Laptop choice

nothing done on a computer is respectable

Thinkad X1?

you don't need anything more than a beat up thinkpad to accomplish all those goals. if you want to spend money the framework is a solid futureproof choice

the really important thing is to not spend much time on the computer at first - read books, do the exercises with a pen, attend lectures at the local college, open your laptop once or twice a day to apply what you've been thinking about. looking at screens for 14 hours a day and constantly swapping to stackoverflow tabs is what makes you retarded, not having the wrong laptop

>I want to dedicate the next few years to evolve from being a script kiddie to something more respectable for myself.
>- I want to try pentesting, web development and I try to be privacy conscious.

A super duper blazing fast laptop won't help you with what you're wanting to do.
see

>looking at screens for 14 hours a day and constantly swapping to stackoverflow tabs is what makes you retarded

I basically treat the internet as my sole source of knowledge. Is that really not the best way to learn?

I know this feels like a waste of time, but indulge me if you can. Can you offer me an alternative source of education (I cannot go to any uni right now) to start? I was thinking udemy/freecodecamp, but that's basically going against what you are saying I should do

We all fall into this trap. K&R and SICP although memed here actually got my foot in the door. Do exercises. Make programs it can be simple. Repetition helps a lot. Get some hardware that gets the job done. Thinkpads have great support which is why theyre recommended.

Thank you very much. I see them on the installgentoo, I'll give it more of a read, even though some info seems a bit outdated (for example, laptop buying device)

framework laptops seem good. easier to upgrade than others too

pentesting/security? there are conferences EVERYWHERE. there's probably a hobby group that meets regularly if you live near a big city. a lot of cool shit and networking happens in person. even if you just sit in a corner and attend the talks, you'll learn a ton

video courses aren't all bad, but they're more to learn specific technologies after you build a solid foundation. for example learn python from a person or book, but learn how to write metasploit modules in python from a video course

there are billions of books for learning fundamentals but it's easier if you're being held accountable and delivering projects in a course. if you can't learn physically where you live, an online graded course with a live instructor is the next best thing

The Web Application Hacker's Handbook 2nd Ed
The Hacker Playbook 3: Practical Guide To Penetration Testing
Gray Hat Hacking 6th Ed
Gray Hat Python

>I want to stop being a retard
>anything below 15" is unaccepteable
LOL.
My laptop of choice for doing work on the go is a 10in about the size of that book and I've been more productive on it than you ever will be on some $3000 whatever.
Larger screens are fine if it sits on a desk all it's life but just massively inconvenient, heavy, and fragile