Considering a new laptop. Since almost all of my entertainment needs are satisfied by my tablet and ...

Considering a new laptop. Since almost all of my entertainment needs are satisfied by my tablet and my Chromecast, this would be largely for development. Some writing, as I've been blogging more, but mostly development.

Here's what I think I want:

* 8GB Memory
* 128GB+ SSD - not sure how much more Plus, but at least some plus
* USB3 in at least one port
* at least 13" screen
* no optical drive 
* more brushed aluminum, less breakable plastic

I'm not sure if I want Core I7 or if Core I5 would do. I'm reasonably sure I don't want a touch screen: I touch my tablet's screen and it gets greasy and gross. I don't want that for a screen.

I like the idea of running OSX. It's a real Unix, descended from Ritchie and Thompson. I just think there's a $500 difference between the MacBooks I've seen and equivalent PC hardware, and I'm not sure what I'm getting for that. If someone else was paying for it, sure, I'll go for that, but not on my own dime.

Someone I know rocks a Dell XPS 13, and it looks right about what I want. I'm torn between running Linux and running Windows 10 on it. I know I could install Linux and put Win10 on a VM, but I've had problems trying to get developer tools running in a VM before.

So, what am I forgetting? What should I know?

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