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The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

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Re: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

#781

Post by ericpauley »

etbusch wrote: post #316
ericpauley wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I need some convincing here. How is the "modular port" concept any different than a universal port with dongles (i.e., how Macs have been since 2016). To me the fact that the port attachments are recessed is little more than a gimmick. Especially as all of my devices have transitioned to USB-C anyway, dongles/"modular ports" feel more like a stopgap measure than one requiring a permanent form factor change.

Two things: They are replaceable when the external ports (USB-C or otherwise) wear out without the need for soldering or internal board replacement. The design of the modules is open source, meaning that anyone can design a module that fits their needs.

Good point. For what it’s worth my last MacBook had a TB3 port physically wear out. Thankfully it was covered by warranty, but the connector saver concept is definitely compelling.

Re: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

#786

Post by dreamcompiler »

biztos wrote: post #515
strix_varius wrote: post #323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I find it hilarious that we spend multiple thousands of dollars on sleek, elegant hardware and then hook up chunky plastic dongles to overcome their bad hardware interfaces. So I love the idea of these ports (agreed, they're basically "recessed dongles"). I couldn't lose them / forget them. They wouldn't take up space in my bag while I'm traveling. I could "set and forget" them to perfectly match whatever desktop / d…

The crazy thing here is that it’s not so hard to hit the standard set of “pro” ports — USB-C x 4 (new standard blabla) USB-A x 2 SD x 1 HDMI x 1 Phone/Mic I applaud the modular approach but Apple’s donglevision was the pure distillation of user-hostility between the Bean-Counter in Chief and the SVP, Thin Stuff. And all the industrial sheep who followed them. May we all recover…

And after going "all USB-C, all the time" on their laptops Apple still can't figure out how to put USB-C on a phone.

At some point you have to conclude Apple is fucking with us all on purpose, just because they can.

Re: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

#787

Post by aljgz »

There is an important value, implied by the repairability, that gets little attention here.

When I went to Malaysia, My 7 years old Asus N550 was malfunctioning and I needed to get a new laptop. In my previous company I got a zenbook 13" and loved it, but the ones in Malaysia were only sold with 8GB ram. I've been using 16 for 7 years and there was no way to go back. I wanted 10th gen intel (For the improved integrated GPU) and my only options which sold 16GB were Dell xps (500$ more expensive) and Lenovo (1000$ more expensive), but the latter would arrive in 3 months.

I got a Dell xps as my only option, and I hate it. One reason is that the specific cpu I got did not get the improved GPU (Intel's shady marketing and lack of transparency is to blame). Another reason is that the fingerprint reader has no drivers for Fedora, while Dell advertises the laptop as Linux ready.

Now I need more ram for my new activities and I want to bump it to 32 but I cannot do that.

Manufacturers tell us that they need to solder ram to MB to be able to give high performance for a thin and light form factor. Framework shows that this is not true.

Also, see how Framework tries to be transparent and informative? It clearly tells you that the tiny performance improvement by i7-1185G7 over i7-1165G7 is not worth the 400$ difference for most people.

I will get rid of this Dell Xps and get a Framework as soon as it's available in my area.

Re: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

#788

Post by bastardoperator »

ericpauley wrote: post #253
mikenew wrote: post #124

Been extremely happy with mine the past couple months. The little modular port attachments seemed like a novelty at first, but now it feels absurd that you'd buy a laptop with a bunch of "hardcoded" ports that you can't ever change. The only real Linux related quirk I've run into so far is that you have to disable panel self refresh (it's on by default and causes stuttering). Other than that tiny thing I pretty much…

Maybe I need some convincing here. How is the "modular port" concept any different than a universal port with dongles (i.e., how Macs have been since 2016). To me the fact that the port attachments are recessed is little more than a gimmick. Especially as all of my devices have transitioned to USB-C anyway, dongles/"modular ports" feel more like a stopgap measure than one requiring a permanent form factor change.

I don't get it either. I dock my MacBook and my monitor supports USB-C which also provides power and a bunch of other standard USB connections. I don't even really need a dongle anymore.

Re: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

#789

Post by dijit »

aljgz wrote: post #787

There is an important value, implied by the repairability, that gets little attention here. When I went to Malaysia, My 7 years old Asus N550 was malfunctioning and I needed to get a new laptop. In my previous company I got a zenbook 13" and loved it, but the ones in Malaysia were only sold with 8GB ram. I've been using 16 for 7 years and there was no way to go back. I wanted 10th gen intel (For the improved integrat…

for the little it's worth it's unlikely that you could have even upgraded to 32g.

Most of the mobile intel chips have been limited to 16GiB max for quite a bit, only the very recent ones go to 32GiB

Re: The Framework is the most exciting laptop I've used

#790

Post by aix1 »

gorjusborg wrote: post #557
NotPractical wrote: post #527

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For the record, I also own a Mac: the MacBook Pro, 2019 baseline model. I used to enjoy the battery life (though it has been slowly getting worse to the point where I have considered reaching out to Apple about it since the battery is glued in and I can't replace it myself). I like the metal body. I also like macOS. My MacBook is not completely silent because it's an Intel mac, but the M1 would be, that's true. As fa…

Word, I'm pretty fed up with throw-away culture, especially with big ticket items. I've used pretty much all the developer laptop contenders as daily drivers at some point. You get used to what you get used to, so marginally better isn't so important, I've found. I'm going to pick one of the framework laptops because they look decent, but my secondary objective is to support a company that at least is walking some of…

> I'm pretty fed up with throw-away culture, especially with big ticket items.

I love what Framework are doing, but integrated hardware does not immediately equal throwaway culture (saying as something who still uses their late 2013 MacBook Pro).

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