Is there any specifications I should look for when buying a laptop for programming ?

like is bigger screen easier to work with because you see more code?

Well this is all subjective to the user. I prefer at least a 15" screen. This also depends on which type of programming you do... Do you want to program games? If so you probably want a decent dedicated GPU. Also go to cpubenchmark.net and videocardbenchmark.net if you want to see how its performance. I would say you want a good CPU. I got a nice Samsung a few years back and it worked great for programming games and applications. Now I am on a 2014 Mac Book Pro 15" with the dedicated GPU and this is awesome for development. Also your price range depends on what you should get as well. Maybe if your cost is seriously inconsideration you should probably stick with a self built tower you will always get more bang for your buck.

What's your budget?

This being a game programming site would suggest you're looking at graphics capabilities. However, cheap laptops have crappy GPUs. If you're talking about general programming, I'd suggest a large 1920x1080 screen. Having more on screen really does help. Apart from that, *any* laptop can be used to programme.

ugh... I think i'll just stick to my mid 2010 Mac...

Problem is that book I plan on learning from:

https://wordery.com/learning-c-by-programming-games-arjan-egges-9783642365799

is based in windows applications. Xna or MonoGame ?

Do you think I will be able to translate instructions into Xamarin ?

I'll give it a go i guess. If it is too hard I'll get a Windows laptop. Worth a go and I love my Mac.

Don't forget that you can run Windows on Mac...

Yes, it depends on the user. For example, I still use my 2006 Compaq Presario C700 series laptop for my programming, using a Linux OS now, but still works for my hobbyist needs.

Indeed, Apple hardware that supports dual booting with BootCamp does work impressively well (hardware is fully supported, well enough for playing video games), and Parallels VM does a good job, too, when you can get away with it. (Parallels has a few UI features that makes it all the more pleasant, compared to VirtualBox, that may or may not matter to you).

As far as display size goes ... The only mistake I made buying this Macbook Air was going with the 11" model. A friend with the same model and excellent eyesight has no problem, but me? Terrible eyesight. With that said, I'd have to suggest always going with the largest display available (both size and resolution matter). You can never have enough displays (I've got three, including the notebook, and I could easily use a fourth).

If you are just getting started with game development, even a crappy integrated Intel HD 3000 is more than likely to be more than enough for at least the first ~2 years or so (assuming 2D programming). Personally, I find CPU being my #1 desire (C++ build times, zzz). Never can have enough of that -_- Not sure if it would matter so much with C sharp..? My little bit of experience with it says no.

like is bigger screen easier to work with because you see more code?

Not necessarily. I have a surface pro 3 and I feel I can see my code fine. I use Visual Studio and 100% zoom and feel I can see everything fine. Even at 75% zoom it's not horrible. The issue I come upon is if I'm working on pixel art and I'm zoomed in I still strain sometimes to focus on what I'm looking at.

How are you finding your Surface Pro? I'm very seriously thinking of getting one. (or maybe the Pro 4)

How are you finding your Surface Pro? I'm very seriously thinking of getting one. (or maybe the Pro 4)

I like it for the most part. It's nice that it handles like a laptop but is lightweight and I can literally grab it and take it anywhere. The only issue I have with it is it doesn't always like to stay connected to WiFi if I am not avidly using the internet, I have to disconnect and reconnect to get it up again. It appears this is a known issue they're working on, but other than that I like it. I only use it for developing and general research on the internet but it can handle a lot more.

Also, I hate touch pads so I purchased a wireless mouse for it. Doesn't really make or break a decision for it, but I thought I'd put it in there. :)