What is the best laptop for programming? In the previous article we armed ourselves with a comprehensive mobile workstation checklist to see how popular laptops stack up against the needs of a software developer. We considered popular options like the MacBook Pro, Surface Book i7, and the Dell XPS 15. They’re decent machines, but their flaws burn brightly in the harsh light of The Checklist.
So if you’re not bemused by the Big Three in laptop choices – perhaps due to their lack of features or your lack of funds – where can you find a solid programming laptop?
Sometimes new developers ask me, “So, what’s the best laptop for a programmer?” It’s an important question. As a “software crafts(wo)?man”, your computer isn’t just your tool belt - it’s your pickup truck, miter saw, lathe, awl, bulldozer - all rolled into one. You need a reliable and performant machine that empowers you while staying out of your way as much as possible. It’s an important question, but the answer no doubt reminds you of a certain brand of adult diaper - It depends...
When my wife surprised me with an Evoluent Vertical Mouse 4 for our wedding anniversary, the look on my face was reminiscent of a barn cat stumbling across a clandestine mice suffrage rally - Tasty!
Like most of us, I use the keyboard and mouse enough that I have to think about the implications to my wrists. I try to avoid leaving the cozy confines of the keyboard whenever possible, but unfortunately in certain cough environments it just isn’t possible pull the nano receiver completely. This mouse is designed to help alleviate some of those concerns by forcing you to adopt a handshake position with your arm, which is touted to be more ergonomic.
So after using the fancy fellow 40-60 hours a week for the past 8+ months or so, what’s the verdict?
Let’s start with some live-action shots of the Evoluent VM4RW making first contact with a curious android: