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StarBook 14-inch

starlabs.systems

311–320 of 381 posts

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#311

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like it, when both USBC charging, and BarrelJackCharging are available. So I can use the BarrelJackAdapter at home for when in "DeskMode", and only need to travel with the USB-C charger, that can also charge all my other devices. Also makes for the possibility of "Redundant Power Supply", in case you use your old Laptop as a "HomeServer".

I don't understand; why not use USB-C at home too? It has enough power. At best, the barrel charger is just more e-waste for a landfill.

Depending on what/where/how I hook up in DeskMode, I also have Power on USB-C. Mainly depends on how/where I want to route DP/HDMI-output. Also, POE-to-BarrelJack is a thing, while POE-to-USB-C-with-more-than-5V is not.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#312

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Genuinely wondering, why specifically do you need x86? Some legacy software? Is the compatibility layer not working (Rosetta or how is it called?)?

I need to run Windows video games (new and vintage), Linux tools for penetration testing and windows and Linux tools for embedded development and reverse engineering none of which have M1 ports. On top of the software I can't run on M1, I can't stand, from an ergonomic perspective, MacOS's rigid opinionated workflow and Apple's stance on upgradability, repairability and general environmental unfriendliness, plus thei…

>I need to run Windows video games (new and vintage)

Need? I'm not judging for what one does in their own time, but need? Is that really true, or are we pushing this term just a bit for dramatic purposes? Like, are you getting paid for running this games? Are the use of these games part of your actual J O B? If so, then yes, I'll agree need is accurate.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#313

I got one of these in December 2021 and frankly love it. Got fed up with being pretty much the only person on earth who had a shitty experience with Apple Silicon, so jumped back to Linux after 17 years away. I don’t use it as a portable, or at least haven’t yet - it’s my daily driver for work and permanently plugged in to a monitor (which also is a USB hub). I opted for Manjaro and enjoy using it way more than I did…

What put you off the M1? I’m still on an Intel MBP but fear my eventual switch to an M1 will be frustrating.

I'd understand this position back when the M1 was first launched, but I'm not sure why anybody would still hold it now unless they have obscure or niche needs. Switched to an M1 MBP a few weeks back and the only issue I've found so far is Parallels won't attach my Xbox controller to Windows 11 Arm for some reason. I'm very happy otherwise.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always liked the LTT videos and was a subscriber. I don't think there's anything wrong with reviewing products and having a certain opinion, however Linus has a stake in a company which makes laptops whose main selling point is the ability to upgrade and repair the parts (Framework). He has a horse in the race. This doesn't automatically disqualify him from having an opinion, at the same time I don't value his opin…

That doesn't change the facts though? They don't let you upgrade the storage even if you have two first party storage cards.

It doesn’t matter regarding what I said. It’s about dissing your competitors. Sure that doesn’t make it a lie but it’s better if people know where you stand; As an independent reviewer vs shareholder of a competitor brand.

It also affects how he presents the facts and directs the videos.

I say this while loving Framework and hoping that their approach puts pressure on likes of Apple for openness. No sympathy for Apple here.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#315

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1440p is perfect for a 14". It has a close enough dot pitch to my 4k 27" displays, so that I don't have to do any weird scaling when connected to external monitors. My other laptop it 4k and it's a pain in the ass to tune it so that things are not too big or small across displays.

Isn't that too small for 14inch display though? You will have to use some form of scaling with that resolution I suppose?

You need to set up various environment variables to scale up per app and framework, but once you do it should work across both the monitors and the laptop.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#316
post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Before you applaud Apple for being too libre and think the company has changed direction, keep in mind this is the same company that ships recently launched monitors without user replaceable power cords and locks out in firmware the possibility to upgrade the SSDs on the very expensive Mac Studio despite teardowns showing that it's phisically possible by end users. I don't get all those accusations that are constan…

>A non-removable power cord has a big advantage: it's hard to lose it. How could you possibly loose a monitor power cord? It's not a portable device that you travel with. But in a home or office setting I can certainly see the cord getting crimped under the weight of the feet of desks or chairs. >so is it really that damning you should go to a repair shop for something like that? Yes, going with your equipment to an…

>cable on the Studio display.

This is an interesting bit about how the same company can "design" so many different ways to do the same thing. I wouldn't expect them to have a dedicated team to design power cords/sockets. So teams designing different products at the same time will probably have slightly varying designs. Then I go back to that's what VPs are for to see what's going on within each design team and see how good ideas from one can be shared in the other teams.

In other words, how can something as cool and useful as Magsafe be on one thing and not obviously mandated to be used on all the things?

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#317

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>The influencers couldn’t put a normal SSD in a mac and make it boot. No, Linus put the SSD from another Mac Studio into the second slot of a Mac Studio and it wouldn't boot, and it wouldn't even run recovery to format everything and do a factory reset. So Apple is obviously firmware locking the Mac Studios to their factory configuration despite only genuine Apple hardware being used in the upgrade.

I always liked the LTT videos and was a subscriber. I don't think there's anything wrong with reviewing products and having a certain opinion, however Linus has a stake in a company which makes laptops whose main selling point is the ability to upgrade and repair the parts (Framework). He has a horse in the race. This doesn't automatically disqualify him from having an opinion, at the same time I don't value his opin…

This is cart before horse. Linus worked with PCs for years and saw (obvious) problems with Apple's hardware, and so he's invested in a solution. He's been critical of these things since long before Framework was founded.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#318

I got one of these in December 2021 and frankly love it. Got fed up with being pretty much the only person on earth who had a shitty experience with Apple Silicon, so jumped back to Linux after 17 years away. I don’t use it as a portable, or at least haven’t yet - it’s my daily driver for work and permanently plugged in to a monitor (which also is a USB hub). I opted for Manjaro and enjoy using it way more than I did…

What put you off the M1? I’m still on an Intel MBP but fear my eventual switch to an M1 will be frustrating.

Ya, I'm curious too. We have developers in every level of our stack using M1 macs and nobody has anything but good things to say. I suspect it is an edge case that doesn't affect a lot of users, which is a reasonable complaint and also somewhat expected when switching silicon paradigms.

The only downside I've seen is that I can't seem to tax it, which has made me lazy -- I now have hundreds of chrome tabs open over dozens of windows and it hasn't skipped a beat.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I need to run Windows video games (new and vintage), Linux tools for penetration testing and windows and Linux tools for embedded development and reverse engineering none of which have M1 ports. On top of the software I can't run on M1, I can't stand, from an ergonomic perspective, MacOS's rigid opinionated workflow and Apple's stance on upgradability, repairability and general environmental unfriendliness, plus thei…

>I need to run Windows video games (new and vintage) Need? I'm not judging for what one does in their own time, but need ? Is that really true, or are we pushing this term just a bit for dramatic purposes? Like, are you getting paid for running this games? Are the use of these games part of your actual J O B? If so, then yes, I'll agree need is accurate.

I think you are perhaps getting a bit attached to that one particular word. Mr. Norris89 may or may not need to run old Windows games the way he probably needs to breathe, but he can certainly say “a computer needs to run old Windows games if I’m gonna buy it”. The phrase “I need to run old Windows games” is easily understood as that.

Re: StarBook 14-inch

#320
post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then there's something physically wrong with it. My M1 MBP - which is near-constantly at 100% CPU doing neuroimaging tasks - gets about 9 hours. If I'm not running high-cpu tasks and just web browsing, I've gotten 13-18 typically (e.g., two full days of use between charges).

>If I'm not running high-cpu tasks and just web browsing, You state this as if they are 2 different things. Sadly, more and more shittily designed sites are using more and more resources. Whether that's just a poorly written bit of JS or a maliciously written bit of JS, web browsing is becoming more compute intensive.

I believe the M1 is much better at computing JavaScript as well. Comparable intel x86 CPUs have 60% more branch misprediction during JS benchmarks and ARMv8.3-A added the processor instruction FJCVTZS (Floating-point Javascript Convert to Signed fixed-point, rounding toward Zero).

Especially due to the better branch prediction, the M1 simply does quite a bit more web browsing with fewer VPU cycles used, thus less power consumption.

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