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The Framework Laptop

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Re: The Framework Laptop

#241

Post by yunyu »

ppezaris wrote: post #199
jblow wrote: post #153

Hi, When I saw this announcement I was hoping that I could finally buy a laptop with a good trackpad, with buttons, and a good keyboard again. But looking at the announcement, it seems like trackpad and keyboard quality are far from anyone's mind, and it just looks like the laptop is copying Apple stylistically like everyone else, which means it is going to be kind-of unusable and I won't want to use it. (Especially…

not intending to start an apple-vs-msft flamewar, but this has been a solved problem on the mac since forever. is the experience that bad on windows laptops that you don't want a big trackpad? genuine question.

It is for Synaptics drivers (some manufacturers like Dell, Razer, HP used to default to those) but not for precision touchpad drivers (what's used in the Surfaces).

Re: The Framework Laptop

#242

Post by nrp »

pimterry wrote: post #167

How does this charge? Looks like it has 4 fully swappable ports, plus a headphone jack. Where does the power go? Do I need to always have a USB-C adapter in one of those slots, and it charges through that maybe? That sort-of defeats some of the swappability though, if one port is effectively unchangeable. Might as well have a fixed USB-C port, since that's simpler and more space-efficient. Or is there another port or…

It charges through any of the four Expansion Card ports, currently through the USB-C card. Part of the reason we didn't use a fixed USB-C port for this is that the Expansion Card path allows for alternate power schemes in the future like magnetic attach, adapting to existing proprietary connectors, or even crazy things like POE.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#243

Post by robotnikman »

samizdis wrote: post #181
arcturus17 wrote: post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They've got the street cred but producing and marketing hardware is so damn hard. Ouya and the Essential phone are two cases that immediately spring to mind where the founding teams were credible, but the products ended up being massive flops. Good luck to them anyway. The idea is cool and I think if I were on the lookout for a Linux laptop and they delivered on their quality promise, I'd consider them.

Yes, I remember being particularly disappointed when Google's Project Ara [1] to create a modular mobile phone was shelved. It seemed like a fantastic idea, and I truly thought that Alphabet/Google had the cash/clout - and will - to deliver. Still, I haven't lost my optimism just yet. As you say, good luck to Framework with the laptop project. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Ara

I feel like building a modular laptop is much easier than a modular phone. You don't have to deal with the hardware enumeration problems on x86 as you do with ARM

Already many laptops you can easily swap parts like the HDD/SSD, Battery and RAM, and even the GPU (to an extent) if its using a standard like MXM. Building a laptop with more modular parts using existing standards (looks like from the images the modular parts are using USB C Thunderbolt?) is much more doable than a modular phone.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#244

Post by znpy »

Eric_WVGG wrote: post #71
sho_hn wrote: post #60

I don't see any information on the licensing of the adapter card / inter-module interfaces. Can others build a Framework laptop without approval? Can others build cards without approval? Will it be a platform? Tell me how this isn't a Nespresso machine for silicon pods. :-) Edit: To be clear, even a "we have a generic base laptop and you can pick your I/O" concept is potentially a nice value prop, but it'd be good if…

They're just USB-C dongles that snap into the chassis.. You can see better shots here: https://frame.work This is an unpopular opinion, but I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space that could have been spent on a bigger battery. USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. (the Nespresso analogy is ridiculous, a la…

> This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space

this is true, yet... I'd be okay with that, to be honest.

My current work laptop (a dell latitude 7390) is a jewel also because it's got a lot of ports. I have used them all at least once, but quite frankly, never all at the same time.

So yeah, being able to unplug a port and plug a different one it's almost the perfect middle ground.

we're pretty much all carrying dongles anyway (not me, the dell latitude 7390 has all the ports i might need)

Re: The Framework Laptop

#245

Post by uluyol »

CivBase wrote: post #231
warmwaffles wrote: post #204

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not where the money is though unfortunately. It's why manufacturers like the solder on components. Easier to manufacture and make as small as possible. I hate it, and think it's bad for consumers.

We managed to get standards like that on desktops though. What's specifically different about modern laptops?

Size, heat, weight, and noise are more challenging for laptop design than desktops. Desktops tend to have things spread out much more and you just don't care about some of these issues.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#246

Post by znpy »

sleepybrett wrote: post #224
gertrunde wrote: post #212

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed, the point when I start to have to choose any two of usb-tethered phone / usb to ethernet / usb to wifi headset / usb to serial really gets infuriating.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B079GSMZ7G/

i have one of those, they work very well.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#247

Post by nrp »

kspacewalk2 wrote: post #207
nrp wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We will be releasing specifications and reference designs for the Expansion Card system under a permissive license. We want to make it easy for both other companies and members of the community to develop their own cards and sell them through the Framework Marketplace. That is something we'll be detailing and sharing between now and the time we start shipping out the product. We'll also provide documentation around i…

>We want to make it easy for both other companies and members of the community to develop their own cards and sell them through the Framework Marketplace. What if they don't want to sell through the Framework Marketplace?

They can choose not to, but since the Framework Laptop itself is sold through our Marketplace, it's a good way to get in front of the existing users!

Re: The Framework Laptop

#248

Post by randomchars »

lovelyviking wrote: post #155
Eric_WVGG wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They're just USB-C dongles that snap into the chassis.. You can see better shots here: https://frame.work This is an unpopular opinion, but I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space that could have been spent on a bigger battery. USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. (the Nespresso analogy is ridiculous, a la…

>I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. How it proves it? Those guys do not drop ports, they just make them modular. All the "saved space" in Apple laptops become amazingly wasted space in your bag with tons of adapters and wires. I still dream to meet the one who made such 'wise' decision to tell him what I think about it personally! >USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. I am…

> All the "saved space" in Apple laptops become amazingly wasted space in your bag with tons of adapters and wires.

Maybe that's the case for you, but that's far from universal. I have zero need for any adapters. At work, I can use usb-c to connect to my monitor, and if I need to present in a meeting room, I do it wirelessly.

At home, I can use airplay to share my screen to my TV.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#249

Post by _x5tx »

They have my attention here. As a long time thinkpad x220 user and tons of mods and upgrades in it I like the repairability approach. As a linux user I would prefer if they had an all AMD option.

Congrats on this project, I hope you folks succeed and bring more companies to make laptops/hardware with the same approach.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#250

Post by lovelyviking »

sleepybrett wrote: post #217
lovelyviking wrote: post #155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. How it proves it? Those guys do not drop ports, they just make them modular. All the "saved space" in Apple laptops become amazingly wasted space in your bag with tons of adapters and wires. I still dream to meet the one who made such 'wise' decision to tell him what I think about it personally! >USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. I am…

I'm down to exactly one adapter in my bag. One usb-c male to usb-a female stubby little guy. If I'm heading to someplace where I think I might need more than 1 usb-a port or a situation where I might need a bit of a usb hub I just pack this little 'dock dongle' that's about three inches long and an inch wide that has three usb-a ports (2x3.0 1x2.0), an hdmi port, a sd and tf card slot, an ethernet port, an audio jack…

What you describe is exactly the headache I was mentioning and dreaming to avoid. I do not need part of the laptop separated from the laptop to have additional task to think when to take them together and when not to take them together.

I do not want to search for this 'little guy' in the dark and be stuck without it when I forgot to take it because a lot of other things happening in the same time around or I lost it or somebody took it because he thought it belongs to him by mistake.

Having the dongle headache or not in certain situations means missing shots or not. And I speak from experience of shooting intensively in addition to doing other things during 5-7 days in a arrow where you do not always have time to eat/sleep and surely no time to waste for this dongle BS.

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