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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

#31

Post by jaeming »

I've used both of those laptops with Linux and had zero issues. We use Dell at work and it came with Linux installed though I did a clean install afterwards with no issues. If you are talking about just general reliability of the hardware rather than compatibility, I've personally suffered more issues from mackbooks in the past than Dell but that's just my personal experience. Maybe you just had a bad run of luck on that side?

Also, I have been wanting to try https://system76.com/ for quite a while but I can't get my work to approve one.

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

#32

Post by Foobar8568 »

BitwiseFool wrote: post #21

My last Lenovo Thinkpad was an utter disaster. Despite being a mid to mid-top of the line notebook for performance it was stuck with a critical flaw that frequently throttled the CPU down to .39 GHz. Apparently it was a well known bug with the thermal control software and the ultimate solution was just to replace it with another model from corporate IT. Edit: The throttling would happen despite the CPU temperature be…

I had a similar issues with my previous client Dell or HP, really a disaster...And everyone was hit by that bug, we are talking thousand of employees.

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

#33

Post by SteveNuts »

ddoolin wrote: post #25

I think Framework and System76 are largely replacing the best options from the traditional PC manufacturers for Linux users (and maybe many Windows users as well?)

If System76 can get their own laptop chassis designed and fabricated I think a lot of people will be all over that.

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

#35

Post by bostonsre »

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…

> 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?

To me, these details are less desirable, but the operating system and the way in which I utilize the computer to work and get shit done matters more. The niceness of the design (and don't get me wrong, they are super nice and beautiful) seems like superficial details to me. It isn't jewelry to me, it is a tool that I use to work.

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

#36

Post by kemiller2002 »

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…

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 hate.

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

#37

Post by greedo »

pathartl wrote: post #18

Work just upgraded me to an HP EliteBook 835 G8. It's got a Ryzen 7 Pro 5850U and 24GB of RAM. I do mostly .NET/ASP.NET development and it's seriously fantastic. Form factor is good, repairability is good (granted our company is also an HP authorized service center), I/O is good (really only missing eth), and it has a matte display with a touchscreen. I really think that Apple devices get so much clout mostly due to…

"What happens when my logic board inevitably dies? All of my data on that device is toast with no way to recover it."

Backups are your friend. Backblaze, Arq, etc etc etc. Tons of cheap options out there.

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

#38

Post by digisign »

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…

Most people want cheap hardware and software. That's about the whole story right there.

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

#39

Post by jdrc »

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…

Because, if apple is an indication, it takes an enormous amount of investment to make a limited line of products that have those details ironed out. Just like most products, computers are also messy.
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