Is this good for programming through an SSH shell?
I am looking for the most portable device that I can use for programming. The key concerns are: Weight + size, and keyboard layout. Since I code through an SSH shell, the laptop's mem + CPU specs are not very important for me.
I believe that the Mac Book Air 11" has a good enough keyboard. (I haven't tried it for long, but the keys are the same size as the 13", just closer together.)
The Chrome book is only slightly thicker (0.8" vs. MBA 0.7"), only slightly heavier (2.5 lbs vs. 2.4 lbs), and wider (13.2" vs. 11.8"). Weight and thickness important here. It's also much cheaper.
What do you think are the downsides of using the chrome book (or a macbook air 11") for primary coding through an SSH shell?
[edit: Is there some store I can play with a chromebook in real life?]
They're great. For a while, Chrome would take over keys needed to use Emacs and other terminal applications. However, internally a lot of Googlers user Chromebooks + Chromebox as their only window to their dev box. It's what we give interns now.
I'm particular to XMonad, and like being able to run a few GUI applications, but I used a Chromebook for a while and the dev experience was nice enough that I almost switched. One great thing is that the SSH client is smart enough that you don't have to use screen to handle network interruptions . The trackpad isn't as good as a MacBook, but other than that the device feels great.
Chromebook/-box indeed sounds great for remoting into a dev machine, but damn, what did they do to the keyboard on the new Chromebook? Lots of stuff moved around...
I use it from my Cr-48 to drive my home desktop computer. My corporate IT guys have blocked it, though (even the outgoing connections) which bums me out. Games are not playable, but otherwise, it's darn good.
I am looking for the most portable device that I can use for programming. The key concerns are: Weight + size, and keyboard layout. Since I code through an SSH shell, the laptop's mem + CPU specs are not very important for me.
I believe that the Mac Book Air 11" has a good enough keyboard. (I haven't tried it for long, but the keys are the same size as the 13", just closer together.)
The Chrome book is only slightly thicker (0.8" vs. MBA 0.7"), only slightly heavier (2.5 lbs vs. 2.4 lbs), and wider (13.2" vs. 11.8"). Weight and thickness important here. It's also much cheaper.
What do you think are the downsides of using the chrome book (or a macbook air 11") for primary coding through an SSH shell?
[edit: Is there some store I can play with a chromebook in real life?]