Another option is to actually do the work on the remote computer.

One example workflow:
* Client machine is a small, low power, laptop. (Or, alternatively, a Raspberry Pi should work here, especially with Visual Studio Code being easy to install these days.)
* Server machine is more powerful, but is impractical to sit at; perhaps it's noisier than one would like, it's headless, or it's in the cloud somewhere (maybe you rented it from a company like Linode or Digital Ocean?).
* Server exports the filesystem to the client, and can be mounted by some means such as NFS or Samba.
* The code is edited by a program running on the client, like vscode or vi/emacs. The code is stored on the server, however, so anytime the file is saved, it will be sent to the server.
* There's also an ssh connection from the client to the server. This connection is used to compile and run the code, which will run on the server and can therefore benefit from the server's extra power.
* No need to sync everything (unless you want to be able to work when the network is down); everything is stored on the server. (It's still a good idea to run backups on the server, however.)

As I said before, I use rsync and an Ansible playbook to build and copy back binaries (basically over ssh). I guess I could mirror my git repo on the desktop as well - don't ask me why, but I prefer rsyncing to that.

Laptop noise levels and thermals will vary a lot depending on thermal design, build quality and so on - not only on hardware specs. There are still some relatively quiet i5 laptops out there, but they are usually TDP limited.

You can't really tell how a laptop will perform these days unless you check out a professional review or have a chance to test it out in a showroom before purchase.

I'm still using a Thinkpad X230 - It's powerful enough to run most older GOG games, and is even able to run an XP VM that I can play Freelancer and Baldur's Gate Tutu and Icewind Dale in. It can't run much newer stuff tho' due to the HD4000 and modern devs inability to optimize or write efficient code. (Seriously, games like Maize and Darksiders Genesis should run fine on this thing but they are so badly written I just gave up!)

I am in the process of hunting for newer one that I can use to run mode modern games but still be useful for work, but frankly all new laptops suck giant festering balls. They are all missing things like ports, replaceable batteries, status LEDs and keys, the latter of which makes navigating around e.g. Midnight Commander a real PITA. I really love that I don't have to carry around a dongle-tree with me with this laptop, aside from a few ExpressCards which i can swap in and out without worrying about breaking off a flimsy USB-C port. Also it is very resistant to damage and spills!

I had my eye on a Thinkpad T14 non-S, as that at least still has an Ethernet port, but while I was umm-ing and ah-ing due to my hatred of Windows 10, and investigating how I could switch that part of my workflow to Linux, they dropped the AMD variant, so now I'm waiting to see if they re-release it with a Zen-3 chip or whether I need to look elsewhere.


My dream laptop right now is a version of the super modular Getac and Toughbooks that I could carry without needing to go to the Gym for a year first, and that also don't cost more than my car...

My dream laptop right now would be a small one, at most 10 inch or perhaps even as low a 7 inch, but they don't seem to make laptops that small anymore. It would have modern (albeit low end) hardware, including things like USB-C (ideally being able to charge that way) and nvme, and like my current "small" laptop, would be fanless (and not have thermal issues).

Interestingly, Linux reports that my small laptop has 2(!) SATA ports, neither of which is connected. (This is one of those laptops with soldered-on eMMC; it works, but takes much longer to boot than my big laptop with an nvme drive.)

Have you seen things like the OneGx1 and pretty much anything at gpd.hk? They are very expensive due to the low volume and miniaturizing but, sound like the sort of thing you're after!

Close, but I'd prefer it to focus on price rather than performance.

I'd be fine with a Celeron/Atom CPU, a lower resolution screen (do you *really* need 1200p at that size?), and perhaps not as much RAM. I just want something I can use in my hands, that has a physical keyboard, and that is an open enough platform for me to run Linux and write my own programs for.

(Note that I've tried a tablet with a case with keyboard; the problem is that it's not rigid enough to use it without a flat surface.)

"Getting a laptop to replace a PC is not a great idea. PCs are just better for gaming, and you will have to pay a lot of money to get a laptop that's good for gaming.
If your wife wants a laptop, you can get her a cheap one. There are good cheap laptops, and you can see which on https://bestlaptopguides.com/the-best-laptops-under-300-pounds/.
It's better to invest more money in a good PC for gaming and to get a cheap laptop that will be good for other smaller tasks"