I'm keen to see the phone evolve into a useful computer. Physical connections could be achieved with bluetooth adapters and the like. Keyboard either virtual/projected, or tacktile foldout for touchtyping. Screen could be a tiny projector, or google glass style. Anyone got links to this type of system?
A small notebook for a system administrator
231–240 of 274 posts
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#232The color coded keyboard seems like a neat and readily achievable idea. Are there any laptops with that available on market now?
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#233> Such notebook is suitable for posting photos on Instagram, but not for work. There's something about that statement that put me off the entire article. Maybe the author truly is 3l337, but it just comes off as condescending. Plus, who uses a notebook for Instagram? The author managed to be simultaneously derisive and clueless.
To each their own, but personally I reacted positively to that sentence and immediately knew I want to read the whole article - because I knew the author feels the same way as I do: that computers are increasingly built for casual consumption, and are optimized to be toys, not tools.
I've used a 2012 MacBook Air 11,6" till 2018 for 3D development among other tasks. It's not a toy only usable for consumption. It's simply a good compromise when you care about mobility.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#234Earlier quoted context omitted.
uhnn no? Where is the serial ports etc
What is the purpose of a serial port, If your goal is a portable SSH client ?
Plenty of enterprise grade hardware (I'm looking at Cisco) provide telnet access over a serial interface - which is dead handy when the thing is running but stops responding to SSH connections.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#235I really do empathise with the authors sentiment, even the supposedly business grade lines of laptops are being consumerized with soldered RAM, no ports, no swappable batteries and cruddy 16:9 displays.
I wish Panasonic actually sold their gear outside Japan, they still build tools first and foremost, fashion accessories second. The Lets Note RZ6 looks fantastic.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#236This is SUCH a niche system, that I don't understand why carrying adapter is a bad thing. There are already laptops that kinda fit his keyboard/pointer/size requirements. - His "video subsystem" idea already has a solution for many years. KVM2USB. https://www.epiphan.com/products/kvm2usb-3-0/ - His "let me turn this into a boot device" also has a solution. Many virtual cd rom devices exist, for example https://www.am…
I used to think it was an absolutely awesome for a laptop to have an rj45 - something missing from the VAST majority of thin & light ultrabooks. I still think it's useful. This week I used a laptops rj45 to figure out that the connection to a switch was working but not the connection from the switch. However one thing I realised is that if I'm ever repairing computers I'm going to be carrying a toolkit with me regard…
My intuition agrees. The threshold of features that OP is looking for amounts to "multiple devices all crammed into one". That is going to lead to a compromised workflow - there's more to configure on your end and you'll lose track of it in a digital sense instead of a physical one. Like with the actual Swiss Army Knife, most of the end result is likely to be unsatisfying as a professional tool.
For ordinary tasks, a consumer device that can SSH in, and ideally do some USB, probably is the right thing. Last week I put together a $50 vest-pocket writing kit with a smartphone stand and a folding Bluetooth keyboard(iClever brand, if you care). And in just a week of use, I've already had multiple strangers remark "I want that" - I can easily imagine using it for coding and sysadmin too. The real limits to client computing these days mostly revolve around operating system and I/O, and you do want to have lots of ports...but mostly on your desktops and servers.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#237This set of ideas is probably most easily commercialized as a USB-C dongle with a fuckload of ports (including display inputs) that you can then connect to any laptop you want. For bonus points, the dongle could include port-testing functionality, and a webserver, so you plug it in, browse to http://dongle, and see that your Ethernet port is fucked.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#238Small change proposal for the UARTUSB bridge: make Vio selectable between 3.3V/5V
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#239Earlier quoted context omitted.
You’re right, and I’ve owned an example device recently, the GPD Win. In theory it was awesome, a portable x86 Windows 10 gaming device. But in practice, nothing about it was good enough to make it worth the money. The screen was a phone screen that tried desperately to be portrait by default, the keyboard was horrible, and the overall build quality was lacking. Honestly yes, a device like the one in the article migh…
FWIW, I have a GPD Win 2 and I love it. I never had a Win 1, but the reports I've heard from people who have had both is that the build quality and keyboard layout were both significantly improved. They're also working on a new device that is more sysadmin oriented.
I will say this, their customer support was top-notch for the Win 1. They were known to send replacement keyboards, fans, and even system boards, well past the original warranty date. They also still give out proper Windows 10 license keys for devices that came with invalid keys, even years later. I know this because the one I bought from eBay was not activated, and when I tried to activate with the supplied key it refused. I emailed their support and within a few hours had a working valid key.
Re: A small notebook for a system administrator
#240I'll make this simpler: I want a 4:3 ThinkPad T61 with modern hardware. Same thickness, same keyboard, same everything. Widescreen sucks for code.
Take a look at the 51nb X62.