It’s decided that I will use a Linux desktop as my primary work driver. I won’t be leaving the Apple ecosystem for very different reasons, but I need to find ways to integrate all the other OSes now.

I’ll try to write about that journey a bit, and I’m going to start with my hardware choices.

I have fond memories of my 11" Macbook Air, which was just the best computer I ever used. The form factor was made for me as a mobile computer, and with its i7, it was powerful for everything I needed.
So in autumn of last year, I wanted to try Linux again, which is why I have ordered a Starlite Mk IV 11-inch laptop. This is supposed to be the mobile workstation I can throw in the bag.
I have been waiting for months now because of Covid related delays.

But for real work™, I need something more powerful, and I want it soon. I’m getting more annoyed with bugs1, and the stopgaps I’m confronted with because of Apple’s switch to the ARM processor architecture are worse than I expected when getting the machine. Because of it, I can’t use my development workflows directly on my Macbook Air2 but need to work remotely on Linux machines. This is ok since I work 95% in a shell and with neovim, but not all the time and exceptionally not well when I want to sit in the garden (office).

So, I need a powerful desktop running Linux to complement the tiny portable one.

I’d love to order something from tuxedo computers – Jochen has one from them, and seems to be very happy about it – but their online store has been down for days now.

Even building my desktop isn’t out of the question either. I have done this a lot and always enjoyed it. I already have done some research and need to put the parts together, but I’m not fully decided yet.

But I will decide soon.

  1. Is it so hard to remember background images with multiple displays? ↩︎

  2. Not as nice as my 2010 11“ Macbook Air, but a great machine nonetheless. ↩︎