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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

#791

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you have an XPS?

I have an XPS 9560 and yeah the build quality ain't great. Had to replace the motherboard and battery after two years, and while the lid is aluminum, the bottom is not, so if you have it hanging over the edge of a desktop or a non flat surface, it flexes enough that the touchpad button no longer registers. These issues might be resolved in newer models but I probably wouldn't go with a Dell again, unless it turns out…

Did you have a fix for that mousepad issue? I have an XPS and right click area is flat now... No more click, same as yours.

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

#792
post #642

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>when was the last time you used the right shift key? I generally use the shift key closest to the key I'm typing. For keys near the center, I favor the right shift key. The keyboard would absolutely be the show stopper for me, if I didn't just get a new laptop last year. The lack of dedicated Page Up and Page Down keys is unacceptable.

Finally somebody else mentioned it. I will never buy a laptop without a dedicated Home, End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. I've used Chromebooks without them before, and I still to this day can never remember how to select while jumping to the end of the document, for example. It's like four keys all pressed at the same time in a very awkward way.

From the Mac side, Fn-Up/Down support seems to be universal for replacing the missing Page Up / Page Down keys. I bet Chrome is Ctrl-Alt-Fn-Down, copying Mac:

Down - Cursor trajectory

Fn - Page instead of Line

Command (Alt) - Document instead of Page

Shift - Text selection mode

(But I had to hit the keys and then look at my hands to figure out what they were, because I'm just used to keeping the modifier layers in muscle memory, so I could be wrong.)

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

#793

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't look like a no-brainer to me (already a Mac user). The MBP has a better screen, better battery life, performance, has a metal body, is completely silent and has nicer software. That said, you should get the Air instead which is $999 with almost exactly the same specs, minus the annoying touch bar, and a tad lighter at 1.29kg.

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…

Agree with everything said here, as a MBP user (2010->2015->16->19) for the last however many years (PC before then and as a secondary now)

The closed ecosystem and continued hardening of even access to inside of my machine is troubling and obviously anti-consumer. Those points coupled with the lack of even 32GB of RAM in an M1 model (not to mention the cost of the brand) makes my next computer a probably-not-apple machine.

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

#794

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.

Different users want different ports. For example, as a photographer, I need a SD card slot.

No, my workflow hasn’t transitioned to 100% USB c. I doubt it will. I will always want to plug in a HDMI monitor sometime for example.

No, I refuse to use products that require me to carry and lose shitty dongles and hubs. I refuse.

That’s also why I’ve never purchased a phone without a headphone jack, because I love listening to music on my Moondrops or whatever IEMs I like.

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

#795

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…

In years past you had to bring up the MBP but now the Macbook Air tips the scales. I got my 16 GB Macbook Air for $1000 at Microcenter. For development purposes it's the same as a Pro, except it doesn't have a fan (and has never throttled) and doesn't have a touch bar (which is great) The MBA is an insane value with the advent of the M1, a complete turnaround from the old days. Also it has a trick up it's sleeve when…

The M1 Macbooks also allegedly have issues for which people need to file class action lawsuits:

Class-action lawsuit filed for M1 MacBook screen cracks [U] https://9to5mac.com/2021/09/16/class-action-lawsuit-screen-c...

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

#796
post #25

It feels like for years we were constantly told by these corporations "it's impossible to have slim, tiny laptops and make them customizable", and I guess at some level I believed that, and just accepted that laptops with upgradable components were a thing of the past. After seeing the framework, I'm more than a little annoyed that I fell for this. They proved you can have a slim, clean laptop that's somewhat modular…

My Dell laptop just cross three years in June and the extended warrantee also got expired. The battery has been deteriorating with only a few mins of backup left. Called up the customer care and they asked to instead contact nearby service center. Tried with multiple in Delhi NCR and no one seem to have a battery – one of them said that no battery is available right now (God knows why?)

Finally, somehow got one via Amazon supplied from a state 1600 KMs away from here for about $80 in a week time. It could very well be expensive than the one gotten from the service center but, was left with no option.

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

#797
post #518

> I really miss my Thinkpad Trackpoint This is one of those comments I will never understand. Every single time I have tried to use one of those things the only thought that goes through my mind is, "This is the dumbest mouse interface I have ever seen. Why would anyone ever use this thing?" And then I see comments like this. I don't get it. The ergonomics of those little nubs are awful .

There are many other replies about how the trackpoint is ergonomically superior to a trackpad. I'll add some nuance: it's entirely possible that a trackpoint is most valuable when your workload is majority typing with some mousing, as opposed to the other way around - so maybe you just have a different workload than most trackpoint users. Separately - how long did you actually spend trying to use one? Most things hav…

I personally used to swear by the trackpoint because it was vastly superior to the touchpads of the time. A decent touchpad (definitely not the plastic shit they put on most thinkpads these days — they are unusable) blows it away though. Now I find using a trackpoint feels like moving my mouse with arrow keys. It’s just repulsive to me.

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

#798

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 would say it's quite similar to having a touch device with an integrated pen holder where pen disappears in the device (so it can't fall out) and not.

It is a "gimmick", but if you are frequently shuffling your laptop around, having a bag clear of dongles and "floating" stuff is a world of difference.

I mean, even thinness in laptops is a gimmick (it's actually the first thing I'd do away with to get maintainability, battery life and better cooling/performance/noise — fanless, anyone?), but it sells like hot cakes.

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

#799
post #515

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…

Its not crazy. Its sickening.

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

#800
post #579

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Parts of my desktop computer are from 2007 -- the case is from 1993, How does that work? That predates the ATX form factor spec released by Intel in 1995. I had a ginormous PC/AT compatible tower case at that time, very large, very heavy, all steel. IIRC, it had 8 5.25in external drive bays. In retrospect, the ATX form factor has been rather long-lived, though there are plenty of competing form factors these days.

It works fine. It has 6 5.25 bays, and 2 3.5 ones. It is steel and heavy, but it never moves.

I'm still curious about the motherboard itself. The old PC cases didn't have a rectangular cut-out for IO panel, and probably didn't have the motherboard stand-off screws in the correct locations.

I suppose with time and care you could modify an old case to take an ATX motherboard, but I'm not sure how well that would work. You'd also likely need to mod the power supply mounting, add cooling and fan mounts, and more.

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