New programmer tools of the trade

[RebelGeek]

I am embarking on the journey that is a computer science degree and I need to buy a laptop that meets that demand. I am approaching this like a craftsman approaches buying a new tool. I don't want to spend $800 on something that doesn't get the job done, or does it so poorly that it puts me behind. Also, should it be a Linux dedicated machine like System 76's Lemur pro? Or something more mainstream, perhaps? What specs do I need to cover to be forward thinking? Help!

 

[trag1c]

It is kind of dependent on the program but you really don't need much. Any modern laptop with at least 4 cores and 16 GB of RAM should be sufficient. With that said though, I would opt for a laptop with 32 GB of RAM (or a laptop that you can upgrade to have that) in case you need to run VMs. 1 - 2TB of storage should be more than sufficient, most schools that I have attended have provided some sort of cloud storage like one drive/SharePoint or google drive. So you can place the bulk of your documents there. 

 

For OS, check what your school is asking for and use it, (I am guessing they recommend Windows). The reason being you may need to run OS specific applications and if you need help/support you may not get it if you're running something other than was is recommended. When I did my schooling (online during the pandemic) we had to use a locked-down browser and it did not run on Linux and trying to run it in a VM is not worth the risk of being accused of cheating. 

[RebelGeek]

How do I know if a laptop is upgradeable? I can't seem to find that helpful tidbit in an item's description.

 

[Dat Guy]

17 hours ago, trag1c said:

16 GB of RAM should be sufficient

 

For a computer science degree, 16 GB of RAM are more than you will need, unless you insist on using bloatware to reach your goals.

[undergroundbeef]

Unless you're doing something every specific that requires high end specs, pretty much any modern laptop will get you where you need to be. When you start out you'll be making command line programs, which don't require anything special. Web dev also doesn't need anything special. It's only when you get into graphics intensive games, big data, or more advanced AI/ML that you might start needing more power. There are also a lot of cloud services these days to help offload some of that.

 

In terms of OS, I'd echo others and say you need to look at the program you're in. I ran Linux for a while in college (20 years ago) and some things weren't support, so I need a Windows system as well.... friends of mine in a different program were required to have Linux on their laptop. These days I think everything is more OS agnostic, as Macs are pretty popular with developers, but it's worth maintaining flexibility.

 

A few years ago I would have said a Mac gives you the most flexibility, but there are now some compromises there due to the new chip architecture. Thinkpads are solid and you should be able to dual boot Windows and Fedora with no issue. Dell officially supports Ubuntu on some of their systems, so a dual boot would also be a solid option there. Of course Windows also has their Linux Subsystem you can support, would should be all you would really need for a class, and would be much less annoying than dual booting. Docker would be another option for creating some isolated dev environments running Linux, if you won't want the overhead of a heavy Linux distro running in a VM.

[Biohazard777]

On 3/18/2023 at 3:36 PM, RebelGeek said:

How do I know if a laptop is upgradeable? I can't seem to find that helpful tidbit in an item's description.

 

I read detailed reviews (with pictures of the laptop disassembled) or I watch disassembly videos, not joking. Just make sure you look up the right model number.
 

On 3/18/2023 at 6:08 AM, RebelGeek said:

I don't want to spend $800 on something that doesn't get the job done, or does it so poorly that it puts me behind.

I usually do not look under 1k USD, because some serious compromises have to be made. It can be bad build quality (not sturdy enough, bad hinges etc.), soldered down ram, a few generations old CPU,  poor graphics, bad screen etc.
Speaking of screens, something that often gets overlooked when picking a laptop... I'd advise not getting 1080p, especially if you do not plan on hooking up external monitors or if you travel a lot.
IMO, 2560x1600 (16:10 aspect ratio) is best for productivity, screen size 15-16", 17" is great but it can be a PITA to carry around. And one more thing about screens, make sure you look up brightness, 250 cd/m2 is only good enough in dimly light rooms, so aim higher than that (like double).

 

As for specs and OS choice, it entirely depends on what kind of programming you'll be doing and has been covered by other forum members already.



 

[wasab]

Mac is pretty good if you ever run into unix courses. I used to run into a couple of them back in school.