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I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

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Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#551

Post by Macha »

reader_mode wrote: post #545
kzrdude wrote: post #522

Earlier quoted context omitted.

- When you're out of steam you can sit on the sofa and write emails.

15 inch MBP is too bulky and too hot for this - this is why I'd like to get a smaller ARM based device and go client/server. Ideally Apple would push out a 2in1 with touch but they are set on pushing iOS for touch - which is just too limited for all intents and purposes. I would gladly buy a premium Lenovo 2in1 or some Ryzen 5xxx series ultra portable windows laptop (they are much better on thermals from what I've se…

I've ended up splitting the difference with my desktop and my surface go. The surface go is portable and easy to bring around, the desktop has the power, if I need it on the surface I just remote in to the desktop. My laptop (a Dell XPS), basically now only exists for flights/abroad trips where I might need more power than the surface go but reliable connectivity is not guaranteed. Which means it hasn't been used this year

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#552

Post by leshenka »

varenc wrote: post #470
curiousllama wrote: post #53

> I know that new "open" laptops are still available, but most of them--the System76's, the Purisms, etc.--are overpriced in my opinion This quote suggest to me the author is an integral part of the problem. Companies are ALWAYS trying to increase their profitability. If they can lock down the computer, they can drop the price while _increasing_ CLTV. That’s why System76 is more expensive. They’re NOT overpriced. The…

If you try the HTTPS version of that article's URL, you get a cert failure because the presented certificate's domain is "cheapskatesguide.org". The author sounds pretty dedicated to a frugal life style!

That's some error in webserver configuration, because both domains point to the same IP.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#553

Post by hypertexthero »

Recently I built a small form factor PC for playing video games and streaming and I love it! Here it is, Condensed Anthem Lazer Power: Frostblade NeWT:

https://hypertexthero.com/pc/

Two problems, it has: Weight/portability for when I do need to take it somewhere, and that it runs Windows and I prefer Mac OS. I keep my MacBook Pro because of these but am thinking of making the PC a dual-boot Hackintosh.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#554

Post by WalterBright »

toast0 wrote: post #412
WalterBright wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The power goes out for a day, sometimes days, every year in my neighborhood when the wind blows. Finally fed up, I recently had a generator installed that attaches to the natural gas line. I know that purchase was effective, because a week after it was installed there was a big storm and power went out everywhere except my neighborhood. Just having a generator successfully wards off power failure, you never have to a…

> Just having a generator successfully wards off power failure, you never have to actually turn it on. Beware, you need to regularly maintain it too (hopefully it does a weekly starter test, and it probably needs yearly oil changes). I didn't check mine, and found the battery charger had failed at about 1 am when my wife had a flight out that morning. That was fun. (We don't have everything on the generator, so it's…

Mine needs to be started once a month and the oil changed every year. I think I can handle that :-)

It would have cost twice as much to run everything with the generator, and that isn't really necessary, so it's a smaller one.

I worried about the battery being dead and no way to hand crank the generator, so I made sure that the generator could be started from a car battery or one of those zap-o-matic car jumpstarters. (I bought one of those last year, and had occasion to try it out on my stone dead car battery last month - it worked great!)

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#555

Post by Macha »

WalterBright wrote: post #127
shrimp_emoji wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Use a $3,000 gaming laptop. I guarantee it'll stutter and throttle and perfom less well than a same-gen $1,000 PC. More expensive, less performant, and less serviceable with a suite of proprietary bloatware on top.

I usually build a desktop for $4-500, because I reuse parts from the older one, and don't need a gamer graphics card. I blow the money on the mobo, CPU, and lots of ram.

As a gamer I've fallen into upgrading my CPU/mobo/ram and GPU in an alternating fashion every 2ish years.

I might break the pattern this year though, I got a 3900x last year around launch and moved my 4670k to a home server. I've been pretty impressed with the 3900x while the 4670k has been maxing out all cores in the server for some tasks so was considering buying a second 3900X(T) to replace the 4670k again. But with the rumours about the 5900X, I might end up putting the 5900X in my desktop at the same time as a 3000 series GPU and moving the 3900x to my home server.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#556

Post by canofbars »

vbezhenar wrote: post #432
jdally987 wrote: post #417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience it usually goes just fine. I’m actually not totally sure what you’re talking about, what does the hardware have to do with it if you’ve got the bootloader unlocked? Assuming you’ve got something common like a Qualcomm SoC, it’s pretty straightforward to take codeaurora or whatever source and AOSP and 90% of the time have an almost fully functional custom image for your device. Now granted I’ve rooted…

Is there any phone with full open source support? So you can compile Android and run it without any proprietary driver blobs.

Yes. The newest device is the Samsung S3 (2012) https://redmine.replicant.us/projects/replicant/wiki/GalaxyS...

You can also run mainline linux on the Nexus 7 2012 but you lose wifi support.

Most alternative OSs just use the patched kernel that shipped with the device.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#557

Post by WalterBright »

Spearchucker wrote: post #535
ibotty wrote: post #444

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Edit: 12. My desktop doesn't have a microphone or camera, so they cannot be surreptitiously turned on remotely. I am pretty sure your computer has a microphone, because it most likely has a speaker.

Can't speak for OP, but mine certianly doesn't. I know because I assembled it.

Mine doesn't have a speaker, either. It does have one of those wretched dingers that attach to the SPKR wires.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#558

Post by theelous3 »

ashtonian wrote: post #447
theelous3 wrote: post #193

Pretty much anyone who works for more than 1hr a day at home and doesn't do so on a big beautiful desktop has been making a mistake. (Presuming no limitations like affordability, literally can't fit a desk in their bedsit, etc.) Anyone who consciously thought desktops were a good idea to move away from in the above case made an initial, much bigger mistake. (Again presuming it was a general lifestyle choice and not s…

Mostly agree with you but MacBook pro speakers are better than most tvs builtins these days. Also for whatever reason the desktop screen market doesn't know about retina style high ppi displays. It's a shame, same with dropping 16:10.

Low praise for the macbook speakers tbh :P

I don't think desktops require retina displays. There are an endless selection of big, bright, high refresh rate, high resolution, and cheap monitors to choose from.

Macbooks max out at 16 inches. Retina displays are (a good) attempt at trying to make laptops more viable for long use, but still they fall short of even the cheapest 4k decent nitts desktop monitor. They haven't adapted the tech, because it's not needed. The same pressures of selection aren't present.

The biggest font and text clarity nerd that I am aware of agrees on the matter, and makes some sensible suggestion and gives reasoning here: https://tonsky.me/blog/monitors/

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#559

Post by canofbars »

jdally987 wrote: post #417
Polylactic_acid wrote: post #268

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience realistically even if you can unlock the bootloader, the hardware is still so proprietary that you have no hope of ever installing an alternative OS it because by the time you reverse engineer it all the phone is already 10 years old.

In my experience it usually goes just fine. I’m actually not totally sure what you’re talking about, what does the hardware have to do with it if you’ve got the bootloader unlocked? Assuming you’ve got something common like a Qualcomm SoC, it’s pretty straightforward to take codeaurora or whatever source and AOSP and 90% of the time have an almost fully functional custom image for your device. Now granted I’ve rooted…

There are different definitions of alternative OS. I'm guessing yours is a different build of Android with the original kernel blobs transplanted from the OEM rom. The other one is being able to run mainline linux or a custom OS from scratch.

If Linux didn't already exist it would never have been possible to create since all computing platforms are getting more and more locked down.

Re: I am seriously considering going back to desktop computers

#560

Post by fsflover »

octoberfranklin wrote: post #209
curiousllama wrote: post #53

> I know that new "open" laptops are still available, but most of them--the System76's, the Purisms, etc.--are overpriced in my opinion This quote suggest to me the author is an integral part of the problem. Companies are ALWAYS trying to increase their profitability. If they can lock down the computer, they can drop the price while _increasing_ CLTV. That’s why System76 is more expensive. They’re NOT overpriced. The…

These "open" vendors are selling you machines with a very, very closed Intel Management Engine (IME) or AMD Platform Security Processor (PSP) in it. They're distracting people from the real problem, and doing so is harmful.

https://puri.sm/learn/intel-me/
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