XPS M1210 for Programming???

I am looking at buying a new laptop for both programming and playing games.

Has anyone used the 1210 for programming? My concern is that the 12 inch monitor will be too small. Any opinions?

I currently have a 15.4 inch widescreen (1680 x 1050) so I don't want to get the 1210 and then hate the fact that I have lost so much screen real estate.

Thanks,
Rich

 

What IDEs do you use? Regardless really, I think your instincts might be right, and you might be more comfortable with a larger laptop with more screen real-estate to make most IDEs more comfortable to work in.

 

I think the Dell is too small to program with personally. Nothing but 15.4'' + for me.

 

I think it depends on personal preference & whether you're able to get used to the small screen. I've done quite a bit of programming (Java, COBOL, Visual Basic) & using MS Visual Studio on both the 700m & M1210 & don't find it uncomfortable at all. So it all goes down to the user.... Good luck.

 

It's great for programming. I am in VS2005 and SQL2K5 all day long. If you are camped on site, you use an external monitor anyway. If you are a mobile consultant, you can't beat the power in a lappy this size.

Some considerations though. I bought the M1210 with top of the line CD2 processor, 100 gig 7400 RPM drive, and 2 gig of memory. I would recommend (at least) the same for any developer.

 

yah all i do is program 90% of the day on mine. like what sreymj said, i run a 7200rpm 100 gig and 2gb of ram. i have around 5 main apps open at a time and tons of windows. i usually go for windows xp pro, but went for media center since vista is right around the corner. it handles my wamp just fine, a little big of lag upon opening my localhost, but nothing i can't bare. i bought two batteries since I'm always on the go. on the plus side its very professional for meetings / presentations and what not.

 

the 12 incher is way to small for programming, unless you decide to get an external monitor. i dont own the m1210, but ive seen someone else's. although the laptop is nice for the size, the screen size is very very small.i would go for the 15.4+

 

Its all opinion on the screen. I dont program, but I usually have 4+ windows open, and im on it for hours at a time writing papers and such. If you just turn up the resolution it gives plenty of space imo. I like the 1210's screen so much I never ever use my 17" Dell Ultrasharp any more. Everything on that screen seems way too big, and blury compared to the 1210's.

 

i agree that the 17" is too big, but im currently using a 15.4 (e1505) and i program a little bit for classes.the screen is just perfect, but at times i wish it was just a little bigger but i dont want to sacrifice portability, so i guess im good witht he 15.4. i have around 5-8 windows opened at times. most of the time i need to be able to look at 2 windows at a time.

 

I agree with the other people, it's possible to program on the M1210, just learn to cut down the length of your lines of code and break those long routines up into nice small classes Small real estate promotes better coding !!

 

I think you will need a bigger screen if you going to be programming and gaming