Are you running Linux or Windows on these? With sufficient RAM (and slightly efficient IDE) (and the right FS) Linux may cache your files and you might not actually feel a huge problem after first compile of the day. Or you can see if you can create a ram filing system (tmpfs) and do compilation from there. Docker COULD be very efficient and might Just Work(tm) ok. Is IntelliJ the thing that's slowing you down?
Possibly just replacing the spinning rust with cheap SSDs might be a good compromise. Modern laptops have a separate M.2 connector, but these old ones probably don't.
Another solution might be to have a single central server to stand up docker instances fast, if that's a thing you need.
Also, maybe look in to using something like raspberry pi 4 as an extra plug-in unit to help out (as docker host)? They're surprisingly powerful; possibly at least as good as the 2011 laptops. At least try one out and see!
... and you're spoiling these guys ;-) Back in my day, I used notepad and javac raw, and liked it!
Possibly just replacing the spinning rust with cheap SSDs might be a good compromise. Modern laptops have a separate M.2 connector, but these old ones probably don't.
Another solution might be to have a single central server to stand up docker instances fast, if that's a thing you need.
Also, maybe look in to using something like raspberry pi 4 as an extra plug-in unit to help out (as docker host)? They're surprisingly powerful; possibly at least as good as the 2011 laptops. At least try one out and see!
... and you're spoiling these guys ;-) Back in my day, I used notepad and javac raw, and liked it!