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What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

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What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#1

Post by yearsinrock »

I have fairly powerful Desktop,running all different types of os like a charm,I am currently in the third year of my CS Engg., and I wanted to buy a laptop(dont know y ,just felt that i wanted one).So what is a coder/hacker like h/w configuration like( i recently started learning asp.net and already know c/c++ )Is a intel celeron m processor enough for coding needs and is portability a issue (as u get in an asus eee pc)

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#2

Post by xenoterracide »

I would get one of the smallest models I could. I'd also make sure it runs linux. use desktops for power that's what they are good at, notebooks should be portable, meaning comfortable to carry around in a bag for a while. Light as you can get.

About the only thing I would invest in is at least 1G of ram, maybe even 2G. laptops tend to ship with slower hard drives so if you start swapping you are really going to have problems. maybe benchmark your average ram usage on the desktop.

I've found that processor speed isn't as important as most people think, go light you'll be fine, this isn't a server.

last note. I regret buying a desktop replacement laptop.

edit: when I say make sure it runs linux I mean make sure that it's hardware is compatible with a linux install. That same hardware will work good with windows, and gives you freedom of choice later. Or you can just get linux now because linux rules.

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#3

Post by DarkShikari »

I find one of the most important things is screen space. And I don't mean a gigantic 17" screen; I mean DPI. I have a 15.4" laptop with a 1680x1050 screen; this gives me room to work. I've seen laptops the same size with 1280x800 screens; I don't know how anyone could do much of anything on those.

Don't get anything too heavy. Mine's just over 6 pounds, and that's already pushing it.

Finally, don't worry about hard disk space; if you need lots, just grab an external drive; they're cheap these days.

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#4

Post by timcederman »

High DPI, lightweight (I can always plug it into an external monitor if I need the real estate, so 13" monitor at most), large disk (for portability of all my files - I have a fileserver at home and use offline files), long battery life.

If you want to code, don't get an Eee PC.

For general hacking, processor speed these days doesn't seem to be an issue...

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#5

Post by PStamatiou »

xenoterracide wrote: post #2

I would get one of the smallest models I could. I'd also make sure it runs linux. use desktops for power that's what they are good at, notebooks should be portable, meaning comfortable to carry around in a bag for a while. Light as you can get. About the only thing I would invest in is at least 1G of ram, maybe even 2G. laptops tend to ship with slower hard drives so if you start swapping you are really going to have…

this is why i love my macbook air so much..

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#6

Post by yearsinrock »

timcederman wrote: post #4

High DPI, lightweight (I can always plug it into an external monitor if I need the real estate, so 13" monitor at most), large disk (for portability of all my files - I have a fileserver at home and use offline files), long battery life. If you want to code, don't get an Eee PC. For general hacking, processor speed these days doesn't seem to be an issue...

wat abt celeron m processor can it run visual studio?

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#7

Post by xenoterracide »

yearsinrock wrote: post #6
timcederman wrote: post #4

High DPI, lightweight (I can always plug it into an external monitor if I need the real estate, so 13" monitor at most), large disk (for portability of all my files - I have a fileserver at home and use offline files), long battery life. If you want to code, don't get an Eee PC. For general hacking, processor speed these days doesn't seem to be an issue...

wat abt celeron m processor can it run visual studio?

if it's 1.5Ghz or more then you'll have no problems. Unless you are doing a lot at once you can probably get away with 1Ghz and maybe less. Ram is killer and remember this is mobile not your primary coding box.

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#8

Post by evilneanderthal »

Purchased an Eee 1000H and got it up and running today.

Blew away the default XP install for Heron. Had to fidget with some packages and the kernel a little to get it all going smoothly. Not too bad.

What sold me on it was the ergonomics (keyboard's perfectly usable, 10.2" screen) and the portability (5 hours of battery with continuous use; I let it sleep when I wasn't using it and went all day on a single charge).

The goal was to have the laptop on me at all times so I can get work done anywhere.

Re: What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop

#9

Post by noonespecial »

Long battery life, light weight, and most important: fast wakeup and sleep when I close the lid! This is the most important feature to me. I want to open it up, quick jot something down or check something and then close it again. If it locks up or churns for 10 minutes before I can use it, its a non starter. This has so far kept me on Macs.
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