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Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

jeffgeerling.com

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Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#121

Post by bdcravens »

Apocryphon wrote: post #46
eknkc wrote: post #36

What I'm mostly curious about these posts is, how the heck do you guys switch operating systems that easily? I guess it would work if you are already using Linux or Windows on a Mac hardware but that's gotta be rare. I mean, hardware is nothing compared to the OS.. I can switch to any other Mac and it would take me a couple hours to be comfortable. That would be it. If I'm switching to a Dell XPS, I don't really care…

Perhaps there's a market for a PC OEM about making their laptop convenient to convert into a Hackintosh.

I don't think any hardware manufacturer will touch Hackintoshing; previous company in that space (Psystar) was sued out of existence.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psystar_Corporation

Obviously if a company isn't selling product with OSX installed it's different, but any marketing that suggests it would likely be problematic. Besides, the community has done a pretty good job of identifying compatible hardware

http://wiki.osx86project.org/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#122

Post by sbr464 »

geerlingguy wrote: post #115
curioussavage wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not picky about the screen, but I am super picky about trackpads from using macs. My dell chrombook feels every bit as good as the Mac. Fortunately for me the Gallium os distro for Chromebooks reuses the chrome os touchpad driver. I dell Precision model at work and that touch pad sucks!

I'm amazed nobody else has matched Apple's glass touch input devices. Luckily the external Magic Trackpad works pretty well with the XPS 13.

I think it’s because Apple has the patent on glass on metal trackpads

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.cultofmac.com/210380/apple-...

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#123

Post by geerlingguy »

bunderbunder wrote: post #51
eknkc wrote: post #36

What I'm mostly curious about these posts is, how the heck do you guys switch operating systems that easily? I guess it would work if you are already using Linux or Windows on a Mac hardware but that's gotta be rare. I mean, hardware is nothing compared to the OS.. I can switch to any other Mac and it would take me a couple hours to be comfortable. That would be it. If I'm switching to a Dell XPS, I don't really care…

Can't speak for everyone, but I've always been a polyglot on OSes. I'm usually either remoted into a Linux box from a Mac, remoted into a Linux box from Windows, remoted into Windows from a Mac, or several of those at once. Pretty much all the software I use is cross-platform, and even Windows is a fairly acceptable Unix nowadays, so the biggest transitioning problem I have is keeping track of which modifier keys to…

Ditto; besides Final Cut Pro, Photos, and Sequel Pro, most apps I use on macOS work as well (or nearly so) under Windows.

Agreed that the worst thing is the muscle memory for shortcuts; my pinkie always needs a few hours before it starts to remember which keyboard layout I'm using.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#124

Post by fusiongyro »

eknkc wrote: post #36

What I'm mostly curious about these posts is, how the heck do you guys switch operating systems that easily? I guess it would work if you are already using Linux or Windows on a Mac hardware but that's gotta be rare. I mean, hardware is nothing compared to the OS.. I can switch to any other Mac and it would take me a couple hours to be comfortable. That would be it. If I'm switching to a Dell XPS, I don't really care…

I used Linux for everything in college, only switching to Mac when it became clear to me that it was a nicer laptop that had enough Unix for me to get by. Going back the other way, there are a few things Mac OS has that I like, but my day-to-day is IntelliJ, Emacs, Firefox and a terminal, so it's not that big of a problem.

I'll probably never be totally Apple-free. I leave the door open for them to make a decent developer laptop again. And I don't have compelling replacements for, or the money to go down the rabbit hole all at once, for the iPhones, Apple TV, iPads etc. and figure out what to do about my photos and music. But Apple got me by wooing me as a developer. Now that I'm on Linux full-time at home, I can start thinking about how I'd like to solve those problems, where before I wasn't really giving it any thought. Apple should be worried, because we are a bell weather, and you can't expect a platform to thrive that developers despise.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#125

Post by bcheung »

Solid hardware review but I'm more interested in the software user experience. I'm wanting to transition away for Mac for Node / React development and professional photography. Unfortunately the lack of Unix and weird things like backslash in folder paths is holding me back.

I'd be curious to hear stories of any React / Node developers making the switch and their recommendations. Do you just run an Ubuntu image in a VM for running all your Node stuff?

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#126

Post by jdhawk »

fuzzy2 wrote: post #95

I have a Precision 5520 (basically an XPS 15) at work. At home, I have a Retina MacBook Pro Late 2013. I still prefer the MacBook, even though it’s a lot less powerful. First off, the killer with anything Dell: The firmware is just incredibly terrible. Sometimes it takes 30 seconds for the initial Dell logo to show. Others have similar issues, too, but no firmware setting seems to help. The Latitude I had before also…

5510 Work Computer - the keyboard is complete trash. The XPS 13's we have laying around have a slightly better feel to them, but they're still trash compared to my 2011 Macbook Air.

Its really frustrating, and has basically turned my "laptop" into a desktop

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#128

Post by vzaliva »

I also just switched to XPS 13 but with a 4K display. My main problem is the touchpad. I could not type without accidentally touching touchpad which causes random actions like deleting chunks of text, sending unfinished emails or just jumping around the document. I never had such problem on ThinkPad I had before. Perhaps it is Dell touchpad calibration issue under Linux.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#129

Post by gxs »

eropple wrote: post #94
gxs wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The trackpad is what kills me. On the Mac, the non-mechanical touchpad is so efficient, at least as a pointing device can be. It's spacious, I don't get erroneous output, and most importantly, you get a uniform click no matter where on the trackpad your finger is. In the hinged trackpads, it's a pain to click at the top - often you have to slide your finger down. This is less of an issue if you're more of a keyboard…

Can't speak to the XPS 13, but on the HP Spectre x360 13", I can click, without undue pressure, anywhere except when my finger is literally touching the top edge of the trackpad. I have the same experience on my 2014 Retina MBP, too. I feel like you might be overstating the benefits (which exist, but IMO are not that big) of the non-mechanical touchpad just a little.

Maybe you're right, but for me it was a little jarring at first.

Little things like that add up - and it's nice when they are just completely out of the way. FWIW I don't have the issue you reported, I can click anywhere on the trackpad, even the very edge. Mostly useful when you're dragging and dropping or selecting text etc.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#130

Post by geerlingguy »

bhasi wrote: post #96

As another user below commented, this is the old generation of XPS 13, which I also have. I believe the new version has a more conventional placement of camera. I run Ubuntu exclusively on my XPS 13 and have taped shut the camera. The battery life, display, touchpad, and overall feel of the laptop are all very satisfactory and up to my standards. I couldn't be happier with it.

They moved it from under the screen on the left side, to under the screen in the middle. Everyone who reviews the new model still agrees the placement is ridiculous:

> Despite an all-around makeover of the physical design of the system, the camera remains stubbornly anchored to the blank expanse below the screen. That means any attempt to use it results in a less-than-flattering view, emphasising one's neck, chin and nostrils.

Source: https://www.cnet.com/products/dell-xps-13-2018/review/

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