are all you need. If you somehow need more, then you probably aren't traveling with all that gear... or at least not u…

that doesn't work if you don't have the hub, meaning you need two ports plus also to buy this hub and carry the hub around with you everywhere you go with your laptop, and add in the hassle of dealing with it

that is significantly less convenient and more expensive than a computer that has the same functionality without needing the extra hardware or a bag to carry around "accessories" that bring the laptop up to snuff

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