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Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

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Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#91

Post by css771 »

Synaesthesia wrote: post #36
scorpioxy wrote: post #16

His comment about 10-inch tablets being too big got my attention. I am in the market for a tablet that I am going to replace my dead Sony e-reader(6 inch I think). But i think the 7-inch ones are just too small for reading. Has anyone tried to compare both sizes? I am mainly interested in using it for reading tech books and the occasional email. Currently leaning towards a transformer.

iPad is great for reading, particularly with the retina display. It goes super dim at night too, which I like. Only downside is it's a little heavy and big to take everywhere, whereas the Galaxy Nexus is portable enough to literally take everywhere. For me it's between the iPad and Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy Nexus is the best Android tablet right now by far.

It's a nexus 7. The Galaxy Nexus is a phone.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#92

Post by yummyfajitas »

primatology wrote: post #90
yummyfajitas wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't claiming a macbook can't scroll. I was just claiming that Lenovo has a lot of features that don't necessarily look pretty, but which make it easy to actually use the damn thing on an everyday basis. Fewer buttons isn't necessarily better nor is it even simpler. The simplest thing in the world is a "do exactly what I want" button for every common value of "what I want". It's not pretty or as easy to market or…

The only time I've ever used a function key (F1, F2) in a Mac application was in Photoshop. Most Mac applications use Cmd+? shortcuts. So in effect, the volume/brightness controls have their own dedicated keys.

I use all 12 of them on a regular basis, except for F2. I just noticed F2 is free, so I bound it to 'revert-buffer, which I use all the time.

A single button works great for a gun. A computer does more things than a gun so it needs more buttons.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#93

Post by generalk »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #77
generalk wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. > Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. I'm no Apple fanboy, but this statement's ridiculous. > Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Two-finger inertial scrolling on the amazing glass trackpad. Or, Command-arrow keys. Same effect. Not one-button, but it's not like the functionality…

I wasn't claiming a macbook can't scroll. I was just claiming that Lenovo has a lot of features that don't necessarily look pretty, but which make it easy to actually use the damn thing on an everyday basis. Fewer buttons isn't necessarily better nor is it even simpler. The simplest thing in the world is a "do exactly what I want" button for every common value of "what I want". It's not pretty or as easy to market or…

I agree, fewer buttons does not necessarily make a device simpler. There's a happy medium that I think Android hit with the four-button menu/home/back/search keys. Whenever I use an iPhone anymore I always cache-miss and try to find the hardware back button.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#94

Post by notallama »

w1ntermute wrote: post #78
yummyfajitas wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lenovo certainly does compete on quality, it just aims for a different set of quality seekers. Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Want to change the volume easily and still have access to f1-f12? Lenovo's got dedicated buttons for it. Spill you…

> Need more battery life? Buy a second battery and swap them when the first runs out. Need more ram? Just open it up and put it in. Same thing if you want a new HD/etc. This is one of the biggest factors for me in getting a PC laptop over a MacBook. When I buy a ThinkPad, I intend to keep it for 5 years. My friends with MacBooks all replace them every 2-3 years. > Combine this with great linux support [1] and Lenovo…

the linux thing is not universally true.

i have installed a few different distros on my w500 over the years, and it runs hot every time. the ati drivers suck, the os can't seem to control the fans properly, and switchable graphics don't work. tried with opensuse years ago, and ubuntu a few times more recently.

i imagine it's better with a nvidia card, and no switchable graphics.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#95

Post by sanderjd »

generalk wrote: post #74
yummyfajitas wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lenovo certainly does compete on quality, it just aims for a different set of quality seekers. Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Want to change the volume easily and still have access to f1-f12? Lenovo's got dedicated buttons for it. Spill you…

> Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. > Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. I'm no Apple fanboy, but this statement's ridiculous. > Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Two-finger inertial scrolling on the amazing glass trackpad. Or, Command-arrow keys. Same effect. Not one-button, but it's not like the functionality…

Though I'm not familiar with the Lenovo trackpads in particular beyond playing with them on display models, the trackpad on MacBooks is a huge differentiator over any of the ones I've had on PC laptops. It works so well you forget how well it's working until you start using a different computer with a trackpad that now feels completely broken.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#96

Post by generalk »

sanderjd wrote: post #95
generalk wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. > Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. I'm no Apple fanboy, but this statement's ridiculous. > Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Two-finger inertial scrolling on the amazing glass trackpad. Or, Command-arrow keys. Same effect. Not one-button, but it's not like the functionality…

Though I'm not familiar with the Lenovo trackpads in particular beyond playing with them on display models, the trackpad on MacBooks is a huge differentiator over any of the ones I've had on PC laptops. It works so well you forget how well it's working until you start using a different computer with a trackpad that now feels completely broken.

It's honestly one of the reasons I'm still contemplating getting a new Mac when it's time to upgrade. I've never seen a PC laptop with both a comfortable, large, smooth trackpad and good drivers that provide the kind of scrolling you get with a Mac.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#97

Post by generalk »

vvhn wrote: post #88
w1ntermute wrote: post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Need more battery life? Buy a second battery and swap them when the first runs out. Need more ram? Just open it up and put it in. Same thing if you want a new HD/etc. This is one of the biggest factors for me in getting a PC laptop over a MacBook. When I buy a ThinkPad, I intend to keep it for 5 years. My friends with MacBooks all replace them every 2-3 years. > Combine this with great linux support [1] and Lenovo…

> This is another big factor. I tell anyone who's interested in Linux that the best laptop for Linux is a ThinkPad. Everything works flawlessly out of the box. I wonder what Linus Torvalds uses as a laptop ... Oh noes !!! http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium...

Of course, what works for the guy who invented Linux might not work for someone who just wants a download/install/everything works Linux setup.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#98

Post by generalk »

w1ntermute wrote: post #78
yummyfajitas wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lenovo certainly does compete on quality, it just aims for a different set of quality seekers. Apple targets people who want their computer to look pretty. Lenovo targets the people who want to get stuff done. Want to quickly scroll through a document? page up/page down/home/end buttons? Lenovo's got it. Want to change the volume easily and still have access to f1-f12? Lenovo's got dedicated buttons for it. Spill you…

> Need more battery life? Buy a second battery and swap them when the first runs out. Need more ram? Just open it up and put it in. Same thing if you want a new HD/etc. This is one of the biggest factors for me in getting a PC laptop over a MacBook. When I buy a ThinkPad, I intend to keep it for 5 years. My friends with MacBooks all replace them every 2-3 years. > Combine this with great linux support [1] and Lenovo…

  >  When I buy a ThinkPad, I intend to keep it for 5 years. 
  > My friends with MacBooks all replace them every 2-3 years.
Yeah that's one of the reasons I don't know if I'm comfortable getting one of the new Macbooks. I mean the Retina Display w/ 16 GB of RAM is lustworthy, but the RAM is soldered into place (thus the need to max it out at 16GB at purchase-time), the battery's glued in place, and the SSD is apparently replaceable but completely nonstandard.

But I'm confused about what to replace it with, and concerned that I'll miss some of the better OS X stuff. Keynote is fantastic for presentations. Never having to worry about hardware compatibility is pretty convenient.

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#99

Post by primatology »

yummyfajitas wrote: post #92
primatology wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only time I've ever used a function key (F1, F2) in a Mac application was in Photoshop. Most Mac applications use Cmd+? shortcuts. So in effect, the volume/brightness controls have their own dedicated keys.

I use all 12 of them on a regular basis, except for F2. I just noticed F2 is free, so I bound it to 'revert-buffer, which I use all the time. A single button works great for a gun. A computer does more things than a gun so it needs more buttons.

Fair enough. Upon investigation, I've discovered there are a fair few OS X official system shortcuts which utilize function keys.

But I think you're an edge case. Apple targets hard the average consumer, and there are plenty (my parents) who don't understand an arbitrary mapping of a number to a function. The self-explanatory icons (the speaker with lots of sound vs no sound, the universal play triangle, etc.) are far more understandable. So why not save space?

Re: Quick Nexus 7 Comments By Linus Torvalds

#100

Post by primatology »

generalk wrote: post #93
yummyfajitas wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wasn't claiming a macbook can't scroll. I was just claiming that Lenovo has a lot of features that don't necessarily look pretty, but which make it easy to actually use the damn thing on an everyday basis. Fewer buttons isn't necessarily better nor is it even simpler. The simplest thing in the world is a "do exactly what I want" button for every common value of "what I want". It's not pretty or as easy to market or…

I agree, fewer buttons does not necessarily make a device simpler. There's a happy medium that I think Android hit with the four-button menu/home/back/search keys. Whenever I use an iPhone anymore I always cache-miss and try to find the hardware back button.

Not every screen needs a back button. You can't hide a hardware back button.

I'm with Apple on this one. The back-arrow button in the toolbar reminds me I'm in a hierarchal app, and the label reminds me what the prior screen was. It's just the opposite for me: every time I use an Android I hunt around the screen for the software back button.

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