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Ask HN: Lenovo ThinkPad(Linux) or Apple MacBook Pro as a Developer Machine

3 points by mraza007 6y ago

I’m planning to buy a laptop and I have decided either to go with these two. I’m very much okay using linux but the only drawback would be running softwares like photoshop (which I run occasionally) and Microsoft Suite if I end up getting lenovo thinkpad to run linux But if i go with MacBook everything would run easily Anyways I would love to know from you guys who have been using linux or macbook as there daily driver and what are some pros and cons of owning either of these laptops

geophile 6y ago
Your software requirements sound like they dictate the choice. But I don't have those requirements, and my main dev environment is Linux. I ran VM Fusion on a MBP, and I really liked that setup. The Mac was for play, the Linux VM for work, and I had everything in one box. Linux networking just worked. But my 2015 MBP was on its last legs, the new MBPs had really bad keyboards (butterfly switches, touchbar), and they are really expensive. I got a System76 Darter running Pop OS, and I'm very happy with the combination. The hardware is decent, much cheaper, and Pop OS is extremely stable and pretty. (At the time, the MBP didn't even go to 32GB, but that's been fixed.) Maybe get a Linux ThinkPad and run photoshop and Microsoft Suite in a VM?
- mraza007 6y ago
  Agreed Macbooks are expensive and huge investment the reason why I posted this to get a different perspective plus I’m getting 50% off on thinkpad whereas On mac book i get 100 dollar off
actionowl 6y ago
I was a Linux user for a long time, then switched to Mac for working hoping that would result in less fiddling with things and more actual working. That strategy worked for quite a while, but lately I've been frustrated by myself and all my coworkers getting hit with the keyboard issue, and one of them had a swollen battery. Lots of random crashes. I've been slowly switching back to using a Lenovo ThinkCentre running Linux (which requires a lot less fiddling these days) and I'm really starting to like it. I just get shit done again. Oh, and I can install any software I want without having to go into settings to allow it... Even on Mac I ran a Windows VM for some things, I now do that same thing on my Linux machine.
- mraza007 6y ago
  I see
WheelsAtLarge 6y ago
In terms of longevity, I would choose the Lenovo. The hardware will last you a long time and the ability to upgrade the OS will be much longer than the Mac. But ultimately it comes down to the software you'll need to run. The Mac is much more flexible on what software you'll be able to run. Macs can run, Windows, Linux and OS X. You won't get that with the Thinkpad.
- nobody9999 6y ago
  >Macs can run, Windows, Linux and OS X. You won't get that with the Thinkpad. Actually, you can run OS X[0], Windows[1] and Linux[2]^ on a Thinkpad. In fact, there are multiple ways to do so for each OS (see links). Whether you run Windows or Linux on your bare metal, you can run any or all of those OS's (or specific functionality to provide a working environment, e.g., Cygwin) on a Thinkpad. You are absolutely correct that a Mac can do so as well. Given all that, I'd say that some of the questions for the OP are: 1. Which hardware is going to get you the most bang (performance) for your buck? 2. Which hardware will provide better long-term utility, stability and support? 3. Which hardware makes the most sense in terms of the infrastructure in which it is used? ^Please note that link [2] does not include WSL2 as an option for running Linux on Windows. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/918gcp/macos_in_virtual_machine/ https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/918gcp/maco... [1] https://www.howtogeek.com/133515/4-ways-to-run-windows-software-on-linux/ https://www.howtogeek.com/133515/4-ways-to-run-windows-softw... [2] https://www.howtogeek.com/170870/5-ways-to-run-linux-software-on-windows/ https://www.howtogeek.com/170870/5-ways-to-run-linux-softwar... Edit: Fixed list spacing.
  - mraza007 6y ago
    I’m getting 50% off On thinkpad So I’m probably leaning towards Lenovo plus i have heard alot of good things about it In terms durability and how well it supports all of the Linux distros
simonblack 6y ago
ThinkPad with Linux. Just replaced my trusty old T410 (2000GB) with a P53(1000GB). I usually keep a Windows 30-50 gig system tucked away 'in the corner' but I rarely bother to boot it.
- mraza007 6y ago
  How’s your experience with dual booting
  - nobody9999 6y ago
    >How’s your experience with dual booting I haven't dual booted in a while, but it was okay. That said, using a VM instead tends to be much simpler to manage, and allows you to use any or all of your OS's at the same time. I hope you find the right system for you.
    - mraza007 6y ago
      Gotchya Thanks though I’ll go with lenovo since I have been using linux for a long time now
  - simonblack 6y ago
    No hassle. You shut down one OS. Then select the other from the menu at reboot. If you don't move to select anything, the default OS boots after a specified number of seconds. What do you want to know?
jamesponddotco 6y ago
As @geophile said, your software requirements dictate your choice. Personally, as a system administrator that does photography on the side, I ditched my Apple stuff and went back to Linux. That meant ditching Photoshop and Lightroom, favouring open-source alternatives, but if you are willing to put on the work and you do not care about open-source or learning new tools, there are ways to run Photoshop on Linux inside a Windows or macOS VM — dual boot is another option. If all you care about is something that "just work" and will run both Photoshop and the Microsoft stuff out of the box, the MacBook is the clear winner. However, if you are willing to put on the work, it is my opinion that a ThinkPad with Linux will last you much longer and make you happier in the long run — the T14 with Ryzen CPU is what I would recommend.
- mraza007 6y ago
  I agree with what you said And I’m probably leaning towards a thinkpad since it has really good support for different linux distros and I’m pretty much okay using linux and you are right i can run other softwares in a VM How’s your experience with dual booting
  - jamesponddotco 6y ago
    I run Linux exclusively so I cannot say what the dual booting experience is like, but I assume that the biggest pain is having to reboot the machine when you need to access something in the other OS.

3 points by mraza007 6y ago

geophile 6y ago

Your software requirements sound like they dictate the choice. But I don't have those requirements, and my main dev environment is Linux. I ran VM Fusion on a MBP, and I really liked that setup. The Mac was for play, the Linux VM for work, and I had everything in one box. Linux networking just worked. But my 2015 MBP was on its last legs, the new MBPs had really bad keyboards (butterfly switches, touchbar), and they are really expensive. I got a System76 Darter running Pop OS, and I'm very happy with the combination. The hardware is decent, much cheaper, and Pop OS is extremely stable and pretty. (At the time, the MBP didn't even go to 32GB, but that's been fixed.) Maybe get a Linux ThinkPad and run photoshop and Microsoft Suite in a VM?

mraza007 6y ago
Agreed Macbooks are expensive and huge investment the reason why I posted this to get a different perspective plus I’m getting 50% off on thinkpad whereas On mac book i get 100 dollar off

actionowl 6y ago

I was a Linux user for a long time, then switched to Mac for working hoping that would result in less fiddling with things and more actual working. That strategy worked for quite a while, but lately I've been frustrated by myself and all my coworkers getting hit with the keyboard issue, and one of them had a swollen battery. Lots of random crashes. I've been slowly switching back to using a Lenovo ThinkCentre running Linux (which requires a lot less fiddling these days) and I'm really starting to like it. I just get shit done again. Oh, and I can install any software I want without having to go into settings to allow it... Even on Mac I ran a Windows VM for some things, I now do that same thing on my Linux machine.

mraza007 6y ago
I see

WheelsAtLarge 6y ago

In terms of longevity, I would choose the Lenovo. The hardware will last you a long time and the ability to upgrade the OS will be much longer than the Mac. But ultimately it comes down to the software you'll need to run. The Mac is much more flexible on what software you'll be able to run. Macs can run, Windows, Linux and OS X. You won't get that with the Thinkpad.

nobody9999 6y ago
>Macs can run, Windows, Linux and OS X. You won't get that with the Thinkpad. Actually, you can run OS X[0], Windows[1] and Linux[2]^ on a Thinkpad. In fact, there are multiple ways to do so for each OS (see links). Whether you run Windows or Linux on your bare metal, you can run any or all of those OS's (or specific functionality to provide a working environment, e.g., Cygwin) on a Thinkpad. You are absolutely correct that a Mac can do so as well. Given all that, I'd say that some of the questions for the OP are: 1. Which hardware is going to get you the most bang (performance) for your buck? 2. Which hardware will provide better long-term utility, stability and support? 3. Which hardware makes the most sense in terms of the infrastructure in which it is used? ^Please note that link [2] does not include WSL2 as an option for running Linux on Windows. [0] https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/918gcp/macos_in_virtual_machine/ https://old.reddit.com/r/linuxquestions/comments/918gcp/maco... [1] https://www.howtogeek.com/133515/4-ways-to-run-windows-software-on-linux/ https://www.howtogeek.com/133515/4-ways-to-run-windows-softw... [2] https://www.howtogeek.com/170870/5-ways-to-run-linux-software-on-windows/ https://www.howtogeek.com/170870/5-ways-to-run-linux-softwar... Edit: Fixed list spacing.
- mraza007 6y ago
  I’m getting 50% off On thinkpad So I’m probably leaning towards Lenovo plus i have heard alot of good things about it In terms durability and how well it supports all of the Linux distros

simonblack 6y ago

ThinkPad with Linux. Just replaced my trusty old T410 (2000GB) with a P53(1000GB). I usually keep a Windows 30-50 gig system tucked away 'in the corner' but I rarely bother to boot it.

mraza007 6y ago
How’s your experience with dual booting
- nobody9999 6y ago
  >How’s your experience with dual booting I haven't dual booted in a while, but it was okay. That said, using a VM instead tends to be much simpler to manage, and allows you to use any or all of your OS's at the same time. I hope you find the right system for you.
  - mraza007 6y ago
    Gotchya Thanks though I’ll go with lenovo since I have been using linux for a long time now
- simonblack 6y ago
  No hassle. You shut down one OS. Then select the other from the menu at reboot. If you don't move to select anything, the default OS boots after a specified number of seconds. What do you want to know?

jamesponddotco 6y ago

As @geophile said, your software requirements dictate your choice. Personally, as a system administrator that does photography on the side, I ditched my Apple stuff and went back to Linux. That meant ditching Photoshop and Lightroom, favouring open-source alternatives, but if you are willing to put on the work and you do not care about open-source or learning new tools, there are ways to run Photoshop on Linux inside a Windows or macOS VM — dual boot is another option. If all you care about is something that "just work" and will run both Photoshop and the Microsoft stuff out of the box, the MacBook is the clear winner. However, if you are willing to put on the work, it is my opinion that a ThinkPad with Linux will last you much longer and make you happier in the long run — the T14 with Ryzen CPU is what I would recommend.

mraza007 6y ago
I agree with what you said And I’m probably leaning towards a thinkpad since it has really good support for different linux distros and I’m pretty much okay using linux and you are right i can run other softwares in a VM How’s your experience with dual booting
- jamesponddotco 6y ago
  I run Linux exclusively so I cannot say what the dual booting experience is like, but I assume that the biggest pain is having to reboot the machine when you need to access something in the other OS.