Making the change! What tool though? I want a Macbook!

Caporegime
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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I'm going to be a contrarian and point out that coding on any laptop is just awful.

You want:
- the biggest screen, or pair/triple of screens you can get for your budget.
- decent keyboard. I need full-size - can't cope with those poky little laptop things.
- SSD beats processor and memory for builds in terms of productivity.

Coding on the move is uncomfortable, noisy, usually bad lighting and far too many distractions.

Read Joel On Software - specifically rule 8.



This, 100%.

Just get a desktop and plow as much money into screens and SSDs as possible, , install which e er Linux distro you want and off you go.
 
Soldato
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20 Dec 2004
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16,028
I suspect the productivity advantages of multiple monitors desktop systems is going be limited when sat on a train....maybe a fancy mount setup for sofa working?

Not really what the OP was asking though was it :)
 
Soldato
OP
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Amsterdam, NL
I suspect the productivity advantages of multiple monitors desktop systems is going be limited when sat on a train....maybe a fancy mount setup for sofa working?

Not really what the OP was asking though was it :)

No, I've got a fancy desk and PC already, I needed something mobile to take to work, use at work, take to class, use in class, on the train, on the sofa etc. I guess what people were pushing on is a budget which I don't have thankfully. So a 'splash out' on a rMBP 15" was a gift to me. I've wanted one for ages but never really had a reason, now I have, so I got one. I'm like a child when it comes to gadgets and stuff. I'll ask around, but ultimately know what I want anyway.

The rMBP can be plugged into my setup and even be used as a secondary workstation when at my desk. I've even ordered a little kvm switch lol.
 
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Associate
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If it's not too late, cancel the rMBP and just buy the 2012 MacBook Air off your GF. Spend some money on an adapter/cable for connecting to a big screen, a decent laptop stand, and a proper keyboard & mouse for when you're back at a desk.
 
Associate
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What will you be coding in to want to use OSX? Take it is to code for iOS?

IMO OSX is the best platform for any open source dev. You get a full set of unix tools without having to install crap like cygwin / putty, and a UI that doesn't need hours of tweaking to get it looking or working half decent.
 
Soldato
OP
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If it's not too late, cancel the rMBP and just buy the 2012 MacBook Air off your GF. Spend some money on an adapter/cable for connecting to a big screen, a decent laptop stand, and a proper keyboard & mouse for when you're back at a desk.

Too late buddy, currently sat on the train using it. Not a single regret. Other than taking this contract in London. The moment I finish this job, I'll be much happier haha. Packed trains.
 
Associate
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12 Feb 2003
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Agree with the other comments about screens. I use a desktop with a mechanical keyboard at work connected to 3 screens. A central 27" 1440p with a 24" 1080p either side and I could still use another at times!

Used to have three 24" monitors at home but now use a 34" LG Ultrawide and I find that works really well. Great for 3 column layout in Sublime Text.

Laptop-wise, I recently made the move from a 14" ThinkPad to a 15" MBPr and wouldn't change back now. Once you get the hang of all the touch gestures for the virtual desktops and keyboard shortcuts you'll quickly find that you can cope with only 1 physical screen.

Jim :)
 
Soldato
OP
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16,834
Location
Amsterdam, NL
Agree with the other comments about screens. I use a desktop with a mechanical keyboard at work connected to 3 screens. A central 27" 1440p with a 24" 1080p either side and I could still use another at times!

Used to have three 24" monitors at home but now use a 34" LG Ultrawide and I find that works really well. Great for 3 column layout in Sublime Text.

Laptop-wise, I recently made the move from a 14" ThinkPad to a 15" MBPr and wouldn't change back now. Once you get the hang of all the touch gestures for the virtual desktops and keyboard shortcuts you'll quickly find that you can cope with only 1 physical screen.

Jim :)

My girlfriend sent me an email with a whole bunch of stuff to install. Just the names, going through them now, the first one is homebrew... So many things!
 
Soldato
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Check out iTerm2 it's a terminal replacement and pretty cool.

Erm to learn maybe stick with the built in IDLE program that comes with python just for the first few days. Trying to jump straight in to pycharm might be a bit much as you'll need to set it up a bit first.

The other way you can go is to use an advanced text editor, I'm currently using atom which is made by the github guys and has a bunch of addons for it you can install from inside the program. There's python syntax highlighting, git extensions and a plugin called "script" that lets you run code straight from the editor.

One thing to note about os x and python. It comes with a version pre-installed but most will download a different version as the os x one is usually a version old. Also when you start to play with python addons or packages they will get installed to your root python install then every project you do will now have access to them. It's not always a good idea so you can use an extension called virtualdev to stop it. Don't worry about it for now but keep it in mind.

http://blog.manbolo.com/2014/09/27/use-python-effectively-on-os-x
 
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