61–70 of 90 posts
So now it's ThinkPad or MacBook Pro. What is it like to run Linux on MacBook Pros these days? Does Ubuntu and other popular distributions install without much fiddling? Does any of the hardware not work with Linux?
Virtualisation is actually a really nice way to run Linux on a Mac.
If you are looking for a Linux compatible laptop that is somewhat similar to MacBook Air, look for Asus Zenbook UX* line. Excellent display, good but not awesome battery life, fast hardware and really good keyboard for its size. I've bought two UX31A's, one for myself almost two years a go and one for my dad last Christmas. Everything else works straight away with Ubuntu other than ambient light sensor. I think there…
I have the Asus Zenbook UX301LA see 'helpful links' at the bottom for your model.
I would argue their not the best with Linux since they have a lot of fancy sensors that don't work out of the box but their quality is excellent.
[1]https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ASUS_UX301LA
[2]https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ASUS_Zenbook_Prime_UX31...
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Or just buy an older ThinkPad X201 / X220 / T410 with 1440x900 display and get a new 9-cell battery. The things are really cheap, have a proper keyboard, are bomb proof, every part is replaceable for minimal cost, they are 100% supported by all operating systems, have excellent docking support and you can just sling them in your bag. Mine lives down the back of the sofa cushions when not in use. I knackered the headp…
I just bought a second hand X240 and am really pleased with it, the only thing it lacks for me is a backlit keyboard.
At the surface, backlighting seems largely aesthetic to me; I have muscle memory of my keyboard layout and do not need to reference the keys at all while in the dark. (A huge tactile cue is the TrackPoint in the keyboard.) I understand that there are lots of variables: not everyone uses their machine as frequently or may not have a keyboard amenable to this.
Does anyone here feel backlit keyboards are essential? Why or why not? What is the consensus rationales?
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just bought a second hand X240 and am really pleased with it, the only thing it lacks for me is a backlit keyboard.
I've always been curious--what's the use case for the backlit keyboard? At the surface, backlighting seems largely aesthetic to me; I have muscle memory of my keyboard layout and do not need to reference the keys at all while in the dark. (A huge tactile cue is the TrackPoint in the keyboard.) I understand that there are lots of variables: not everyone uses their machine as frequently or may not have a keyboard amena…
If you're sitting in a place dark enough to need it, it's not good for you staring at the contrast between the screen and darkness so turn the light on.
Plus I don't look at the keyboard anyway.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Nobody wants a heavy, hot, loud, and crappy laptop when a tablet like an iPad can do everything that matters to most people (email and web) and then some. Anecdotal counterevidence: My mum is almost 50 years old. She has never been computer savvy. All she ever does is read email and browse the internets. Barely browse the internets. She uses her TV cable far more than she does internet. Last year I bought her a tab…
Weirdly, my mum used to have laptops for years, which she used for running at an obscenely low resolution, making it practically unusable. She played solitaire on it, and used Facebook. And I think that was all! She bought an iPad (finally) and doesn't make a fuss about not changing the font size (she can't, so she doesn't make a fuss anymore), and seems really happy with it. But she isn't trying to create things on…
I should check how much they still use their PCs. My dad used to program a lot, and my mom moderated a mailinglist and was active in a bunch of communities (for some context: I'm 40, my parents are 68). Tablet usage is definitely more passive and consumptive.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I just bought a second hand X240 and am really pleased with it, the only thing it lacks for me is a backlit keyboard.
I've always been curious--what's the use case for the backlit keyboard? At the surface, backlighting seems largely aesthetic to me; I have muscle memory of my keyboard layout and do not need to reference the keys at all while in the dark. (A huge tactile cue is the TrackPoint in the keyboard.) I understand that there are lots of variables: not everyone uses their machine as frequently or may not have a keyboard amena…
I never felt the need to memorize where all the symbols are located since they change locations depending on keyboard type(language) anyway and i can't be bothered to.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I've always been curious--what's the use case for the backlit keyboard? At the surface, backlighting seems largely aesthetic to me; I have muscle memory of my keyboard layout and do not need to reference the keys at all while in the dark. (A huge tactile cue is the TrackPoint in the keyboard.) I understand that there are lots of variables: not everyone uses their machine as frequently or may not have a keyboard amena…
Anecdote. I had a 2011 MBP with backlit keyboard. Never used it once. In fact, the machine ended up with windows on it because MacOS made me want to smash the thing (despite being a Unix guy) and the Boot Camp drivers didn't switch the backlight off reliably which annoyed the crap out of me. If you're sitting in a place dark enough to need it, it's not good for you staring at the contrast between the screen and darkn…
Then again most websites I use regularly have been re-skinned to have dark themes since white hurts my eyes regardless of the ambient environment.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Anecdote. I had a 2011 MBP with backlit keyboard. Never used it once. In fact, the machine ended up with windows on it because MacOS made me want to smash the thing (despite being a Unix guy) and the Boot Camp drivers didn't switch the backlight off reliably which annoyed the crap out of me. If you're sitting in a place dark enough to need it, it's not good for you staring at the contrast between the screen and darkn…
I never understood the turning the lights on bit I found bright ambient environments hurt my eyes more when trying to concentrate looking at the screen then dark environments. Then again most websites I use regularly have been re-skinned to have dark themes since white hurts my eyes regardless of the ambient environment.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I agree with all the other posters, and believe performance and form factor have reached a point that makes frequent upgrades less common. However, I'll add one more point into the mix... Modern computer specifications are confusing. Back in the day it was extremely linear. Oh, your computer is 233 MHz, this new one is 300 MHz, or 450 MHz, or 1 GHz. It was like owning a Supersoaker 2000, and wanting the newly release…
It isn't that different though. You still look at clock speeds on the CPU, as well as the burst speed for what it can ramp up to. So that's the 233/300/450 comparison done. Then perhaps look at whether it is i3/i5/i7 - the higher ones are better. But then instead of just thinking that your processor is one CPU, count how many logical processors are in there: dual core, quad core etc. It's still the same - the higher…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> Why on earth are laptops not selling? If someone had the answer to that question then Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, etc. would be much, much happier. The entire PC industry has been shrinking for the last few years, sometimes with double digit declines. Nobody wants a heavy, hot, loud, and crappy laptop when a tablet like an iPad can do everything that matters to most people (email and web) and then some.
> Nobody wants a heavy, hot, loud, and crappy laptop when a tablet like an iPad can do everything that matters to most people (email and web) and then some. Anecdotal counterevidence: My mum is almost 50 years old. She has never been computer savvy. All she ever does is read email and browse the internets. Barely browse the internets. She uses her TV cable far more than she does internet. Last year I bought her a tab…
ASK her before if she'd rather have an old 15" MacBook or an Air. If she's complaining about the tablet being to small, she'd probably rather have a larger screen than 13".