Hi,

I was thinking about getting a new PC for developing some Linux based applications but I'm at two minds as to whether to a get a PC or laptop. My previous experience developing on laptops has been pretty painful to say the least; built in keyboards are generally quite difficult to use and if you don't have an external mouse then it gets extremely tedious :(

At the same time I wan't something that is portable and that I can take to work etc.

What setup do you have at home? and if you use a laptop are there any tricks to ease the pain of development?

Do you find it easier or more difficult?

Cheers.

Laptop. Never going back to desktop after my MacBook Pro. Perfect blend of performance and portability for me.

I used a laptop for several years. When I went back to desktop + 2 large monitors, it was like the world opening back up. Don't think I could ever go back to laptop.

I use both. A laptop an be awkward, painful and annoying at the start, but if you stick with it you do get used to it.

I use laptop 100% of the time. It's nice to have the flexibility to move around at will. I can't really suggest any tricks, mostly because i'm just too used to it, that to work at a desktop feels more awkward than anything to be honest.

I used a laptop for several years. When I went back to desktop + 2 large monitors, it was like the world opening back up. Don't think I could ever go back to laptop.

If only there were some way to attach said monitors to a laptop! ;)

I used a laptop for several years. When I went back to desktop + 2 large monitors, it was like the world opening back up. Don't think I could ever go back to laptop.

If only there were some way to attach said monitors to a laptop! ;)

That would require buying a new laptop I don't need...

I used a laptop for several years. When I went back to desktop + 2 large monitors, it was like the world opening back up. Don't think I could ever go back to laptop.

If only there were some way to attach said monitors to a laptop! ;)

That would require buying a new laptop I don't need...

most laptops in the last 10 years have had vga out cables=-)

With the weather warming up, I sometimes wish I could take my computer outside and program on the back porch. If you ever want to may your programming seem less gloomy by going outside, a laptop would be really nice. You can buy a laptop that you can use a dock with(such as Dell Latitude) so that when you need a real mouse and monitor it is all right there, but if you need to move just unplug from the dock.

For the past couple years, I have used only a laptop for development, my beloved T60p. A touchpad is my favorite input device, by far; I rarely take my hands off of the keyboard, but having highly sensitive and precise cursor movement is like an extension of myself. Additionally, the portability is an immense factor. I program in 5 or 6 different places regularly, amongst everything else I do. I can turn idle time into productive time any time I want by changing window focus, rather than waiting to go home. I happily forego external monitors for a built-in one with a decent resolution (my 1400x1050 is the biggest I've had, other than my TV), and fast peripheral devices.