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One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

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Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#311

Post by gxx »

actuator wrote: post #26
thebean11 wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I never really got this argument, what exactly is stopping a manufacturer from writing a great trackpad driver?

I have heard and read in reviews that Microsoft has more or less nailed the touchpad in Surface laptops. So definitely there is scope.

I've been wanting to switch to Windows from Mac for years. The thing that holds me back is the quality of the Mac touchpad vs any Windows laptop, and I recently ordered a Surface Book 3 having heard how great the touchpad is. I've already returned it.

The touchpad is pretty good but it's still not as precise as the Mac touchpad - there is a slight hysteresis that makes it imprecise for short movements. No amount of tweaking settings could overcome this. The only way to be accurate at short range is to slow the overall pointer speed so it takes more than one finger swipe to move across the screen.

The other problem with the Surface Book is the Home and End keys are not accessible at the same time as the function keys - a show-stopper for smooth editing and debugging in an IDE.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#312

Post by alexktz »

filmgirlcw wrote: post #272
itsoktocry wrote: post #245

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Being dogmatic and pure about the license of every piece of software you use might win internet points but it’s not going to actually get the job done. Sure. But I wouldn't go around calling myself an "open source advocate" while supporting some of the worst.

Why does it have to be a zero sum game? Frankly, that’s the sort of gate-keeping that keeps people away from trying or adopting OSS. Someone can support and advocate for a software development model and for the freedoms and opportunities that can allow for without having to go all-in and ensure that every piece of software they buy, use, or support follows that same model. A really great way discourage people from ad…

Absolutely Amen. Thank you.

A list of my open source contributions include co-founding Linuxserver.io, the Self-Hosted podcast, blogging extensively about open source software (blog.ktz.me) and work for Red Hat. I say this not to be 'look at me' but to show that I try to put my money where my mouth is. I wonder what the other commenters have contributed.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#313

Post by loxs »

jimbob21 wrote: post #233
zdragnar wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am glad that you like your macbook, but your experience has been very different from mine. It has the worst WIFI radio in a laptop that i have used; one area of my house is basically off-limits to it despite every other Wi-Fi enabled device i own working there (phones and several laptop brands). The fancy metal case isnt properly grounded- I get occasionally a slight tingling /shock from it when I have it plugged i…

Can I get some laptop recommendations with similar specs (and most importantly battery time) as the MBP from you? I've been looking around for a new one.

Currently I run the cheapest ThinkPad T495 (AMD hardware) on Arch Linux (but maxed the RAM on my own). Everything works great, except it doesn't remember the screen brightness level after a reboot, which is not a big deal at all for me - I don't reboot very often.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#314

Post by AnthonyMouse »

tstrimple wrote: post #136
AnthonyMouse wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that argument has become the default claim for whenever Apple does something well, even when it doesn't make any sense. It particularly doesn't make sense in this case because we're talking about Linux, where anybody can make any changes they like to not only the drivers but the entire operating system. OEMs already commonly have their own distributions. Apple have a good trackpad because they developed a goo…

Anyone can make changes, but it's far fewer people who are paid to make changes, and even fewer people paid to polish the experience. Doing the detailed work to make applications "feel good" to use is very difficult, time consuming and the returns aren't immediately obvious. This is not an area of strength for either Windows or Linux. Apple and apps developed for their products tend to be a lot better in this area.

But this still has nothing to do with "controls the software and the hardware" -- which is also true for the people with other priorities. OEMs can modify Linux however they like. Microsoft makes their own hardware (e.g. Surface).

But Microsoft targets businesses who don't care about polish because the buyer and the user are different people, and Linux targets hackers who care more about other things. It has nothing to do with what was originally claimed.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#315

Post by olyjohn »

systemvoltage wrote: post #220
zdragnar wrote: post #102

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am glad that you like your macbook, but your experience has been very different from mine. It has the worst WIFI radio in a laptop that i have used; one area of my house is basically off-limits to it despite every other Wi-Fi enabled device i own working there (phones and several laptop brands). The fancy metal case isnt properly grounded- I get occasionally a slight tingling /shock from it when I have it plugged i…

> It has the worst WIFI radio in a laptop that i have used This is an extremely disputable claim. Wifi chipset used by Apple is by far the best in class in my experience. I have 4 laptops - ASUS, Thinkpad, HP laptop from work and MBP 16". All of them get a visit to the special room once a week at least. If we use my commode as a benchmark of wifi radio performance, when I am sitting on it and watching Monty Python, I…

My MacBook Pro has a Broadcom BCM43xx chip in it.

What's so "best in class" about that? I don't regard Broadcom as being particularly great.

Maybe your MacBook just has a better antenna. Or it just happens to be configured in just such a way that it works better in that one room in your house.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#316

Post by OriginalPenguin »

jjtheblunt wrote: post #281
1123581321 wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The radio must be faulty. You should have it looked at or replaced by Apple. They are best in class or at least better than mid-ranged laptops, if you’re only comparing to specialty PC hardware.

Or an aftermarket sticker is interfering with the wifi antenna?

Is that a real issue? A sticker is enough to impact a wifi antenna enough that people would notice?

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#317

Post by throwaway4715 »

alexktz wrote: post #61

I recently purchased a 16” MBP despite significant personal concerns over the future of MacOS, being a strong open source advocate and Linux paying my mortgage. I did this ultimately for a few reasons. MacOS lets me run Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc), Fusion360, has a good terminal (iTerm and zsh unix like shell) and Logic. Mac hardware is still some of the best in the business, no other vendors seem to be able to…

In my experience the 16" MBP is just bad. This is my first Apple laptop and it's pretty, but that's about it. Despite having a serious horsepower (on paper) the fan runs constantly while doing basic tasks, I get tons of beachballs, and my wireless mouse has to plugged into a specific port or it's janky as hell. It's not intuitive (for me) or performant. It's not even a good linux stand in.

My takeaway from this whole experience is that computer people will give up practicality for fashion just as much as anyone else.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#318

Post by abdullahkhalids »

lmilcin wrote: post #37
imglorp wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The T450 touchpad is compatible with the T440s and has real buttons. Should be a few bucks on ebay. See my question in this thread. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21316263 ps, Love my T440s also. I would like two-finger horiz scroll to work better however, especially the swipe for "back" gesture. Somewhere a few months back was a comment about the XInput team comprising one overloaded guy needing help. I mess w…

Mine has long history. I had to hack the BIOS to get LTE working because original BIOS does not support any LTE cards and have already disassembled it completely to the last part twice after I got it wet. Once with hot, sweet latte and once completely drenched with sparkling water. I had no tools to open the laptop and power button stopped working so it was not possible to go to bios and disconnect power (the interna…

I have a T440s and a T470. Right now I am using the T440s, because there was record rainfall in my city, and it is humid as hell, and the T470 crashed soon after starting - I think because of humidity. It was working just fine last night after which I had to open all the windows because I lost power.

The T440s doesn't even care.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#319

Post by striking »

cma wrote: post #255
alexktz wrote: post #61

I recently purchased a 16” MBP despite significant personal concerns over the future of MacOS, being a strong open source advocate and Linux paying my mortgage. I did this ultimately for a few reasons. MacOS lets me run Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc), Fusion360, has a good terminal (iTerm and zsh unix like shell) and Logic. Mac hardware is still some of the best in the business, no other vendors seem to be able to…

My experience: External displays of variable DPI unusable without a paid app like switchresx. Suspend always drains the battery if using any kind of usb or microscope drive. Endless hacks to finally get it to fully hibernate when closing the lid. Updates break it over time and a new way has to be figured out. x86 support suddenly thrown away in new updates, decimating game libraries. Out of date OpenGL and heavy push…

> External displays of variable DPI unusable without a paid app like switchresx.

Hold Option and click the Scaled radio button again. You'll see a list of options.

Yes, I realize that's silly.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#320

Post by loxs »

diminish wrote: post #57

What are the cons of mac? for me: - Sluggish UI - Inadequate package manager - Unintuitive ways to install stuff - Slow and large updates - Can't do Linux development - Can't try server tools - Slow boot-to-work time - Hard to add memory and ram - Limited interfaces - Hacker unfriendly - Can't have a minimal desktop - High memory usage of base system

For me, the worst of all is that you can minimize an app and it's still on focus. That gets me every single time. I don't know who thought of this, but last time I checked, it was supposed to be a feature, not a bug :D
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