

Ask HN: Please recommend a 13-15“ programmers laptop to replace 15” MacBook Pro - skynetv2

Regular office use (email, word processing, messenger)<p>Lots of terminals (SSH)<p>Lots of browser windows &#x2F; tabs (gmail, outlook web, YC, Stackoverflow, etc)<p>1 Ubuntu VM running 25% of the time (1 core, 2 GB)<p>Needs to be &lt;5 lbs<p>good screen &amp; resolution (1920 X 1080 is enough for me, higher is ok)<p>good keyboard &amp; trackpad<p>8 GB minimum RAM<p>decent battery life<p>OS doesnt matter<p>discrete graphics plus<p>need to survive 5 years of sustained use<p>SSD not mandatory, prefer higher disk capacity<p>2K or less
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kidlogic
Acer 720p Chromebook. Install Codestarter's Ubuntu package
([https://github.com/codestarterorg/ubuntu-chromebook-
installe...](https://github.com/codestarterorg/ubuntu-chromebook-installer))
and add more SSD Space ([http://www.androidcentral.com/how-upgrade-ssd-your-
acer-c720...](http://www.androidcentral.com/how-upgrade-ssd-your-
acer-c720-chromebook))

Best laptop I've ever owned.

------
mattkrea
13" MacBook Pro Retina. I just moved to one and it is perfect.

~~~
skynetv2
those are only i5 and the usable resolution is really low on the 13. i can
bump it up really high but that will be pretty useless. i have one on hand
that i used for a couple of days and didnt find it comfortable

~~~
PhantomGremlin
The i5 shouldn't be an issue. You can always custom order. Even the entry
model can be bought with an i7. You can have a custom Macbook shipped to a
nearby Apple store for pickup, so ordering custom is no big deal.

Of course if the resolution isn't acceptable to you, that's an entirely
different issue.

~~~
skynetv2
thanks, didnt realize i7 was an option. you just complicated my life! :)

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sbahra
Ubuntu works just fine on the 2015 Thinkpad Carbon X1. We use them as our
company laptops, and we're on Ubuntu.

~~~
skynetv2
i am strongly leaning towards that system. question is will it last 5 yrs
minimum? esp., the ssd. also, it tops at 8GB, which is not a deal breaker

~~~
auganov
A friend has the original x1 carbon. 2-3 years had the charging port break, a
key fall off and now the fan seems to be broken. You could look into T-series
for something more sturdy. Also T550 has a geforce 940M option.

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geldedus
I have a orange Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro (i7 proc, 8Gb RAM, 512G SSD). I use it with
Ubunu 14 LTS

~~~
skynetv2
ornage - wow!

looks like they are dumping stock to make room for a refresh

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camhenlin
Sounds like that would get you into a new entry level 15" retina MacBook pro
or a high end 13" retina MacBook pro, both fantastic machines. I'd probably do
the 13" one since they just got updated, 15s probably won't be until June.

~~~
skynetv2
trying to avoid the macs. dont really NEED OS X. wondering if there are viable
alternatives

~~~
rifung
I think you'll find Windows based alternatives to be comparatively priced to
be honest. And you really can't do better than the Macbooks trackpad.

But I'll second the XPS13 dev edition, or at least waiting to see how it'll
do.

~~~
camhenlin
Seconding the trackpad part of this. If you're going to be using the computer
anywhere other than a desk, Apple has by far the most usable trackpads. Not
sure why no other manufacturer has figured this out yet since it's been the
state of the industry for years now

~~~
skynetv2
+1 on trackpads

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woutervegter
two weeks ago I received the new Lenovo x1 carbon 3rd gen, I expected a high
end machine. But I got: low brightness screen, bad colour range + build flaws:
the screen cover was not glued well. These flaws also appeared with other
customers (search the forums).

After three days I sent it back, and today got the new macbook 13", although I
don't like the brand Apple, you can't deny its quality over all the other
brands.

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jimkri
I have the Lenovo X240 and it has been awesome. Super light weight and amazing
battery life, I can use it almost 2 days at school without having to charge
it.

~~~
skynetv2
I had an X201 in ~2010 and I loved it. It was very portable. But the screen
may be too small for me now

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gesman
Sony Z or high end Lenovo's.

These will be joyful but at the higher end of price tag. Sony Z will be made
in Japan (not China like the rest of the flock)

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memonkey
Why not wait for the XPS 13 Dev Edition?

~~~
senjindarashiva
I definitely agree at least with the xps13 part however Id recommend against
the Dev edition, or at least depending on where you are buying it. When I
bought mine (the old one) the "regular" same hardware version cost the same as
the Dev edition, but you got a windows licenses as well. And even if you don't
use windows regularly it's always nice to have an extra license.

Hardware wise I am extremely pleased with the old version and can't really see
any indication that the new one should be worse in any way.

~~~
skynetv2
license is not an issue for me. we have bulk license at work. so i would
prefer not to pay for the license. but in reality, doesnt really matter. but i
do get your point

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japhyr
I know Lenovo lost some respect recently, but I love my T420s. I anticipate
using it another 3-5 years.

~~~
skynetv2
I have a t420 from 2007 still kicking strong. but its slow, unusably slow even
with a fresh win7 install. maybe disk is too full.

not worried about the certs, will be installing a fresh non-lenovo copy right
away

I like the new t450s and w550s

