I use desktops for serious dev work, but carry a small netbook for on the run stuff. It is more than enough power to pick away at code, but not enough for real serious work.


Personally I like the limited power and space while traveling/going to classes. The netbook becomes enough that I can jot down bits of code, but not so much that it can easily become a distraction as a full blown dev system would.


Try finding friends with similar hardware options to what you are thinking, and ask if you can use their computers for a bit to get a feel for it. You could be like me and surprise yourself with how effective limited computing can be, or you can be like some of my classmates and try to find 19" laptops because you need more space and your back can be damned.

portable + docking stations would probably be a good solution for you.


On the "brand" thing, in my tech days I noticed that all brands got sent back for repairs and none really stuck out as being better or worse than any other. I would never pick a laptop on brand unless I was buying for someone who I thought would be calling customer service frequently (ie my mom). Much more important is the features and "feel" that you are comfortable with. So try them all out and see which one you like best. Don't get caught up in picking a brand because they all make generally good computers and every brand has the occasional lemon.

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Original post by ChurchSkiz Don't get caught up in picking a brand because they all make generally good computers and every brand has the occasional lemon.

There are reasons why Dell and other brands can sell laptops for a 'lower price' than companies like ASUS. (Not to mention the far better customer service you can get when you do need it. I like to have more than a 50/50 chance of being able to understand a tech when I call without being expected to study in India for a few years.)

For the number of issues people around me have had with Dell laptops, I'm fairly sure Dell could open a lemonade stand.

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Original post by Prefect The only inconvenience of such a setup is the initial time it takes you to get comfortable in an environment where you switch between systems for your work. Since I'm a heavy user of version control systems anyway, that's not much of a hassle for me.

and that's the moment when one detects the value of an own at home located server (or similar setup). in my case, windows home server did the trick. my own "local cloud"

Id say 15" is the max as far as portability is concerned; you hardly ever see people taking 17"ers anywhere. A lot of bags wont take a 17"; unlike a 15", it fits into pretty much any bag, and it has a screen I find workable for most circumstances.

If you are mostly hopping between places where you can hook into a monitor and keyboard anyway, going smaller may be a good idea, but it doesnt sound like it (classroom, group projects, and so on; dont count on any nice screens lying around). I wouldnt want to do all these on a < 15".

And unless you scale all the way down where you can fit it into your pocket, I dont see the point in going smaller. Youll need a bag anyway, and if you are bothered by the weight of a 15" laptop, you can use the exercise.

I use a 17" laptop which is the perfect size for me since I'm 6'2". If you're not very strong I'd recommend a 15.6" laptop like the one malibal. Get a nice over the shoulder bag and you should be fine.

Also large laptops are portable, but don't expect a good battery life without an optimus motherboard (it shuts off the video card). Though optimus enabled laptops are still pretty rare.

Also remember to get a 3 year parts and labor warranty. I've had my laptop for like 4 years and I've used my warranty twice. Something can be said about dell. Their laptops might break a lot but they'll show up to your house within a day and fix the part in a few minutes. I had my motherboard die recently and the guy replaced the whole top of the case. They get paid per house visit I believe. So my computer looks brand new :P

It depends. Are you an insane user who wants to use it on the bus/train/during lunch/standing in the lift/sitting in the toilet? It not, I'd go for >= 15"

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Original post by szecs It depends. Are you an insane user who wants to use it on the bus/train/during lunch/standing in the lift/sitting in the toilet? It not, I'd go for >= 15"

Having just used my laptop on the bus this morning I resent that statement. Also a table where you're eating is normally large enough for an extra 2".

This is more of a question of weight vs battery life. More weight less battery life. That's the general trend. hmm (*ponders battery life = 1 / weight and the concept of a unified theory for laptop choosing based on the height of a user and other parameters*)

Also at 1K USD max you're not going to get much performance wise so you'd be better going with a decent low performance model. I don't believe they sell a 460m laptop less than a thousand USD from what I remember.

If you haven't noticed yet: I'm just a spammer here [grin]

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Original post by szecs It depends. Are you an insane user who wants to use it on the bus/train/during lunch/standing in the lift/sitting in the toilet?

means someone who actually uses the laptop/notebook for what it got it's featureset for?

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It not, I'd go for >= 15"

nah, if not, go for a desktop. much cheaper, much faster, much more flexible.