jdumont

jdumont OP

Network latency? As in latency within DO’s infrastructure? I assume this is where dedicated hardware over virtualised CPUs would make a difference?

I try to use structs in my tests where I can, otherwise I’m just testing Ecto. It’s only when I’m having to use Ecto’s escape hatch to SQL do I actually run the test against the DB.

Indeed, however I think the more abstract things like battery life, screen quality and a lighter OS come into play. It’s pretty subjective and probably a case of familiarity. You could run an SSH session from almost anything and get the same benefits. In many ways that’s the point of working in remote environments, the client really doesn’t matter.

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Post #21
jdumont

jdumont OP

Just done a few comparisons between DigitalOcean’s Droplets and some hardware I have access to. I compiled my current project - still quite small - after having run mix clean --deps, and then ran time mix. Seconds are the “real” time.

Caveat: Yes, I realise this test is abstract and only one data point, but I feel it’s sufficiently real-world to answer my questions.

$20 DO server
2 vCPU - 4GB
34.56 seconds

$320 DO CPU optimised server
16 vCPU - 32GB
21.18 seconds

2014 Mac Mini on High Sierra
1.4Ghz dual-core Intel i5 - 4GB 1600MHz DDR3
28.69 seconds

2015 15" MacBook Pro on High Sierra
2.5Ghz quad-core Intel i7 - 16GB 16MHz DDR3
18.2 seconds

On that basis, there’s either a hefty cost in running Ubuntu (unlikely) or the virtualisation of Digital Ocean VPS’ is pretty costly. Whether that’s just the general overhead of a VPS, or the actual clock-speed of those virtual cores is severely limited. I’d guess at the latter?

I may provision a dedicated server with similar specs to my proposed desktop just to see what sort of performance is gained by running on bare-metal vs. cloud/VPS hardware.

UPDATE:
2 x Xeon E5-2640 provisioned from Packet
2.6Ghz 16-core Xeon - 128GB RAM
18.87 seconds

Personally, I think that lends credence to the idea that clock-speed matters far for compilation than multiple cores. Tests of course ran a fair bit quicker than the MacBook Pro though.

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Post #22
AstonJ

AstonJ

How was it holding you back?

I went from a MacPro to a MBA (8gb ram 250gb ssd and with external display, keyboard and trackpad for most of the day) and loved my MBA so much that I sold my MP. The MP was the most powerful computer I have ever owned, but the MBA was the ‘best’ (i.e overall favourite) computer I have ever owned.

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Post #23
jdumont

jdumont OP

Going from 11" screen to the Retina 15" was probably the most obvious change. It was mainly the extra vertical height that I noticed. I felt like I had to spend less time managing windows and adjusting side panels to squeeze everything into view at once.

The performance was obviously better, but it was mainly the screen size/quality that was the “Wow” feature for me.

Edited to add:
Equally, the iPad clearly isn’t the most powerful computer I’ve used, but it has become my favourite.

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Post #24
ardhitama

ardhitama

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They mice and keyboards are for pairing, mostly the driver will use MBP’s keyboard instead, that thing is comfortable.

*excuse my workspace that was when setting up the pairing station, it’s better arranged today.
*nowadays we mirror the display instead of extending it

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Post #26
sribe

sribe

You should have swapped out the case, duh :wink:

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Post #27
Matt

Matt

I sometimes only have my iPad handy. Blink + Mosh is an awesome combination.

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Post #28
AstonJ

AstonJ

There is some great info here, and I wonder if we need a separate thread for “Web/software development with an iPad”?

We could make it a wiki and those of you using such a set up could post your tips, thoughts etc?

If you think it’s a good idea please go ahead and create it and we’ll make it a wiki :003:

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Post #29
jdumont

jdumont OP

Sure, I’ll put together something later today.

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Post #30
dwahyudi

dwahyudi

I have the latest Macbook Pro, well… nothing really special about it. Just a goddamn boring machine with lots of its ports removed, leaving only 2 USB C ports and a headphone jack. But it is so damn stable and I have no other issue since the first day.

But really, I think any machine that is built after 2011 will work just fine for web development.

And I still have a 2012 Acer laptop with Linux Mint on it, currently using it right now, currently compiling a Phoenix project while browsing, running a rails app, and viewing Youtube. It’s pretty hot (I mean it’s hot because of 100% CPU usage right now).

Macbook Pro => Boring, stable machine, no customization, no need to install any driver, so compact yet so stupid because when I need to plug in an HDMI port, I have to find an adapter for it.

Linux => A tons of distro to choose from, a tons of customisation to choose from, but yet some hardware need to find a correct driver in order to run smoothly.

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Post #31