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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

#911

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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 battery is indeed doable, but the keyboard and screen on the macbook air are more of a challenge, although the parts shouldn’t be hard to find in a few years. With the Framework laptop those parts are easy to replace but bespoke, so framework’s repairability will be determined by parts availability in half a decade.

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

#912
post #447
post #53

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Back when I was making crap wages, I would get the cheapest laptops I could afford that would more or less give me decent performance (on the order of ~$500-600). It's not too hard to find a new laptop that performs well at a reasonable price, but you always run the risk of them reclaiming those costs by cheaping out on all the mechanics of it, and it's not like I was able to afford paying ~$2000 for a high-quality m…

I usually buy top quality laptops second hand from shops that give at least 6 months warranty. Best strategy. You get a $2000 laptop for $500. And honestly, Intel did not do too much in the last decade, so these are of great value.

Yeah, I got my fancy macbook pro now because I used to work for Apple and had a pretty substantial discount on it as a result. When I need to replace this one, I'll probably get something decent in the used market and just install Linux on there.

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

#913

Why don't they ship the Framework with Ubuntu pre-installed, and let people save the Windows tax altogether?

You can buy one without windows installed, but you'll have to install ubuntu yourself. I reckon it's not worth to pre-install one of the various GNU/Linux distributions since the average users of such a device will do a clean reinstall anyways. At least it's 200 bucks cheaper without windows, so theres that.

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

#914

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…

How is the state of linux power saving (i.e., mobile battery life) in 2021? Last time I checked you could expect to get almost 2x the battery life on equivalent hardware with Windows or Mac OS.

Nowadays Windows consumes more power than Arch Linux with KDE given a processor underclock and power saving tweaks.

On my X250 with a 72Wh external battery I can get 14h of battery life without sacrificing much of anything.

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

#915

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When I bought my T440s in 2013 (8 years ago now), I could push it to 18 hours with wifi off. And could get 10 hours plus with wifi. I seriously doubt Windows or Mac OS would have gotten much more juice out of it.

I currently use a T440S, with Arch Linux, and fairly recently replaced batteries. I feel like I only get 5 hours or so. Although if I’m on my work computer, with my T440s open next to me and I’m lightly using it throughout the day then it easily lasts all day, with like 30-40% remaining at the end of the workday. My biggest beef is that the replacement batteries these days seem bad - even brand new Lenovo brand ones…

New batteries won't lose capacity over time. A lot of "new" batteries are just knockoffs, but there's no way of knowing without opening them.

If you want good aftermarket batteries, KingSener has a solid reputation. Only go for aftermarket batteries that are upfront about being aftermarket and are open about the cells they use and well reviewed, or for sealed Lenovo batteries in original packaging.

I recently bought a brand new, sealed 72Wh original battery. It sat sealed for so long the batteries went down below 3.1V per cell and the pack locked itself. Looking at the self discharge curves I'd expect this to be the case for any actually new battery.

To make it work I had to open the battery and use a specialized charger to give it 0.1A of current until it got to 3.3V per cell, and I then programmed it to charge at 6A, after which the battery pack decided to start up.

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

#916
post #730

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> already a Mac user [...] and has nicer software Without starting flames... let's agree this is subjective. For many people the options for the Framework are preferable.

Perhaps, but I think it’s a fair comment to say that more effort has been put into making it nice, objectively, than any Linux desktop alternative. Maybe some folk prefer the alternatives, and that’s fair, but if you did some pretty objective metrics of bugs, visual inconsistencies, user workflows for standard tasks (like adding new hardware…) well, it’s impossible to deny that Apple has significantly invested in mak…

I consider package management and selection of packages as something nice. I also consider interoperability and freedom as something nice. A lot more effort for those has been put into the Linux personal computing ecosystem than MacOS.

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

#918

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Wouldn't you just replace motherboard + CPU to upgrade? No need to sell it.

You’d need to sell the motherboard + CPU then. And eventually new motherboards will come up that are not compatible with your case or accessories.

A motherboard + CPU is just straight up a computer.

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

#920
post #810

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Early adopters, hardcore techies may love repairability but they will buy whatever comes out next. What counts is the majority of buyers after these techies. It's similar the early buyers of a Tesla who could say "ahh it will be so eco I don't have to buy another car for 10 years" and, 3 years later they buy themselves the new model as they would have normally do with a combustion engine car. Consumers first. The key…

As a "wealthy techie", I have the opposite view: as much as it's not difficult to me to buy the things I need or want, I hate the amount of waste generated by replacing things before they need to be replaced. I currently have a 2018 Dell XPS13. I really want a Framework laptop, but my current laptop works well enough (I wish it had more RAM and a larger SSD, though, which is a big part of why I want a new one), and i…

The 51nb "Thinkpads" achieve three goals you may find useful: reuse, upgrade & repairability. In effect, you are recycling while upgrading!

In addition to repurposing some of the old electronics & the entire chassis, they have massive performance, complete repairability & upgradability, a max of 64GB RAM & 3 storage disks, all in a smallish (but thick) Thinkpad form-factor. Oh, and they come with two power supply options (USB-C and barrel jack) and have functional VGA ports and ethernet jacks. Batteries are a bit of a problem though.

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