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Ask Slashdot: Which Laptop Should I Buy For My First Employee?
vikingpower writes: Until now, yours truly has been running a one-man freelancer show. However, since January 1st the first employee is here, and of course I'm mighty proud of a stellarly clever young person working for me. She works remotely (I'm in one European capital; she is in another) and I need to buy her a laptop. Since she's straight out of college and a non-techie, she basically only knows one OS: Windows, although she could get comfortable with macOS. However, as a long-time (server-side) programmer, I feel Apple hardware is seriously overpriced. Also, my brilliant first employee will mostly do research and hardly needs anything more than a browser, Office or Office-like software (yes, I'm looking at you, Libre Office, and I love you!), and bibliography software. Should I get her a Chromebook or a mid-level laptop running Windows? Any thoughts?
Tell her your budget and requirements (e.g. "Windows") and let her go buy what she likes.
I would automatically say Microsoft Surface, with pen + dock + monitor + keyboard + mouse, but empower her.
The cost of whatever laptop your employee wants (within reason) will be well worth their happiness.
I've been doing this for 30+ years professionally. If she's comfortable with Windows then stick with it. I tell people that ask me to go up to the store and find one that's comfortable for them. By that I mean, does the keyboard fit your hands, do you want a full numeric keypad, make sure the screen is the size that work for their eyes, pick it up and figure out if the weight is good, etc. Have her do that then, as her employer, find the one that best fits HER needs. You're not buying 800 laptops, just one.Then go configure the best make and model that fits those requirements. It sounds cheesy but an employee happy with the tool that they're going to spend most of their time on is a productive employee.
If you need a browser computer, Chromebook is a pretty reasonable choice. Fewer security problems, no spindle drive to break, and low overhead. They support plenty of printers via cloudprint as well. And if the OS does somehow get borked, it's downloadable.
HP has the stream line if you do need Windows. They're fine for what they are. Certainly better than the crapo celeron spindle drive computers some companies poop out and call "budget"
I was going to write exactly this.
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
Since she's straight out of college and a non-techie...
For a safer environment, I'd give her something with Linux on it. It's not totally immune, but one hell of a lot more so than Windows and OSX, with the plus side of not reporting back home everything she does (Win10, not OSX as far as I know). If all she needs is email, web access and office (you've already said LibereOffice will suffice), she should have no problems with it, and can open just about any email without infecting the thing.
--- Keep the choice with the user..
... is lightweight shit.
Pick a mid-priced Windows machine and load it with a best-practice safeguard subscription (Malwarebytes) and she'll be good to go.
Have her read an article or two about clicking on links in email, and navigating to bad sites. That stuff is everywhere.
It little behooves the best of us to comment on the rest of us.
For the last few years, I've been buying refurbished Thinkpads for most of my friends and family. There are refurbishers (even on ebay) that will give you Thinkpad that was £2k - £3k say 3 years ago (top of the line then, with i7, SSD etc) for 1/5th - 1/10th that original price, even at like-new condition. They are the most solidly built laptops (the X220 I have for outdoor telescope usage is fine in frost, under rain etc) and their only disadvantage is the lack for discreet graphic cards, so I recommend them for everyone but gamers.
Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent. Polar Scope Align for iOS
Set the bar so low that they'll never expect much from you by just giving them a box of part to build their own Raspberry Pi laptop.
You can't be productive with a Chromebook. They aren't designed for multitasking. Try switching between a browser and any other app, multiple times, just to perform one task. Combine this with flawed copy+paste and other basic user interface features, and usability just becomes a pain in the neck when you really need to do a lot of work. Chromebooks aren't even very powerful, and their support isn't great.
In addition, business software generally isn't created for Android first, it's created for Windows, Mac, or the web. Windows machines are flexible enough to do what's demanded of them, even if they're a little slow compared to an equivalently powered Chromebook.
Windows machines are both relatively inexpensive, and provide for all your business needs. Even an entry-level Windows laptop is more flexible than a Chromebook. There are hundreds of laptops and netbooks that run Windows and cost less than a powerful Chromebook.
Don't prioritize cost savings over productivity, unless you have to.
ask about screen size as some people may want an 15" over an 13" or smaller.
I also like ASUS
I would avoid Lenovo and HP
I despise Apple
I have a Chromebox. It works great for youtube videos, but there may come a time when she will need to run Windows only programs
Whichever one you buy, you will probably need to spend hours removing crapware
Of course it is Raspberry Pi with Slackware. This encourages and tests your employee's problem solving skill!
In this thread we learn which slashdot users have never owned a business.
They're buying a new car whether they like it or not. Cheaping out and getting used equipment for an employee's setup is like buying a thirty thousand dollar car and getting used tires.
Set a budget of $500 and let her buy the laptop she wants.
Regardless of how she uses it, 4 cores, plenty of memory, and an SSD along with a full OS will ensure that she can install and run whatever software helps her do her job. Whatever you define her job as today is not necessarily what she'll be doing a year from now. Chrome just restricts her and your options.
And if she stick around for at least a year, let her keep it.
My first laptop was a used one my client just gave me and it worked well enough to start making some good money. My second laptop cost around $200 and worked well enough for a year to earn 10's of thousands with it.
The last one I bought was around $400 and lasted for well over $100,000 in income.
$500 is a perfectly reasonable number that will get her a perfectly functional machine that will make you both plenty of money.
And that's why you shouldn't bother about who owns it after a year. If she's still around in a year, she earned it.
Work Safe Porn
Con: Apple hardware is expensive. Pro: Tech support is comparatively cheap, thanks to the Apple store. Remember that hardware is just a small part of the cost of a computer.
I'd recommend looking at the Lenovo business class laptops. We've been pretty happy with them for our small shop. They are very good quality, and decently priced. Most of the Lenovo haters out there are talking about their consumer grade laptops, which aren't even manufactured by the same division of location.
Spend a few hundred bucks and get one of the tens of thousands of like new refurbs out there.
Or she can buy a brand new 15-inch Chromebook for $149.
You are a slashdot reader but you have no clue on what hardware to buy for a office laptop?
How much does an employee cost you if their machine is offline?
My IT team had a big number written on the wall of their office which was the revenue per hour that would be lost if the system went down. It was a huge eye opener for a lot of them.
So, what does it cost you if she is offline? Lenovo or Dell business solution with a next business day replacement isn't cheap, but could be a LOT cheaper than losing her for a week.
That's just about a no-brainer. Unless she is an expert and knows what she wants and how to handle it and/or she needs to run special software that requires a certain OS, Chromebook is the way to go. Dirt-cheap, fast, zero-fuss and you won't lose any data.
We suffer more in our imagination than in reality. - Seneca
As someone who runs a business, I've always hated it when employers skimped on employee equipment costs. The cost of a business laptop isn't just the purchase price. It's the purchase price + training costs + software cost (which you're trying to make zero) + setup costs + maintenance costs ( - sale price if you manage to sell it at the end). In most cases, these other costs far exceed the purchase price.
On top of that, the cost isn't really a one-time expense. It's the cost divided by the number of months you'll use the equipment. So even a $2000 laptop with $3000 in other costs used for 3 years ends up costing your business just $139/mo. If you're paying your employee $3000/mo, this is a mere 4.6% increase. Less if you manage to sell the laptop at the end. You're already paying your employee a (relatively) huge amount of money. It's counterproductive to skimp on weak equipment which lowers their productivity. Unless the Chromebook will do everything and anything your employee needs, don't skimp. Spend a little more to get a nice system that will maximize her productivity. (And no I'm not trying to justify the cost of the Macs, which I think are overpriced unless you're in an art/photo/video/music/print business. There's a reason the just-as-expensive Thinkpads are so popular among businesses. Two-day turnaround for warranty repairs via overnight delivery is a huge plus if you're trying to minimize downtime.)
Don't forget to budget for a file sync and backup system. If you don't have one yet, you'll need some sort of file server at your end, which her laptop connects to daily via a VPN to backup her work to your server. And that file server will need a backup system (preferably at least 2).
Also, technically this should be a company laptop, not the employee's laptop. Unless you plan to make it a gift or part of her compensation package, it should stay with the company after she moves on or moves up. Avoids the awkward situation where the employee quits after 3 months and takes the laptop with them.
That's not really a computer. There's a very limited amount of things you can do with it. It's pretty much a big smartphone that doesn't make phone calls.
I don't respond to AC's.
Its likely the only serious choice for a Windows laptop.
To answer OP's question: Chromebook > Lenovo > MacBook based on what you described the role would need.
In order for the ARM processor to gain traction in the market for laptops, we must start buying computers with an ARM processor.
Consider the Yoga C630 by Lenovo.
The retail price is $939.99. The discount price is $699 at Best Buy.
A cute little recent college grad that's apparently pretty desperate and not too qualified.
You have literally two people to worry about in your company and the question you ask is about hardware? The hardware should not dictate your business you tight git! Just buy a decent machine that fits your future direction with regard to software... eg Skype, docx format, SQL... even OneDrive or the Google equivalent as it sounds like cashflow is limited. If all they need is a dumb terminal feel free to spend $200 on a Chromebook.
At lot of Businesses use Lenovo Thinkpads. They tend to be good reliable laptops. The main difference between the T series and the Yoga is that the Yoga series is lighter, has one less USB port, and comes with a built-in capacitive stylus (no batteries). The Yoga also turns into a tablet.
For a dock I would either go with a Lenovo USB dock or a Targus Dual Video 4K p60 Docking Station. Both support dual monitor setups using a USB 3.0 connection and can be used with practically any laptop, doesn't have to be a Lenovo, and can be re-used down the line. Both use the DisplayLink technology which works well.
If she is doing a lot of research and keeping notes, having two monitors is nice as well. As a network engineer, I usually have a console session running while working on something else. It's nice to be able to copy/paste or drag/drop between applications without having to switch.between them.
She has no idea how to buy technology and will inevitably waste the money.
Buy a laptop that can be serviced remotely. A decent lenovo T series or Dell is a reasonable machine. She will be thrilled that she is receiving a new machine and won't be subject to decision fatigue from shopping for technology. Your time is a one time investment in setting up your infrastructure so your second employee will be practically zero setup time and they won't be wasting your time and money shopping for a different laptop.
Take control of your infrastructure to save resources for business activities.
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Holy Christ man! If you are going to be stymied over a decision as minor as this, you are going to have trouble being a successful entrepreneur. What is the difference in cost between the options you're weighing? A couple of hundred dollars? Make a decision and move on.
If she's used to Windows it's stupid to retrain to a Chromebook when she could be making MONEY for both of you.
Buy a business class notebook with onsite warranty. Only ask people who personally maintain fleets of such machines because individual anecdotes are shit. Visit established notebook forums. Slashdot hasn't been News for Nerds since it became Dicedot.
"This post is an artistic work of fiction and falsehood. Only a fool would take anything posted here as fact."
If you're going to cut costs, do so wisely. Get the employee something that won't break when she looks at it wrong, which will be performant enough to not get in her way, and which can be repaired quickly and easily. Any of the major business-notebook brands will offer that, but I tend to like buying from Dell's outlet. You can get good-as-new machines at Chromebook prices with - and this makes all the difference - same-as-new warranties with next-day on-site service. Get a decent Latitude with a 1080p display, recent-gen i5, 8gb of RAM, a 1-3 year next-day service contract, pop an SSD in it and you're out the door for under $800 for something that will last years.
I rather like my Lenovo Yoga, but I've had multiple Toshiba laptops fail, one within about a month of purchasing it (and BestBuy wasn't very cooperative in getting it replaced). My only complaint about my Yoga 710 is it's Lenovo-proprietary power connector, which most Lenovo's don't use.
I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
Assuming one would be paying a market rate of $50+/hr I would seriously weigh in probable wasted on Windows updates/install/cleanups/etc as she would do that in business hours. I personally would consider a macOS-based laptop just to evade maintenance burden of Windows. The options could run from leasing one directly from Apple and expensify monthly as a cost of sales or getting a new/refurbished one and depreciate it. After her employment is over you can sell the laptop as an asset (if it's after three years in Australia - it will be written off already). Hope that helps. Disclaimer: based on personal experience.
I have an Asus Zenbook with an Intel core-M that works great. Plenty of power for all the tasks you mentioned, all day battery and no moving (and eventually failing) parts at all. If portability isn't necessary, do her eyes a favor and get her something with a 15"-17" screen instead. A larger screen will usually mean more productivity, at least it does for me.
I do not belong to the church of the lowercase 'i'
I don't get it. I didn't say anything about buying used?
Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
* Must be "off the shelf" HW, nothing special (since you seem not to have an IT department available, and support is easier for standard HW)
* should be possible to use windows
* Ideally in a managed environment (-> Amazon Workspaces)
How about an access to Amazon Workspaces (-> backup etc should be easy, especially if you wantto set up your own small network) + a low-end business laptop with windows pro preinspalled on it + a decent keyboard + monitor, since she probably uses the laptop (research) mainly from a single location.
Or a thin client.
Very true!
Lenovo has so screwed with the brand that you need to be careful when selecting. Some are hits, most are misses---including some of the old-school named models such as the T and X series. So sad.
Even a minimum wage employee in the EU is probably costing you around $20,000/year just in salary. If $500 (2.5% of salary) in additional equipment makes them 3% more productive, then you're getting a bargain, even before you consider the long term effects of morale, and the fact that you don't need to buy that equipment again every year.
--- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
She is a Non-Techie. And she is in another country. That says it all.
She is a non-techie, she will not be able to choose the best laptop. And she is a non-techie, she will not be able to administer and mantain the laptop (whanna bet on the "toolbars upon toolbars in the browser" Scenario?). And she is another country, so going to you (the boss) for help with the machine is out of the question.
Buy her a nice looking laptop, good build quality, decent specs. Which supports *virtualization*.
Put on the bare metal whatever Windows or Linux you feel confortable administering and lock it down as hell. Set up remote access. Choose a VM solution with good 3D acceleration. Then set up two windows VMs.
One is her "WorkVM" with the web browser, WhatevurOffice, and any other program/app/whatevur she needs for work purposes. Lock it down as hell. Set this machine up to save all work related stuff to a folder shared with the host OS. Set up a decent backup solution for this guest.
The other VM will be her "do whatever you like with it" "personal" VM. Do not lock it down that much.
Keep two golden masters (one for each machine) if push comes to shove.
Enjoy.
Unlike dual-booting, this solution eases your administrative burden, trust me.
*** Suerte a todos y Feliz dia!
You have an employee that you're spending tens of thousands of dollars on, and you're concerned about the cost of a single laptop, and you're considering using LibreOffice?
You might save a hundred or two through this, but if they spend just a few hours out of the year having to deal with bullshit, it's not worth it. Get a Chromebook or a Macbook for the employee (and don't fucking worry if it costs an extra $200) because Windows is shit and will give the employee paid downtime. Get MS Office instead of LibreOffice because LibreOffice is shit and will give the employee paid downtime.
Slashdot: providing anti-social weirdos a soapbox, since 1997.
Classify her as an independent contractor and tell her to buy her own goddam computer.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
I have to disagree with you. The problem with your suggestion is that a used computer comes with absolutely zero support. I used to work in the construction industry, and there are fewer things more frustrating that having guys stand around because someone thought it would be a good idea to buy a "good enough" tool, and it wasn't sufficient for the job or broke sooner than it should. People are FAR more expensive than (most of) the tools. At this shop we initially ran Dell, and later switched to HP. Either of those are fine choices. The key to it was 1) buy an "office grade" laptop (If you can buy it at WalMart, it's not office grade.) and 2) buy the gold level support with the accident protection. Yes, those things will likely double or triple the cost of a used laptop, but there's something to be said about a company that will show up the next day with replacement parts if something goes wrong. You're employee is no good to you if they don't have the tools they need to do the job.
You might be better served with a Chromebook. It does boil down to the applications you expect your employee to need for her job.
Apple hardware with the warranty can be a good deal for a small business.
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
If she'll be submitting papers she'll almost certainly need full blown office to get the formatting right. Otherwise, screen real estate, weight, battery life will all be important for working remotely. If she doesn't have a dedicated work colocation spot, make sure to get a good laptop travel bag and maybe one of those nice small wireless mice. Don't scrimp on quality , even if it's just cosmetic, it will make a difference on whether she feels valued.
Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. -- Susan Ertz
Since you will now have to provide tech support and patching to prevent attacks you are about to discover why apple's are cheaper to own than other computers in companies that lack dedictated tech support.
Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
Does "a very limited amount of things you can do with it" include the things she's actually going to be doing with it? Because most day to day business actually involves "a very limited amount of things".
If so, then what's the problem?
Buying a device that is more complicated than necessary is just a waste of money, both in the initial purchase cost and in the subsequent maintenance and security headaches.
Full blown complex computers are a niche only really required for specialist users, for most people a chromebook or ipad is actually a much better choice.
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Why pay double or triple the cost for premier support only to have a replacement arrive the following day, when you can simply buy 2 or 3 of the cheaper items for the same cost and have a replacement immediately available should the primary fail?
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I guess it depends on the needs of the business, what applications are needed, infrastructure for file storage/sharing, things like that. Granted, with what MS has done with the O365 suite/onedrive/etc, picking up and moving computers isn't as big a deal as it was before. As a nerd, I'd agree that having spares on hand, ready to change out as needed, is a decent way to go. But if I wasn't a computer guy I would rather run my business, paying someone else to deal with the tech support side of things.
Listen, you're hiring a person who works in another area, and you're unlikely to see each other very often. This means that whatever goes wrong with her computer, she will need to be able to reach out to a local company to have it fixed. I would see what support there is in her city for computers, and buy whatever they support. For example, if she was familiar with Apple, and there was an Apple store she could take it for issues, I would suggest you do that. If she's familiar with Windows, and most likely the Microsoft Office suite, and there is a Microsoft store in her city, I would get her one of their computers directly from the store, so she can take it there when she needs help. Since she is only one employee, that is probably the most effective option. Otherwise, you probably want to make sure she has access to a local tech support company who can help her. It would probably work best to pay them to procure a computer for her and have them set it up for her. You might be able to help when she's connected to the Internet (via Splashtop SOS or TeamViewer or something like that) but the local tech can help her get connected.
Choice of computer - I would purchase something that has accidental damage protection, because the manufacturers like to blame it on the user's negligence, whether it was their fault or not. I would also get one of the business edition computers, which is repairable, like some of the Dell Latitude, HP ProBook/Elitebook, and Lenovo Thinkpad series. The business edition computers seem to be better engineered than the consumer editions. You need not know what is an easily repairable computer -- you just ask the tech person what computer can have it's RAM and storage drive replaced, and go with that one. It will be heavier than the ultralight computers, but it should be a reasonable 4-5 lbs.
The other thing you should do is to ensure she has good Antivirus software installed, and that you pay for her subscription so it never expires. I know that Antivirus software is somewhat of a joke these days, but it's getting a little better. If it is hooked up to a web "console" that allows you to manage her antivirus, then it is easy to continue to pay for it. I use Bitdefender for home use, but there are a lot of other good software programs.
Finally, you'll need a way to collaborate, and if she is already used to Microsoft Word / Excel, you might as well get her an Office 365 subscription. This way, she stays on the latest version of the software, and she can save files to a shared OneDrive folder. Ideally, she will never really need to have her computer backed up because everything she is storing goes into OneDrive. You could use another service - or even set up your own shared folder using NextCloud on your own server, but the focus should be for her to use something she is familiar and comfortable with. Make sure whatever file sharing service you use handles VERSIONING, meaning that it keeps old versions of files, as a primary defense against ransomware.
There are a number of excellent solutions, but you are not present to train her on Linux or Mac or ChomeOS. Therefore, buy her what she is already familiar with, and encourage her to NOT use it for non-work purposes.
What software and such is she going to need to work with? Are you using Google's GSuite? Microsoft Office? Office 365? What's your email setup? Cloud storage for standard files? Also, where will she be working? Office? Home office? Coffeeshops? Coworking space?
If you're all-in on Google's ecosystem, then a Chromebook might not be a terrible option - in a lot of ways it's kind of a disposable terminal with everything online, but connectivity with it may be more important than with Windows or Mac options. Is LTE connectivity going to be required and is it an option where she is?
If you're in the Microsoft camp (or thinking about it), there are worse options than a Lenovo Thinkpad with Windows 10 Pro (Pro because you *need* Bitlocker on it because laptops walk). An SSD is a requirement, probably in the 250GB range; 8+GB of RAM and an i5 are also a good idea (i7 is overkill, i3 may be sluggish).
If she's going to be carrying it around all the time working in coffeeshops then get something light (e.g. Thinkpad X family), if it's going to be a desktop replacement you can get something larger and sturdier. If you're getting an older model, avoid the "Tx40" generation - the 40s included a failed try at a completely new touchpad - T450s or anything newer should be fine. If you do go with older models watch out for the W series - great machines, but W=Workstation. My W530 with a quad-core i7 and nVidia Quadro came with a 170w power brick that I think weighs more than some newer ultralights.
On the Microsoft side of things you'd probably be best with something like O365 Business or Business Premium setup with hosted email and online storage, possibly through someplace like AppRiver or Sherweb (a couple $ more expensive per month, but improved support options, automated backups, etc.). That basically lets you treat a Windows laptop as a replaceable component as well, with everything stored online or synced online. If it walks out of a coffeeshop or someplace else, encryption protects your data and online sync gets you up on a new system quickly. (You can likely do a lot of the same with an Office Home subscription including setting up a separate account and sharing relevant OneDrive folders to that account, but I you'll be missing some of the access control and related functionality and won't have own-domain email. It's also not actually licensed for business use.)
fencepost
just a little off
Specs, I7 or I9, 16 or 32 GB of RAM (You can do 64, but that's probably overkill,) maybe bump up the video card and spring for the 4K screen. With a young'un's eyesight, you could fit a dozen terminal sessions side by side. You can put up to a 2TB SSD in that if you're so inclined. The machine kind off puts the Fischer Price "My First Computer" Dell laptops I've received from employers to shame. It's also made me reconsider a grudge I've been carrying against Dell since the '90's, and my family usually carries grudges like that for multiple generations.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
If your employee is non-technical they are going to need support. There are some interesting proposals here, but a lot of them require hands-on access to the laptop or some solutions that sound great but might be difficult to manage in practice. And when they have a problem that you have to solve, it's your time AND their time wasted - a double hit. As with anything, keep it simple and supportable. Really, if you need a machine that will allow your employee to do basic office productivity, normal browsing and Internet use, a Chromebook is an ideal solution. There's almost no support needed for users, they are light, portable, cheap, and everything is stored in the cloud so there's no hassle for backups or shared storage. There is very little risk for viruses and malware on Chromebooks. Newer ChromeOS versions allow for offline use, so you can edit documents anywhere, even without Internet access. Just don't get TOO cheap - Get a Chromebook with a good screen (1080P) that is reasonably sturdy. I have an Acer Chromebook 15 for personal use and love it. Throw in a 32 GB low profile and I've got all the local storage I'd ever need. For $250, it's a STEAL if it does what you need. That being said, however, Chromebooks aren't for every purpose. If you need a specific software package or a tool you can't use in a browser you probably won't be able to install it on a Chromebook. But you'd be surprised how many apps there are for ChromeOS nowadays. Your employee might also not like something new - They might like all the features of Windows and hate feeling limited on a Chromebook. On the flip side, they might use today Windows because they always have and might really enjoy the simplicity and speed of ChromeOS.
The company I work for is all in on Google apps. The standard for email is GMail, we use Google Calendar, we use Google Drive to share files, we use Google apps for collaborating on spreadsheets or word processor documents, and most people use Google Slides for presenting. For remote meetings we use Google Hangouts. We also use web-based software such as Slack and an issue tracker.
Because of all this, a Chromebook is an excellent solution for many people in our company.
The best thing about a Chromebook is that it Just Works. It's locked-down nature means you really don't need to worry about malware, and it automatically downloads security updates. (Unlike Windows 10, ChromeOS never forces you to take an update while you are in the middle of a meeting or presentation.)
Also, if you are using "cloud" storage apps like the Google apps, then if anything happens to the Chromebook, the data will all be backed up. Your employee would be able to just get a new Chromebook and could get sorted out and back to work very quickly.
Because your business is too small to have a dedicated IT department, using all Google apps would have significant advantages. And those apps are IMHO about as easy to use as Microsoft apps or MacOS apps.
As a bonus, if you standardize on Google apps, then your employee has the option of installing some of the apps on her phone (maybe just GMail). I have everything installed on my phone, including Google Hangouts, and I can deal with a lot of possible emergencies with just my phone. I like that.
The one question mark I have is whether bibliography software is available for a Chromebook. A Chromebook does have Linux app support now, plus Android app support, and there are web-based bibliography systems, so... maybe?
Also, some people strongly disapprove of Google, feeling that Google track too much about what you do with their software. If you have a philosophical objection to Google you may not want a Chromebook solution.
I agree with all the people saying not to skimp but to get something nice. If you do this, I'd recommend one of Google's own branded products... the top of the line would be a Google Pixelbook which gets very favorable reviews.
P.S. I personally own a Samsung Chromebook Plus with a non-Intel CPU (a hexa-core OP1 running ARM instructions). I've been happy with it... IMHO it looks a lot like an Apple product but it has a much better keyboard. It's half the cost of a Pixelbook but not as fancy. Like the Pixelbook it's just a touch over 1 kg and has long battery life. It does come with a stylus and it has a storage silo for the stylus.
lf(1): it's like ls(1) but sorts filenames by extension, tersely
Write down a list of the outcomes you expect your employee to produce. Drawings? Photo-Editing? Spreadsheets? Documents? Database creation/management?
That tells you what they are doing for you. Then you can work out what software is required to do said tasks.
Given the software being determined, then you can look up the best spec's for the computer system they need - Processor, RAM, Drive space, GPU, Printer etc.
That tells you the type - Windows, Mac, Linux, whatever.
Then you can determine the budget, and ask them to choose.
Use only a browser. Let her use whatever she wants.
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
Calculate that you will buy her a new laptop every 3-4 years. Then consider that you probably are paying her at least €50,000 (we hope) but even so, her time is costing you money. A slow computer is costing you.
Then consider that a €100 a month investment in hardware and €100 a month investment in software will probably yield near-optimal result.
This means you should calculate €1200/year for hardware and €1200/year for software to hopefully optimize your ROI on employee performance.
This means that laptop+dock+extra screen should be budgeted for €3600 or €4800. Software is MS Office 365 and maybe Adobe.
I believe that pretty much every PC meets that target. So just tell her to buy what she wants, the amortize it over the ROI period and make sure she buys the support plan to cover that period including accidental damage.
https://puri.sm/
You will pay tens of thousands of dollars in your employee's salary and benefits, a couple of thousand for a laptop that will make her a little more productive is pocket change. Have her visit Apple or Microsoft store and try different hardware for herself.
Should I get her a Chromebook or a mid-level laptop running Windows? Any thoughts?
Nothing says "I really appreciate how brilliant you are as an employee" like buying them a craptacular mid-level laptop.
Put the money in and buy your brilliant employee a high-end laptop. Something that shows that you value your employees, and something that shows off how well you treat your employees.
There is nothing more demoralizing in a tech company being given a crappy mid-range computer. It's actually one of the things I look for when I walk into a tech company -- what sorts of machines do they provision their employees with? The innovative ones don't spare any expense on giving their people the best possible tools (even if sometimes they're overkill). The ones with the most loyal tech employees likewise have machines their employees are happiest with.
What system is up to you -- a ThinkPad, a Google Pixelbook, a MacBook Pro, or a kitted out Surface Pro -- depending on your needs. But get something that shows that your company doesn't put up with mediocre, and trusts its employees with good stuff that makes them happy. Customers will notice, and so too will perspective future employees. The extra few hundred Euros you invest today will easily pay for itself.
Yaz
Whatever you do, buy online as the keyboard layout will be different from what you have.
Unless she absolutely needs it, think also desktop. Or at least make it clear that that is an option.
I hate getting a laptpp from work, because it means I neet to work outside office hours.
Also give her a real keyboard and mouse. Working on a portable day in day out is terrible. Again: keyboard layout.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
I don't agree and would rather describe it as a browser that became hardware.
But in the OPs situation, I would start with getting GSuite anyway. Gives you integrated file, user and device management. Then throw in a few chromebooks per person (add a cheap one for mobile use) a cash compensation for using her own PC for work and the promise to be able to use the company chromebook for personal use, too (after all, she can log in with her personal GMail account and it will be like a completly new machine) and let her deduct buying a personal PC from taxes.
bickerdyke
"Superior" as in "more flexible"? as opposed to "restricted" and "manageable", which is usually preferred for business devices?
Yes, a regular laptop has much more options what you can do with as an employee. That's what actually pro chromebook.
bickerdyke
Do you want to setup some sort of standardisation at this point?
If so, just pick a major laptop manufacturer and go with their products (Dell, HP, etc).
Their products are quite good, and their support is quite good.
If not, give her a budget and tell he to go buy one. Give her some minimum specs to help her on her way (You need an i7 CPU and 16GB RAM and 250GB SSD HD, stuff like that).
Is she a mobile worker? That is the only reason to buy a laptop.
The trouble with laptops is that you are generally legally responsible for giving her a safe and non-harmful working environment. That mitigates against laptops. They cause such things as eyestrain, carpal tunnel syndrome and RSI.
My employer has me do on call so I have a laptop. At work, it lives in a docking station with proper mouse and keyboard as well as 2 standard monitors. This may cost twice of a comparable desktop. It will be slower as well but as I mostly tend to do things like RDP and web based apps I don't need a gaming-ready system.
I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
Keep all your stuff on the cloud of your choice and all done - Microsoft, Google, Apple, Amazon or whatever...
I'll see your Constitution and raise you a Queen.
If she is primarily reading and writing texts, no computations, no statistics, etc. then a small computer would suffice. If she has an office, it would be nice to be able to attach a real monitor or two. If she is working mostly on the go (e.g., in different libraries)), then such office equipment is not necessary. Screen above 13" suck in trains and planes. If she will travel for you make it a small machine (planes prefer 11") also Eurostar has not much space. However, the smaller the screen the bigger the need to have a separate monitor in the office. Ah yes and for mobile computing battery life is super important.
Dell ("for Work") or Thinkpad, unless MacOS/iOS are absolutely necessary for her line of work or she really has a preference.
Let her decide the line, model, etc, as long as it's in a reasonable budget. Make sure support is extended for 3 years, includes accidental damage and dedicated professional lines, because I doubt you have outside insurance yet. Hardware downtime costs are exponential - you still pay for your employee's time, but they do nothing. You want to have the best support possible during the 3 years that hardware cannot be ejected from the company (in Europe, that's the usual time of materials depreciation, for taxation purposes). You can further extend the warranty later if you or the employee decide the hardware doesn't need a refresh 3 years after purchase.
I suggest the "economy" 14' lines from either Thinkpad or Dell specifically. Not because they are great bang for buck, but because they are very serviceable by both you, your employee or the official support. These will usually have spare parts available locally, and even if they don't, units available for replacement in a jiffy.
"How to equip a newb" is now "stuff that matters"?
-jcr
The only title of honor that a tyrant can grant is "Enemy of the State."
Look into the cost of leasing a computer rather than buying. This may allow you to change makes/models sooner than if you bought outright, If also less money upfront for your business to spend.
LOL look just stop it.
Office 365 is $15 USD a month per person. Go get a registered domain. Get hosted email + all the office shit. Go get a good Lenovo and there you are.
I did this for my employee's and guess what? I'm not the one wasting hours fucking around on file formats. I'm not the one dealing with shit hardware.
You may as well hand her a paper notepad.
Because she'll never get online! :P
When the windows XP laptop of my parents died, I bought them a mini desktop with ubuntu. I live far from them and I perform the maintenance remotely (ssh and x11vnc). I think you could do the same for you employee: a dell XPS13 with ubuntu. You configure your remote access (for example using a ssh tunel from one of your sites) so that you can fix all her issues. Even dist upgrade can be performed remotely using ssh. The main advantage of ubuntu is that she will not install tons of crapware. IMHO, the single drawback is that battery does not last very long.
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If you have corporate clients, you really can't go too far wrong with any of the corporate-style Window machines (Dell Latitude, Thinkpad, MS Surface) and W10.
Buy a subscription to O365 E3. Last thing you want to explain to a client is why they can't open your "almost compatible" document, presentation or spreadsheet or all the formatting turned to mush. The $21 a month for O365 E3 gets you skype for business and teams (both likely what your clients are using) and reliable email.
Don't cheap out. Saving $500 on the laptop or "free software" isn't worth losing a client.
https://www.amazon.com/VTech-T...
Look for something that is reliable (I know, it has Windows as a built-in flaw) and durable, so she won't have to worry about a basic spill, or short fall off a table killing the machine.
There are a Lot of brands and system out there that should fit the bill reasonably, so looking for Durable Laptop shouldn't be too hard to do.
Add to that, you'll want "less than bleeding edge" and you'll be able to score a reasonable deal, too, as last years' systems are (almost) always deeply discounted and have had the bugs shaken out of them already.
Try and get her something with a bit more storage that you anticipate, and the means of keeping things locked down, and you shouldn't need to replace her system until Microsoft does their next "Upgrade or Suffer" campaign.
Good luck with your new business!
You haven't given any useful information that would suggest criteria. What is the employee going to be doing on the laptop? Are they going to be traveling? Will their activities be confined primarily to that machine, or will they be primarily accessing remote resources? And if they are going to be doing on-device work, do you have existing plans, tools or infrastructure to deal with date security and integrity, like off device syncing and backups?
TL;DR: You're terrible at asking questions, so I won't bother answering. If the individual is familiar with Windows though, I see little good reason to force them to learn a new platform unless something else compels that decision.
This may be tough since she is remote, but in my office I converted 60% of my workstations to Ubuntu as an experiment - and virtually no one noticed and/or cared. They use Chrome for 99% of their work, so I just loaded it into a clean ubuntu 18.10 install and moved the gnome dock to the bottom instead of left. Without knowing more about your business, I liked the increase security, but I find that even a clean windows install is so distracting. Popups, updates, little animated tiles in the start menu - it felt like it was getting in the way of productivity.
Get something that is midpriced brand new laptop. Good choices are: HP Probook 4XX Dell Vostro Lenovo V330 Acer Travelmate All of these are not very expensive but are very durable. I personally like HP Probook 450 most, but would go will Dell Vostro as it comes with 3 year warranty as standard in Europe. The others come with 2 year.
You want new, with a business class warranty. I've worked tech support and we got so many calls. Broke computer, 6-10 days to repair.
"But I run my business off this!!!"
Well you got a consumer grade hardware and no business level warranty. Nothing I can do.
Go this route and buy 2, plus NAS storage to back up the whole thing so you can swap out to the backup when it breaks. That's expensive.
Apple's vastly overpriced.
On the other hand, DO NOT BUY a consumer-grade laptop. Only buy a business grade, such as Dell's Lattitude. It will last a lot longer, and you'll get significantly better service. But you can get this for the price of a Mac.
Also, you might want to pay extra for an extended warranty. It's worth it.
(Btw, I'm a sr. linux sysadmin, working for a US federal contractor - I've seen the difference between laptops we get, and consumer grade.)
No, not a surface, or any of that crap. She'll want a real keyboard. And I dislike laptop keyboards, because I can actually type, and having my hands placed where they *should* be means I keep accidently hitting the touchpad.
For our users we chose the Dell XPS 13 with i7 processor and SSD. Fantastic combination of processing power and portability. When they are in the office, they dock at a Plugable USB-C Triple Display docking station.
Dell has good support too. We had one go bad, but even with Dell's lowest-tier support we had it fixed and back to us in about a week.
For small companies like yours, Office 365 provides everything most employees need - even cloud-based phone if you add Skype for Business.
Chromebooks are SLLLLOOOOOWWWWWW. My kid has one for school... whenever I help, I end up using my 5 year old gaming desktop which is about 1 billion times faster when I have more than 3 tabs open in a browser.
I've owned windows laptops (Dell inspiron, Lenovo, HP, Asus). NONE of them lasted me more than the 4 years. My 2013 Mac book air, even though expensive, is still going strong (and I work 8-12 hrs a day, everyday). If the new hire has to actually return the laptop to you when she leaves (i.e. it is not a gift/job perk and you can give it to you next employee), MBA would be a good investment.
I would make sure to get a SSD. Especially on a laptop - nothing slows down a laptop more than a 5400 RPM drive. If it comes down to 4GB upgrade or upgrade to the SSD, get the latter.