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Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

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Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#221

Post by ppetty »

porcc wrote: post #168
ppetty wrote: post #136

"I strongly dislike MacOS because they force the "apple way" of doing things." What does that mean exactly? I'm genuinely curious about what Apple forces a user to do. I would think cost is a concrete example ... But does Apple restrict you from using some software? or executing some work related function? some other functionality? or is that "Apple way" with regard to Apple's user experiences? I wish there was a "Ve…

Macbooks are abysmal for window management, for example. There are some lightweight tools that can manage some placement but they are neutered in one way or another. Deeper integration requires disabling BIOS-related security which I am personally uncomfortable doing, and still doesn't offer full control like you'd get on other Unix systems. Most of the OS is similarly untouchable. Another example is Safari and its e…

There are a handful of windows management apps that don't require changing or disabling BIOS security features. Moom & Divvy are both really good.

Safari's extensions shouldn't hold you back too much; if you're willing to use Chrome or Brave or Firefox.

Hotkeys seem like something that would change from platform to platform, but learning how they work does take time.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#222

Post by mgdlbp »

thrill wrote: post #198
sedatk wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why does nobody care about creaking plastic? About sticky-feeling texture? About uneven weight distribution? About the sound that materials make when handling them? About flickering in software? About inconsistent spacing? About janky color combinations? I think Microsoft's Surface lineup has been making good strides on that front, but they still have a long way to go.

I was in love with my Surface, even after they took a month to repair it for warranty, but come on, having it die the day after the warranty expired, with no consideration for a replacement, has made that a one-and-done consideration. I sure did like fanless computing though. As a lifelong non-Mac guy (mostly unix, and then linux, since the days AT&T were sharing their code around college campuses), I'm about to go t…

I unfortunately can only affirm with my experiences: well engineered exterior feel, but plagued by unreliable hardware. My Surface Pro 4 managed to simultaneously experience flickergate and battery expansion, and the soft surface of its keyboard crumbled where my wrists touched it. Its refurbished warranty replacement then pulled off the signature die-a-month-out-of-warranty. The bottom half of a Surface Book in the family also died without any recourse (with no official replacements sold).

Naturally, the unsupported, glued-down screens also make them some of the least repairable devices on the market. At least they had the sense to make the SSD removable—aside from saving you if spontaneous failure catches you out of a backup (as Microsoft will wipe all devices sent in for repair), it's also the only part salvageable from a "PC" of such form factor.

That said, the Dells we've had seem to very reliably suffer from broken hinges.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#223

Post by joeman1000 »

uniqueuid wrote: post #52
kemiller2002 wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Laguiole flatware is beautiful. It is a true mark of craftsmanship, and it is priced as such. As much as I appreciate their elegance, I don't need a $100 spoon to eat my cornflakes in the morning. We tolerate less poor design, because spending time on money on something which in the end is not truly worth the time or money is focusing on something unimportant to most people....especially at a job they most likely…

That's the thing. We spend a huge amount of time using computers. Considering not just the share of time but also the share of concentrated attention, they are an even more important object in our lives. Why would you not desire the tool you use to be the absolute best you can have? And if eating cornflakes is important to you, the Laguioles may be worth it. After all, they will probably last ten years or twenty. Com…

Great comment. I was agonising over whether I should buy a HHKB ($600 keyboard) and I came to a similar conclusion. I’m touching it and using it every single day for the next decade, it should be a joy to use. I can’t remember who said it, but: “An expensive tool upsets you once, when you purchase it. A cheap tool upsets you every single time you have to use it.” Computer people have to start seeing themselves as craftsman. You make a living using your tools (computer, screen, keyboard, desk, chair…), they should be the best you can afford!

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#224

Post by wildrhythms »

dbevv wrote: post #186
uniqueuid wrote: post #24

I may be an outlier, but for me, the problem with non-mac machines is that they seem just careless. Steve jobs famously said "The only problem with Microsoft is they just have no taste.", and this seems true to me for almost all hardware manufacturers, and to a larger degree still for software. Why does nobody care about creaking plastic? About sticky-feeling texture? About uneven weight distribution? About the sound…

I dislike using touchpads very much. I go to great lengths to control everything with the keyboard, and fall back to a traditional mouse when I have to (I tried trackballs but I couldn't adapt). Whenever I'm forced to use a touchpad because I'm on the go or I don't have room to bring a mouse with me, I groan. That said, the implementation of the touchpad in a Macbook vs a regular touchpad in even a high end laptop is…

I'm the same way and I'm mortified whenever I have the displeasure to use some PC or Chromebook laptop trackpad. PC manufacturers today still can't figure out how to make a trackpad as good as what Apple had 20 years ago.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#225

Post by ppetty »

sdflhasjd wrote: post #182
ppetty wrote: post #136

"I strongly dislike MacOS because they force the "apple way" of doing things." What does that mean exactly? I'm genuinely curious about what Apple forces a user to do. I would think cost is a concrete example ... But does Apple restrict you from using some software? or executing some work related function? some other functionality? or is that "Apple way" with regard to Apple's user experiences? I wish there was a "Ve…

Vent? I recently had an issue where my Internet connection went down, I was left with my phone and a tiny data cap. The work I was doing required an Internet connection, but when I tethered my mac, it kept trying to download gigabytes of updates. It ended in a stalemate with seeming no way to pause, cancel or cap the download. Both windows and Linux will set you set download cap, flag connections as metered, pause do…

You can cancel a download, but if you've enabled automatic updates macOS might not be aware that you have data limits. And that's terrible. Maybe file a bug or support ticket with Apple.

But the rest of your post is puzzling. The original post was about buying a MacBook & how awful that might be. You're describing developing Apple apps for Apple's platform (and 2FA for a dev account). How would you do those things without an Apple device? And why? If you don't like the forced Apple way, why develop for their platform? But also how does that relate to the choice between the 3 devices in the original post?

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#227

Post by phs »

nimbius wrote: post #73

not to sound like a curmudgeon but I for one will be in the cold cold ground before I ever declare macbook as the only viable option. hackers are working hard on really cool daily driver laptops that respect your freedom and work to deliver an excellent computing experience. system76 offers a good balance of performance and value: https://system76.com/laptops pinebook offers a competitive and cheap arm daily driver:…

Been very happy with my system76 galago pro 4 for a few years now, would recommend and will buy from them again.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#228

Post by wildrhythms »

watmough wrote: post #194
varunprasad wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're extremely lucky. Or maybe you change your laptops before Apple acknowledges the very real problems they have. So many of their laptops have had issues necessitating recalls, but because they were able to delay those recalls until 5+ years after those devices were released (even if complaints started way earlier), they get away with it. I've already had 2 Apple laptops where I took in a 4-5 year old device, and…

The Core 2 Duo 17" MacBookPro is the most expensive and worst machine I ever owned. The 13" MBP M1 has been the best, apart from the wretched touchbar.

Ironically, you can buy the 14-inch M1 MBP with no touchbar... and you can buy the M1 Air with no touchbar... it's only the 13-inch MBP with that god awful invention. I'm sticking with the M1 Air for now specifically for that reason.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#229

Post by sam_lowry_ »

chaostheory wrote: post #157
uniqueuid wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The price of, say, a basic victorinox Swiss Army knife or a simple Caran d‘ache ball pen is still around one hourly wage in Western Europe and perhaps 2 to 5 in Eastern Europe.

Are they made with the same quality of materials as older, more reliable versions? I would guess no. It's also a poor comparison because both are low tech products.

You many be surprised, but ball pens or even pencils are not really low-tech products. Their production needs precision equipment and cutting-edge supply chain. You can´t make a pencil in your basement.

side note: "caran d'ache" actually means pencil in Russian which in turn borrowed the name from Turkic, where cara(n) means black and ache is stone. The company is Swiss, but it was set up by a Russian cartoonist that fled the 1917 revolution, worked in Paris and settled in Switzerland inbetween the world wars.

Re: Ask HN: MacBooks seems to be the only viable option these days

#230

Post by superasn »

gwn7 wrote: post #62

It is extremely funny that people are able to come to conclusions like this from just 2 data points. "Macbooks seem to be the only viable option these days", because I had bad experiences with two non-Macbook computers. To be fair; I don't think that the author came to that conclusion only from those 2 anecdotes. But still, that is the way the argument is presented. And it really looks absurd.

Yes I've owned all sorts of laptops from toshiba to lenovo to asus including a macbook air and the mac was the only laptop i sold on olx as i just didn't like it one bit.

So to each his own and definitely op is just unlucky and the conclusion drawn in this post is just absurd and flame-baity.

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