I also filed the corners off my MacBook • Hacker News Board

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#61

Post by fransje26 » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 8:38 AM UTC

ctippett wrote: post #54

rob74 wrote: post #43

Nitpick: those are (sharp) edges, not corners. Maybe the next generation of MacBooks will also actually have exactly 90° non-rounded corners? I guess that's the next logical step... Also, TIL that Bosch also makes files. I was under the impression that they only made powertools (or electronic measuring devices, or other things with a battery or power cord).

You mentioned Bosch and I can't think of anywhere or anyone else who'd be interested in this little bit of trivia, so a random comment on a thread about filing the edges off a laptop seems like a fitting place to share it. Bosch dates their appliances using a thing called the Fertigungsdatum Number. The first two digits represent the year of manufacture, the second two are for the month. Except the year doesn't align…

And the majority owner of Bosch is the Robert Bosch Stiftung (Robert Bosch foundation), which uses its dividends to fund projects in social sciences, public health and education.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#62

Post by shmeeed » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 8:41 AM UTC

baldeagle wrote: post #9

https://a.co/d/0hXtPRfC Amazon link to a debuting tool. It uses sharp harder metal to cut off sharp metal edges.

I strongly recommend against using a deburring tool on a Macbook. IMO OP has picked their tools with perfect consideration.

These tools are made to remove burrs resulting from machining processes. They are very useful for quick&dirty jobs on bore holes or rough edges where optics don't matter, but they lack the precision for sensitive work.

Anybody who's not very well versed in using a deburring tool is just about guaranteed to produce a terrible result that will only take longer to sand out than approching the task with files and sandpaper from the start.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#63

Post by MezzoDelCammin » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 8:56 AM UTC

eru wrote: post #48

rob74 wrote: post #43

Nitpick: those are (sharp) edges, not corners. Maybe the next generation of MacBooks will also actually have exactly 90° non-rounded corners? I guess that's the next logical step... Also, TIL that Bosch also makes files. I was under the impression that they only made powertools (or electronic measuring devices, or other things with a battery or power cord).

Oh, Bosch makes all kinds of things. Bosch's logo is something like a sparkplug (the thing used in internal combustion engines). To this day, the 'mobility' division is the biggest one. See https://www.bosch.com/stories/creation-of-the-bosch-logo/ Decades ago I actually had an offer to work for them as a research student working on optimising internal combustion engines.

not a spark plug. They call it "armature in a circle", but that's somewhat generic.

Bosch used to do the first magnetos / dynamos in the early 1900s motorbikes / cars. The principle is similar to this day - one rotating magnetic field within one static. You can do all kinds of shenanigans and combinations of permanent magnets / coils where it's either the electric current generating a magnetic field or the magnetic field generating an electric current. Depending whether You want the movement to generate electricity or the electricity to generate movement.

In the first magnetos (the thing that uses the engine rotation in order to generate a current that then makes a spark in the spark plug) they used permanently magnetized exterior plating and a rotating winding. That's sort of what You see in the logo - two coil windings rotating in their housing.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#64

Post by maccard » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 8:58 AM UTC

maxbrt wrote: post #21

BoxOfRain wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah I think the grief OP was getting over that statement in some of the other comments is unwarranted, I understand completely what they mean about tools. You have people who buy expensive guitars and barely play them for fear of scuffing them for example, depriving themselves and the tool of the thing it's actually for. I'll never understand that mentality. I don't like to be precious about my tools either, scratch…

Thanks for the encouragement, glad you like the background :-) Yeah I phrased it a bit badly initially. But what I meant was pretty much what you stated!

> Yeah I phrased it a bit badly initially. But what I meant was pretty much what you stated!

This is part of the fun of reading other peoples writing - thanks for sharing your work!

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#65

Post by musha68k » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 9:00 AM UTC

I've been using Macs for decades and never had these issues personally. It seems like some people do literally rest their hands / arms on desk / notebook body while typing.

The "sharp edge syndrome" here to me seems to be a good thing then as it acts as a reminder for proper ergonomics / posture.

First Google AI search result on the topic:

"Never rest your wrists on your MacBook while typing. Instead, let your palms rest gently on the laptop body only when you pause. Hover your hands as you type. This prevents you from bending your wrists and protects the nerves in your carpal tunnel."

That also pretty much exactly mirrors the way we learned typing / posture at school in Austria.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#66

Post by ROllerozxa » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 9:10 AM UTC

carodgers wrote: post #26

I would just like to say that with this page open I have ~15% utilization on my GPU. XD

Trying to even open the page in Chrome on my phone freezes the tab with rapid flickering and makes every other tab I switch to or open completely blank until I restart the browser... That effect sure is something.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#67

Post by lb1lf » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 9:13 AM UTC

noufalibrahim wrote: post #51

lb1lf wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...and don't even get me started on people who buy a Rolex Submariner - the quintessential tool watch (and luxury symbol, by all means - but it wasn't always so) and then ask whether they should take any special precautions after accidentally showering with it... Sigh.

I'm probably missing something here but if I have to worry about getting an expensive watch that calls it "Submariner" wet of all things, at the very least, it's badly named.

close04 pretty much nailed it with his comment below. There is nothing wrong with the Submariner - quite the contrary, it is an iconic design and exceedingly well made.

The 'problem' is that as it migrated (much like, say, Leica cameras and optics) from being tools for professionals into status symbols, a lot of its owners went from basically banging it about, relishing each and every battle scar obtained to (sigh) worrying about resale value.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#68

Post by dijit » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 9:16 AM UTC

Cthulhu_ wrote: post #47

rob74 wrote: post #43

Nitpick: those are (sharp) edges, not corners. Maybe the next generation of MacBooks will also actually have exactly 90° non-rounded corners? I guess that's the next logical step... Also, TIL that Bosch also makes files. I was under the impression that they only made powertools (or electronic measuring devices, or other things with a battery or power cord).

Their main bread and butter is components for cars and ebikes, their (power) tools / DIY stuff is like 22% of their business. Or so I learned just now.

as an aside, I have a shimano e-bike and a bosch one, and the bosch one is leagues superior.

Which feels weird when you consider the pedigree of shimano, but it makes sense when you think what kind of internals an ebike motor would need.. I guess.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#69

Post by B1FF_PSUVM » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 9:18 AM UTC

boredpudding wrote: post #50

rob74 wrote: post #43

Nitpick: those are (sharp) edges, not corners. Maybe the next generation of MacBooks will also actually have exactly 90° non-rounded corners? I guess that's the next logical step... Also, TIL that Bosch also makes files. I was under the impression that they only made powertools (or electronic measuring devices, or other things with a battery or power cord).

Bosch is one of those companies that makes a lot of different things. I own powertools, kitchen appliances and car parts from them.

And car engine control software.

Bosch developed the "experimental" ECU software that VW used in the Dieselgate vehicles.

Re: I also filed the corners off my MacBook

#70

Post by benj111 » Thu, Jul 16, 2026, 9:25 AM UTC

bofadeez wrote: post #13

"The moment I am too scared to do something because I might damage the tool, it stops being a tool" That's just not the definition of the word "tool" at all but okay... whatever

A tool is meant to do something, not look pretty.

If your primary concern is something looking pretty, it is no longer primarily a tool.

Probably loose wording as damage can mean break something or make it look less pretty. I think the intent is clear though.