[Jared Russell]

Things I look for specifically in my programming laptops:

1. Durability. I have dropped, stepped on, and spilled on my programming laptops in the pits. It happens. If you can, try to get a sense of the quality of construction of your laptop in a store before buying.

2. A good sized screen and keyboard. A 15" screen is preferable. Netbooks are nice and portable, but you will go blind and get carpal tunnel trying to do significant coding on them.

3. A sane keyboard layout. Some manufacturers get "cute" with key placement and sizing. Drives me nuts.

4. RS-232 serial connection (optional, but desirable). It is getting almost impossible to find these built in, and while USB dongles provide connectivity they are slow and can get lost. Even with the cRIO, having a serial cable for debugging can save your butt at times.

Our team has traditionally looked at refurbished laptops for our programming needs, both because they are cheaper and they are more likely to have RS-232 built in. And even if we destroy our refurb, it will only cost a few hundred dollars to replace (rather than $1000 or more for a top of the line model).