NYCPHP Meetup

[Dan Cech]

Brian O'Connor wrote:
> I think the ideal solution is to get
> a portable laptop (13"/15" screen, lightweight) that has a video out of some
> sort (whether it be HDMI/VGA/DVI).  This way, you get the luxury of
> portability (client meetings, airports/planes, trains, coffee shops), and
> when you want to work at home, you can hook up a nice 24" monitor, full
> sized keyboard / mouse and work as if you're on a good desktop.  In
> addition, you don't have 2 separate computers where you have to worry about
> file syncing (I know, I know, remote repositories - but that's not as easy
> as it sounds sometimes).

I went down this road almost 6 years ago and haven't looked back.
Having all my tools and files at my fingertips any time makes life so
much easier.  Make sure you have a good backup system in place though!

> The trickiest part in taking this route is finding a laptop that will
> support the video out well enough on linux to hook up an external screen,
> which was the problem with my old laptop (I hate SiS).

I'm typing this on a 3-year-old Lenovo Thinkpad z61m, which is driving 2
Samsung 2343 23" 2048x1152 LCDs (great monitors, love the extra real
estate vs a regular 1920x1080) via an OEM docking station (one DVI & one
VGA).

I just got a new lenovo t400s & docking station which will drive them
both via DVI (there is a noticeable difference vs VGA).  So far I'm very
impressed with the machine, and it is crazy light for a 14" at 3.95lbs.

A good dock is key, mine has power, 2 monitors, speakers, keyboard,
webcam, network, etc plugged in all the time so a laptop without a dock
isn't an option for me.  A second power cord is also huge (the lenovo
docks come with one) so you can keep one in the laptop bag, that way you
never forget it.

Check the specs carefully, some laptops & docks (like the dell latitude
z) don't even support 1 high-resolution screen, let alone 2.

Dan