As the title says, I am currently learning to be a programmer, and my tablet does not suffice for the job.
I have already finished a small MEAN-Stack application for learning Typescript, learned some Java syntax (I expect nothing more exciting than a sorting algorithm, but exam language is Java, so…) and the next stop will most likely be plain vanilla C to learn about handling hardware.
Windows I hate with a passion, and I don’t know squat about Macs, so I am thinking of getting myself a decently sized laptop for a sensible Linux install.
History (I started my Liux journey with SuSE Linux 4.4.1, way back when) taught me to be very wary of driver issues on laptops, so I thought I could ask you for recommendations that play fair with Linux.
(as an aside, if I could play GuildWars2 on it in the evening and attach my two big monitors when at home, that would be super cool)
I’ve used pre-owned corporate thinkpads for years. At least in here we have multiple of stores to purchase previously leased (and since wiped+inspected) laptops for quite cheap (your definition of cheap may vary). Just now I have one waiting at the post office, T495 for 299€. Granted that’s never been a top line model, but it’s well sufficient for my usage and it’ll happily replace the old x240 I’ve been lugging around.
I’ve ran them with ubuntu/debian, dualboot and pretty much every combination. They just seem to work, altough there may be more or less hiccups specially with keyboard lights and (to me) minor things like that. Networking, hardware itself, suspend and everything else just works. And there’s mountains of information on various wikis etc to check before purchasing.
+1 for used thinkpads. If you can live with some scratches you can find great deals. Plus you can look up the model you would like to get on https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Laptop/Lenovo and make sure compatibility isn’t a concern.
I (and many of my colleagues) do this since I switched to laptop 7 years ago. I use them during my whole time in university (CS using Linux).
They are very reliable. And (at least the old models that I use) can be fixed manualy when something is wrong (change SSD, RAM, thermal paste,…)
If money is no issue, I would go with a framework (I have no first hand experience with them). If money is to be considered, I would go with a refurbished ThinkPad.