No matter what solution we pick for monitor and main computing unit (we will discuss a lot of options), we will need a keyboard. A die-hard coder mostly works on his keyboard and crouching over a laptop does not cut it. As far as I am concerned, I need a keyboard with normal layout. You know, cursor arrows arranged in a T, 2x3 keys (insert, home, page up in the top row, delete, end, page down in the bottom row) above them. It's slower to work on anything else (sometimes unbearably slow). And, of course, I need a 19mm keyboard pitch, too. However, the traditional 101-105 keys keyboard is just a bit too long to run around with it in the world.
IBM to the rescue. IBM always made the best keyboards, the "Model M" is a legend. Their clicky keyboards embody reliability. Now, these nice guys made a number of Space Saver keyboards. 100% standard layout without the numpad which is really not that a big deal. As an added bonus there is a trackpoint which happens to be one my favorite pointing devices -- I hate touchpads, though -- with no additional space consumed, the mouse keys are below the space bar, part of the short wrist rest. It's just perfect.
There are two catches: it's relatively hard to come by. Lenovo still manufactures a keyboard with a TrackPoint but that also has a touchpad (that's great, when you rest your palms while thinking, you have a good chance of making awkward mouse movements...), making it bigger and also they changed the standard layout a bit. The other problem is it's price... it's an IBM keyboard :) I got lucky and got mine for $50 including shipping to Hungary. But then again, I bought two (just in case someone pours some sugary liquid into one of them) and that made per piece shipping cheaper :)
It's probably good to warn my dear readers: one of the last things I consider when buying gear is price. If something is a very good solution to a problem with few or no compromises then I do not hesitate buying and recommending it.