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Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

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Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#161

Post by ineedtosleep »

tammer wrote: post #16
simonsarris wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree that all your points are far more important than whatever image is pre-loaded. At the very least a laptop designed for developers ought to keep the Insert/Home/PageUp + Delete/End/PageDown cluster in the normal formation, like Thinkpads do. We are typists before we are programmers, and software is something we do have control over. Dell should be fretting over the things we don't have the ability to change on…

Like thinkpads did ... the ivy bridge models soon to be announced use a new layout. While the chicklet keyboards are largely an improvement (I've tried an E420 for a few moments and love the wider spacing), losing that row will take some getting used to.

Oh dear. Was hoping you're wrong, but it seems you're right...at least for the X series. I'm still hoping that the T series will continue with a normal keyboard, especially since my T61 is near EOL for me.

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#162

Post by lloeki »

Michiel wrote: post #158
lloeki wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> (macbook still at 4+ hrs on full charge and it is 1.5 yrs old) My MacBook Pro, mid-2009, original battery: Temperature = 2982 CycleCount = 591 DesignCycleCount9C = 1000 DesignCapacity = 5450 MaxCapacity = 4814 WearRatio = 88% CurrentCapacity = 1514 ChargeRatio = 31% Voltage = 11077 Amperage = -694 InstantAmperage = -661 InstantTimeToEmpty = 2:17 TimeRemaining = 2:11 AvgTimeToEmpty = 2:11 FullToEmptyTime = 6:56 (thi…

Here are the stats from my MacBook Pro (also mid 2009, 13-inch, original battery): Temperature = 2990 CycleCount = 488 DesignCycleCount9C = 1000 DesignCapacity = 5450 MaxCapacity = 4804 WearRatio = 88% CurrentCapacity = 4804 ChargeRatio = 100% Voltage = 12568 Amperage = 253 InstantAmperage = 88 TimeRemaining = 0:8 AvgTimeToFull = 0:8 I seem to be missing the InstantTimeToEmpty and FullToEmptyTime data. Reading your s…

Amperage is positive: you're charging. So:

- TimeToEmpty makes no sense.

- you're 8 minutes to full.

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#164

Post by secure »

magnetikonline wrote: post #136
xando wrote: post #86

This is kind of interesting for me. I'm trying to find for myself a proper Linux machine. Right now on Dell e6410, a bit regret that I bought it. In my opinion nearest to the ideal developer machine on Linux is Lenovo X1 or X220. Screen 13": is enough, even 12" is enough. If you are kind of developer who moves his behind from meeting to meeting or spends some time on plains or conferences. 13" (max) is your choice. Y…

+1 to the NVIDIA requirement with Linux - when looking for a new Linux dev laptop, this was a must since I use an external monitor most of the time when docked - you can trust this will work 110% with NVIDIA - Intel GPU's have been a bit shaky with this in the past. But this might be better with newer Linux kernels/Xorg shipping with distros like Ubuntu 12.04. In the end, I went for a speced up Thinkpad T420 with i7/…

Uh, I can’t really second this. I’ve been using Intel graphics for the last 3+ years, and never had a single multi-monitor problem. Intels FOSS drivers (nVidia doesn’t publish FOSS drivers or even specs) support xrandr (the linux standard for multi-monitor configuration) like a charm. nVidia only offers xrandr support in the latest beta of their driver, forcing people to use their weird twinview utilities for years.

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#165

Post by gouranga »

neurotech1 wrote: post #126
rdtsc wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinkpad (T60) has a great keyboard, good feedback. I don't use the mousepad, I like the little red pointer thingy it has and has 1400x1050 resolution display. It also a mate display (not the glare type). It is bulkier than other laptops and by now its processor is behind the latest i7 and i5's. Also as soon as I got I installed Ubuntu on it. Ubuntu lets me re-map caps lock to a control for my emacs usage. And most o…

I have a T60 that I use as my primary laptop. They don't make laptops like this anymore. I keep a spare T60 just in case this one breaks. They are pretty cheap on eBay, especially if supplies without HDD off-lease. -sent from my T60

I've got a T61. It's widescreen but I kind of like that.

+1 for ebay. I can buy a new one for 100GBP if this packs in.

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#166

Post by pdelgallego »

seanp2k2 wrote: post #42
fierarul wrote: post #39

>Project Sputnik, a product of Dell’s new internal incubation fund, features not just full hardware support for Ubuntu on the XPS13, but a notion of “profiles” for developers They could have stopped at "full hardware support for Ubuntu". Nobody cares about their crapware. Just two weeks ago I bought an HP ProBook for a colleague for the sole reason of being Linux certified. It came with a Suse license but he's using…

Agreed that I don't want/need their crapware. It'd be great if companies that make hardware had a clue what people wanted, but that's why Apple is going to be the biggest company in the world while IBM lays off seventy-some percent of their workforce, HP has 100 models of notebook that all do the same thing, and Lenovo forgets what made their older laptops so nice.

One of them developed Siri and the other Watson.

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#167

Post by gaius »

Why would a laptop running Ubuntu be for "developers"? Not to get into a distro flamewar, but (for example) many large organizations use RHEL on their servers, and developers on the back-end would want to develop there so it will run on their customer's systems. They should be clearer that it's for "web developers".

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#168

Post by evandijk70 »

oemera wrote: post #66
huggyface wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dell servers are excellent . They are beautifully engineered, sacrifice nothing, and are extremely well supported. Such "Dell sucks" anecdotes are generally of the "my company bought 400 of the cheapest desktops that Dell manufacturers, of which a couple presented troubles. Therefore Dell sucks." variety.

I own nothing from Dell beside my 23" Ultra Sharp monitor and I will tell you that I will never ever buy anything from Dell again. The monitor is really awesome at its price point and I don't want to miss it but the service Dell is doing is the worst I have ever seen. Let me tell you why. When I bought the monitor I was really happy to get a 3 year ultra warranty service from Dell for free. So the monitor gets shippe…

My experience with Dell support was actually pretty good. A DVD-drive in my desktop broke after a few months, and after calling Dell support and going through some obligatory motions (turning the computer on/off, re-installing some drivers etc), they just sent me a new DVD-drive.

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#169

Post by lmz »

fractallyte wrote: post #159
joe_the_user wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Linux laptop should be a good laptop. But we should be aware that having Linux pre-installed does make a difference. A) You'll either pay the Microsoft tax or have Linux pre-installed, possibly both depending how how deep MS' hooks are. B) Having all the drivers work is important, especially modern laptops will often switch their peripheral chips without changing even model # so there.

Sigh. I wish more end users would consider option C: Ask nicely for a laptop with no OS . When the reply is 'No', return/wipe the Microsoft default, carefully documenting your refusal of the End User License Agreement, and ask for your money back on the OS. (They'll still say 'No'.) Be firm, be persistent, and even go as far as issuing a Small Claim. They will ultimately accede, because the law is on your side. No on…

Doesn't that mean you're paying the tax with your time instead?

Re: Dell Announces A Linux Laptop Designed For Developers

#170

Post by Tyrannosaurs »

fractallyte wrote: post #159
joe_the_user wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A Linux laptop should be a good laptop. But we should be aware that having Linux pre-installed does make a difference. A) You'll either pay the Microsoft tax or have Linux pre-installed, possibly both depending how how deep MS' hooks are. B) Having all the drivers work is important, especially modern laptops will often switch their peripheral chips without changing even model # so there.

Sigh. I wish more end users would consider option C: Ask nicely for a laptop with no OS . When the reply is 'No', return/wipe the Microsoft default, carefully documenting your refusal of the End User License Agreement, and ask for your money back on the OS. (They'll still say 'No'.) Be firm, be persistent, and even go as far as issuing a Small Claim. They will ultimately accede, because the law is on your side. No on…

Doesn't an OEM Windows license cost something like $20? It's certainly way less than a shrink wrap copy.

To me that sounds like a whole load of work for not that much money. If I don't want it I'd just order the cheapest most basic version of Windows I could, wipe it and move on.

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