redfiretruck

Hey, I know this is pretty odd but I'm just wondering in case there is an actual difference in performance/ease of use.

Say you were making a computer perfect for programming... What would you try to emphasize on for hardware? What do i mean?

• Keyboard
• Mouse
• PC-Related (Ram,Ghz) etc...

For example, i know that for video games ATI/AMD are awesome due to their video rendering methods as well as Logitech pretty much being the most useful keyboards/mouses for games due to their ability to with-take some beatings and stay pretty good for a long time...

So, I'm wondering, are there any specific things about a computer that make programming easier? Also, as for speed (PC-Hardware), what are the biggest things someone needs to emphasize on?

-- Thanks for reading, and hopefully there are actually some things better for programming and I don't sound like a fool --

Narue

>So, I'm wondering, are there any specific things about a computer that make programming easier?
In terms of hardware: At least two monitors, 19" or larger each. At least 2GB of RAM. You want a good processor. If an employer tries to make you use a Celeron, tell them to stick it. I try to get away with a high speed hard drive (10,000+ RPM) for the core system as that offers a noticeable boost in performance. You want the both USB and Firewire ports (lots of them), a DVD-ROM drive and a CD-R drive. You also want an iPod or equivalent, with comfortable noise canceling headphones, as that saves the resources you would be using on music playing software and helps you get into the zone.

For keyboard and mouse, I've found the Logitech G11 keyboard to be ideal for programming. I don't like the wavy or angled keyboards, and the programmable keys are wonderful. The Logitech G5 mouse is my favorite because of the weighting options and how good it feels. In general, gaming hardware is also good for programming.

Finally, the one piece of hardware that everyone forgets: a super comfortable chair. Don't screw around with your butt rest, you'd be shocked at how much of a difference it can make to your morale, which in turn makes a difference in your productivity.

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redfiretruck

Ya... I had an awesome chair a like 2 days ago but... It broke xD...

And just as an idea of what I'm using atm...

512mb ram
Probably a slow speed hard drive
Microsoft BASIC Usb Mouse... It literally has basic in the name xD
The keyboard is some random one i found xD.

By the way, are the logitech keys able to be taken out fairly easy? I'd like that .

2 MONITORS? The 2gig ram thing is probably going to take me a long time to get... Let alone !!2!!! monitors xD.

I have a 19" monitor atm (one with scratches) xD.

As an extra note, how bad are laptops with programming? I mean, from what your saying the speed can actually have a huge burst (which i understand since when I run [even a small program] with Vb it takes 6-7 seconds to compile and an extra 3-4 to actually show it xD.

The IPod i can do, but a question... If i have it plugged in to my USB slot, does it take any system resources to verify it or no? (i mean continuous resources not just one 5 second thing).

Oh and trust me, I know VERY well how much audio makes a difference... I have a Logitech USB Headset because of it, they cost more than my keyboard + mouse combined xD and i love them to death. Great Sound and very comfortable.

Anyway, thanks for your response and if you can tell me...

• Are laptops hated for programming (For me, I'm really pushing to buy a laptop for 1 very big reason... I use Dvorak keyboard and I don't want their to be a problem with my school and I)
• How much money does it usually cost for a good programming computer (including keyboard/mouse/etc.)

Ooble

I have a laptop which I use for programming. I'm twice as productive when I can plug my keyboard, mouse and fat-ass monitor into it and use it as a second screen/component box/handwarmer.

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Narue

>2 MONITORS?
Two monitors! You would be shocked at how much of a difference it makes.

>Are laptops hated for programming
Nope. A lot of programmers use a lappy as their main system, and the rest tend to have one as a machine for out of the office.

>How much money does it usually cost for a good programming computer
I'd estimate my spec at work runs between $2,000 and $3,000. At home, it's probably passed $3,000, but that machine is optimized for gaming as well. My work laptop is a high end Dell, and my personal laptop (not really used for programming) is an older low end Dell.

Keep in mind that you don't have to have a hardcore machine to write code. It just makes life more pleasant and productive.

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lectricpharaoh

QFT. My previous chair was one of those wooden 'Windsor back' chairs; it was fine for a while, but murder to use for long periods. My current one is a padded leather one that I find quite comfortable, and it wasn't expensive either (about a hundred bucks at Office Depot).
I use a laptop. If you're going to school, the ability to bring your work to class and home without having to fuss about with copying between your machine and the school computers cannot be overstated. It's so convenient, and this helps productivity. It also means you can configure your machine to your liking, which is often not possible on school machines (these often have many configuration options restricted for security, and sometimes don't even save your settings beyond the current session). Lastly, you can go somewhere else if you need a change of scenery while you're working, which is nice. Don't knock the ability to do your work in the library, cafeteria, or even outside.

Don't worry about a laptop not being powerful enough, at least not at this stage in the game. Mine is a couple years old, and it's never been a problem. It's a Sempron (the AMD answer to Celeron, but unlike Celeron, it doesn't suck) running at 2GHz with one gig of RAM, and an 80-gig HD (kinda small, but like I said, it's a couple of years old). Power might become an issue if you're using a lot of tools simultaneously, or compiling massive amounts of code; neither of these is likely to be true for you for quite a while, as you're just starting out. Even still, laptops have come a long way, and the benefits more than outweigh any drawbacks in most cases.

As an added benefit, a laptop often offers a cheap and easy way to get the dual-monitor experience. Most modern laptops allow you to connect a monitor, and use it as a second display rather than a clone of the primary. In other words, each screen can display different stuff. This kind of setup is handy for debugging, especially when the application in question uses a lot of screen real estate (any fullscreen app fits the bill here).

[edit] I almost forgot. If you do get a laptop, invest in a quality case for it too. Even if the case is a little expensive, it's worth it to protect your laptop. I recommend one of those hard-sided briefcase-like cases, as it offers more protection than a laptop bag. Make sure it's large enough to fit the computer, power supply, mouse, mousepad, and other accessories you might need. If it can hold books as well, then that's a definite plus. My only regret regarding my case is that it's kind of a tight fit, and I can't fit any texts inside of it; this made transit to and from class a bit more awkward than it needed to be. [/edit]

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Jimbo

For most development, I also prefer a laptop for the convenience factor. The main thing I don't like about laptops is that it can be more of a performance hit to run virtual machines, since I don't have a second hard drive spindle to dedicate to the VM (we use these a lot a work, but I usually don't need them for my own projects).

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crawforddavid2006

Thats the only thing i dont agree with, u need at least 2- 20" or larger monitors... 19 is just too damn small

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redfiretruck

I just have one question , What do you do with the 2 screens xD. I mean... Do you have them both on the same feed so they are literally the same exact screen or do you have them for different segments of code and stuff?

Also, an important question i wanted to ask... I know for gaming that Vista is often the bad choice due to it's huge memory hogging stuff and the fact that it has tons of errors with games... But is it ok for programming? (Since almost all laptops are issued with Vista nowadays)

Also another question, how good is the G7 mouse as far as wireless goes? I mean... Do they have the same problem of being disconnected alot? and how long do the batteries usually last? O_o. Anyone know?

Another question xD, how annoying are keyboards usually when they connect to a laptop? Does the laptop often get in the way with it's own keys or is it usually fine to just connect an alternate keyboard? O-o.

Jimbo

Depends. You can have multiple text editor windows on each one, or an editor window in one and tool windows in another, or when debugging you have your app running on one and your IDE/debugger on the other, or you have one for working and one for IRC channels, or ...

Really, extra screen space is just really handy.

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