Best Developer's Laptop?

s31523 writes "I love my current laptop, but unfortunately on my last trip the primary LCD went bonkers. It's an older Gateway (2 GB RAM Intel Pentium M 2.0 GHz, ATI M7). There are a handful of features I love about it: [1] Hot-swappable drive bay, with several components that can go in: CD/DVD R/W, extra battery, floppy drive, extra hard drive, memory card reader, etc. The extra battery option is especially appreciated — I can go 4-5 hours on battery power. [2] Docking station / port replicator: I like having my home setup with keyboard, network, and dual screens (a necessity). [3] It runs Linux. OK, I'm a wus, I actually have GRUB command three different OS's: Windows 98 (I have really old embedded software compilers that only run on 98, and yes I have tried every trick in the book to make them run on Linux), Windows XP Pro, and Ubuntu. I'm trying to find a replacement setup that offers the same flexibility and a little better performance. I am open to change as well. So, I ask Slashdot: What is your pick for best developer's laptop under $1,200, considering the features above?"

Comments

Multi booting?

[sakdoctor]

Who can be bothered with that.
Any new laptop is probably going to have a bunch of cores and hardware virtualization, so put ubuntu on that, and virtualize XP and 98.

Thinkpad T-series

[toppavak]

You can easily get one that will fit your budget of $1,200. The ultrabay drive is hot-swappable and you can get a Li-polymer battery to slide in there for extra staying power. Also, Lenovo has kept Thinkpad customer service to essentially the same level of quality that it was under IBM which, in my experience, has been nothing short of fantastic.

Re:Thinkpad T-series

[tuffy]

ThinkPads also sport a 3-button trackpoint, which is very handy when running X11. In addition, it's not hard to find ones with compatible video and wireless cards.

Re:Thinkpad T-series

[swanriversean]

I use a Thinkpad X61 and it is fantastic (Ubuntu + virtualized XP).
(Previously I had a T43p which was also good.)
For your price requirements and the fact that you like the second battery, I would definitely go with a T series.
It is not just the customer service that is good, the quality is top notch. I've dropped both laptops on tile floors (the T43p twice) with the worst result being a bit of chipped plastic through which you could see the METAL body on the T43p.
Docking station is superb as well (I used it for both, but it is especially great with the X61).

I have also recommended the SL series to some family, but don't have personal experience with it.

Re:Thinkpad T-series

[Anonymous Coward]

Just picked up a Thinkpad T400 and it is nothing short of amazing. Advantages over the macbooks:

* Matte screen w/ WXGA+ LED backlight (new Macbook Pros are all glossy)
* Extremely easy to swap out or replace hardware (new macs have improved this, but not as easy)
* Price (I used the Lenovo IBMEPP site + E-coupons) literally saved over $1100.00 off reg price! (payed ~ $1350.00 loaded)
* Thinkpad keyboard - still one of the best in the world IMHO
* Good Linux or BSD hardware support
* Easy to dual-boot (if necessary) or you could run VM software
* Excellent battery time (i'm using a 6-cell battery) with a script to extend Linux battery life

How about repair?

[Progman2000]

Sounds like the Gateway/MPC 450-series laptops to me. The problem is usually the video system of the motherboard. Are you open to simply replacing the motherboard? Look at http://mundocorp.com/ or http://blueraven.com/. Either will sell you the parts or do the whole job for you.

To Mac or Not

[Kagato]

I go to a lot of developer forums. Be it stuff designed in Java, PHP, Ruby, etc, there is one common thread I've noted of all the developers that present. 8 of 10 presents will use a mac. I switched a few years ago and couldn't be happier. I have VM Ware. Many people use VMs to run various windows versions, I like to use it to run Linux VMs that I eventually move off to other machines. Works fantastic. No need to reboot.

Now, if the OP is a .net person, well, Mac may not be for them. But there's something nice about being able to pop a BSD style terminal window.

Re:To Mac or Not

[markmcb]

no corporation should ever consider using laptops that don't have docking ports.

This advise is just silly. I work for a large corporation (10K+ employees) and Mac is fully supported in every area of the business (along with PCs/Windows). I know it's really hard to plug 3 cables into the very accessible ports on the side of my computer every morning when I get to work, but somehow I manage.

So, let's not say "no corporation should ever" about anything. There are tradeoffs with most anything. Where you may want a dock, other people like me couldn't care less (I actually prefer not to have the extra hardware on my desk).

I think in general the "Macs are bad for business" argument died about 5 years ago. It's simply not true anymore. On the contrary, I find myself far more productive on my Mac. The computer I had before at the same company was an HP NC6220 running XP. It was a nightmare.

Re:ehh

[Anonymous Coward]

And it meets none of the poster's requirements. Good jerb!

Re:TROLL???? Moderator, are you on Crack?

[MrHanky]

It's about the 50th comment recommending a Macbook, despite the other 50 comments noting that a Macbook doesn't qualify for any of the OP's needs. It's a shame that buying a Mac comes with an EULA demading you work as a freelance PR agent for Apple. Also, it's a shame that you morons will recommend buying a Mac even when it blatantly isn't fit for the job.

Re:ehh

[Jane Q. Public]

I am with Goldberg. MacBook Pro has very good Intel hardware, which means it is inherently a very nice Windows machine. Better hardware than a PC at the same price? When actual comparisons have been done (as several magazines now have), as opposed to FUD, it was found that the price difference was surprisingly little. Macs do tend to be a little more expensive for the same electronics, but at the same time their physical engineering is superior (that is something that is not under much dispute). And Mac hardware is probably more thoroughly tested together as a unit than any brand of PC. The beauty of the Mac, though, is that together with good hardware, you get the best of all worlds when it comes to software. I can (and do) boot up Windows so that it runs natively on my Mac, at full hardware speed, or, if I don't need all the speed, I can start the same instance of Windows up, fully functional including Internet connection and I/O, in a VM under OS X. And as far as OS X itself is concerned, I essentially have a Linux machine, with all common Linux tools available to me, with the additional plus of a superior UI. (Superior to Linux, that is. It is debatable whether the UI is superior to Windows, though some people feel that it is.) So, yeah... a MacBook, or at least a MacBook Pro, is indeed a superior developer's machine. Arguably better than any PC, because it gives you many more options. Want to use Windows for something? Go ahead. Want to use *nix for something? Go ahead. Want to use OS X for something? Go ahead. And they run Windows natively just as fast as a PC with similar hardware. I have Linux-style development tools, and Windows development tools, and OS X development tools, all on my MacBook. And I can even use them at the same time if I want. (Though the Windows tools will run a bit slower in a VM, but that is just the nature of the beast.) That is something that PCs just do not do... or at least definitely do not do well. So, no... unfortunately the "best" development notebooks will cost you more than $1200. If you are stuck with that budget, you are stuck with that budget. But you sure are missing out.