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MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

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Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#921
post #36

> The new keyboard has the same dimensions and look as its two predecessors, but the keys feel just a little bit different. They're quieter, for one thing. They have a softer, less click-y feel that is a little closer to the pre-2016 models' chiclet keys. We found the new keyboard to be a little nicer to type on, but it's not a radical difference. It's unlikely to convert the detractors, but it's a welcome iteration…

They didn't do that because it is not what most people want. Apple has to make changes that will sell more laptops to the masses to maximize shareholder value. The niche developer/macrumors posters will never be happy regardless of what Apple does. Better to focus on the 90% of customers who buy products and make up 10% of the complaints then to focus on the 10% of customers who make up 90% of the complaints.

How do you know what consumers want without offering choice?

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#922
Apple have surpassed themselves with wallet-gouging markup on SSD and RAM upgrades. £360 for an extra 16GB RAM (£160 retail) and £360 for an extra 500GB SSD (£95 retail). This locking down every component is big business. Nothing like hacking-off your pro customer base.

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#923
post #894
post #701

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had Caps Lock mapped to escape for years. You used to need some tool to do this, but now you can do it right inside Keyboard settings "Modifier Keys". Make sure you choose the real keyboard if you also have a Yubikey plugged in :)

I map caplocks to control, I find the default control button in a weird spot to always be moving my pinky to (and I hardly have a use for caplocks, like yourself). However, after you said this, it reminded me of the comment I caught once where someone had their caplocks setup to be esc on click, or control on hold... no idea how he had it setup, though I'm curious once again.

Karabiner Elements can do that.

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#924
I really can't stand the keyboard. Been using it the last year and a half and it is definitely causing joint pain. I ended up buying an external keyboard to use with it most the time. Also, I want my escape key back. Not having tactile feedback is annoying and frustrating, especially given how much I'm in vim everyday. Just go back to the old keyboard please, you can even keep the touch bar if you must but I will not buy another until the keyboard is made useable and not just flat for no reason beyond making the computer slightly thinner, which is of no value to me.

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#925
post #858

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just to note because it is non-obvious and not documented - both volume and brightness buttons are one touch. You can just tap and drag up/down to immediately adjust, and you don't have to tap, move over to the slider, tap again, then drag.

Your tip only works for _decreasing_ the volume. If it’s turned all the way down, and you want to turn it up, you can’t tap-and-drag it because the fingerprint sensor gets in the way.

You’re right. It’s just two quick drags to maximize the volume. Or one drag to get about 80% there, which covers most situations. The slider stays open when you lift your finger.

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#926
post #783
post #651

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know it's trendy to hate on the touchbar... but for what it's worth, I personally find it more useful than the old function keys. Most mac apps don't use function keys as shortcuts, so the old keyboard ended up being used for media keys (volume, brightness, play/pause, etc.). The touch bar gives me a better version of that (I actually get a volume slider ), plus more apps actually make use of that space to provide…

Imagine not being able to mute your sound in public because your finger doesn't have enough capacitance for some reason.

The sound can also be muted by clicking the sound icon in the menu bar. There is a volume slider there.

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#927
Apple have improved (and probably fixed) the keyboard and increased maximum RAM top 32GB for the 15-inch. These resolving two of the most common complaints seen here previously. Apple have also improved the display, added Siri, better system security and much faster CPUs. The leather sleeves are nice too - wildly expensive but lovely.

It's sad therefore to read so many complaints here - but I suspect many people have silently purchased one.

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#928
post #792

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out Windows subsystem for Linux - you can almost certainly skip cygwin entirely and run the same binaries you like from Ubuntu.

Is there some missing repository you need to add to the Windows Ubuntu? Every time I've tried to install some one-off tool Stackoverflow has suggested (yesterday it was ncftp, the other day it was some ssh configuration, ifconfig isn't there) apt can't find it.

it's the same userland as "real" Ubuntu, so apt will give you the same results on both.

Perhaps do a "sudo apt-get update" (updates the local resources of apt, not the packages themselves) so that when you do a "apt search" or "show" in the future it has something to show?

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#929

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had to replace my 2015 MBP last week, because the kb started failing (it wasn't one of the ones eligible for a free repair, sadly, and I can't live without a machine for however long it takes them to fix it anyway). I was really torn, because although I could reluctantly live without the function keys, the escape key is a complete dealbreaker. After much debate I decided to take a chance on a surface book. I figure…

What are you using for the terminal? I just started a new job with a Windows desktop provided and I can't get much done on it because every terminal emulator I can find sucks compared to iTerm 2 on my MBP, so much that I'm going in to IT to beg them to let me use it, or at least let me dual-boot Ubuntu. Bash on Windows has no way to add solarized light/dark or groovebox themes, much less switch between them daily lik…

You shouldn't use windows to access the WSL filesystem, there are several issues with that (which I believe are being worked on). If you want files accessible from both put them in the Windows filesystem. Regarding themes I can't help that much, I have successfully solarized vim though. I needed:

  let g:solarized_termcolors=256
  set term=screen-256color
  set t_ut=

Re: MacBook Pro with faster performance and new features for pros

#930
post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I highly encourage mapping the Escape key to the Caps Lock key for a couple days and seeing how it feels. I gave it a spin last year out of curiosity and have since fallen in love with it. My poor pinky no longer has to frequently stretch out to the farthest upper left reaches of the keyboard! If you're on macOS, you can do this in System Preferences > Keyboard > Modifier Keys... and selecting the "Escape" in the Cap…

Thanks... unfortunately I've already co-opted the caps lock key to be the control key... a common thing for emacs users to do. Now I need to find another home for esc. shakes fist at sky

Using karabiner-elements, https://pqrs.org/osx/karabiner/, you can map caps to behave a esc when pressed alone, and as ctrl when pressed with another key.
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