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Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

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Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#141

Post by w0utert »

nunodonato wrote: post #92
symmitchry wrote: post #8

He says dongles and cables are "a non-issue" and buys over 7 new dongles, 2 new custom cables, plus a new card reader?

I laughed at this, so hard. I guess the distortion field is really strong :)

Why? If you don't care about spending extra for the dongles, after you've bought them there basically are no downsides to having to use them for legacy devices anymore, but all the advantages of USB-C still remain.

I don't understand why people get so worked up on the dongle thing anyway, for me it really is a non-issue, and I have only a single C-to-A cable. I do think Apple should not have been so damn greedy and just put a dongle in the box though, there really is no excuse for leaving it out considering the already crazy high price of the MBP 2016.

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#142

Post by WildUtah »

rectang wrote: post #136
theodorton wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can re-map the Escape key to Caps Lock. I bought the new MBP and got used to this. Although I returned it later and went back to my previous machine, I still use Caps Lock as Escape. I'm using Karabiner Elements on Sierra. brew cask install karabiner-elements Edit: I also believe it causes less strain on my fingers.

I've already got `caps lock` mapped to `control`, mainly because of where Apple put the `fn` button. As a heavy Vim user, I'm not looking forward to the `esc` trouble when I get my next Apple laptop.

    :inoremap kj
You'll love it.

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#143

Post by WildUtah »

yokohummer7 wrote: post #122
theodorton wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You can re-map the Escape key to Caps Lock. I bought the new MBP and got used to this. Although I returned it later and went back to my previous machine, I still use Caps Lock as Escape. I'm using Karabiner Elements on Sierra. brew cask install karabiner-elements Edit: I also believe it causes less strain on my fingers.

Oh wow. I can't believe I didn't think of it earlier! As a Vim user I've always been told it is good to swap Caps Lock and Esc, yet I haven't actually tried it due to my laziness. Probably now is the time.

Caps lock should be control, like it was when vi was invented. You can remap it under system preferences| keyboard| modifier

As for ,

    :inoremap kj
You'll love it.

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#144

Post by Terretta »

> Best of all is the distinct click each key makes when pressed. I have spent hundreds of pounds on mechanical keyboards in the past to get such a click. I love the positive feedback from this keyboard and find myself typing more assuredly on it than I did on its predecessor...

This is only best if you type by yourself in a soundproofed room.

In a business workplace where everyone has the prior model MacBook Pro, when you start typing on this one, the sounds of your 'assured' typing become the topic.

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#145

Post by matthewking »

yokohummer7 wrote: post #106
EnderMB wrote: post #102

I waited for over a year for the new MBP to come out, but in the end I shelled out a bit more money for a Surface Book. Since then, I've used the new MBP, and while it's a great machine I don't regret my purchase for a second. My only gripe with the Surface Book is that installing Linux is a bit of a nightmare (not sure if this is still the case), but I'm happy enough with running Ubuntu on a virtual machine.

And Windows Subsystem for Linux! While all my server and development stuffs are based on Linux, I wasn't particularly a fan of the Linux GUIs. The reason MacBook was attractive was that it runs POSIX. But now Windows can do that too thanks to WSL. It's not complete but even the current partial support does enough for me. It's a cheap, lightweight alternative to Linux VMs. I guess I would go with a Windows-based lapto…

I'm considering this too, Windows 10 still has some annoying UI inconsistencies but its getting there, and with the Ubuntu subsystem its viable for Linux based dev's without setting up a VM. I mean technically its closer to my target production environment than macOS is.

I haven't spent that long trying it out but managed to get a Rails 5 app up and running without much fuss, I'm with you on it being a game changer.

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#147

Post by [deleted] »

mgkimsal wrote: post #135
hpaavola wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe that the fundamental issue can be fixed. Ironically "Touch Bar" is something you can't feel when you touch it. Real physical buttons guide your finger to the correct location if you miss them slightly. "Touch" buttons don't. To fix that, one would need to rework the whole OS and applications in such way that they don't use F-keys at all, but rather something else. So, fixing Touch Bar means rethinking…

if there was even a way to just have the f-keys on all the time by default, that would have helped. Last I looked, that was not an option - you needed to hold down the fn key (or control?)

[deleted]

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#148

Post by jrs95 »

mgkimsal wrote: post #135
hpaavola wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe that the fundamental issue can be fixed. Ironically "Touch Bar" is something you can't feel when you touch it. Real physical buttons guide your finger to the correct location if you miss them slightly. "Touch" buttons don't. To fix that, one would need to rework the whole OS and applications in such way that they don't use F-keys at all, but rather something else. So, fixing Touch Bar means rethinking…

if there was even a way to just have the f-keys on all the time by default, that would have helped. Last I looked, that was not an option - you needed to hold down the fn key (or control?)

You can actually, on a per application basis: http://m.imore.com/how-make-function-keys-default-touch-bar-...

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#149

Post by [deleted] »

mgkimsal wrote: post #135
hpaavola wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't believe that the fundamental issue can be fixed. Ironically "Touch Bar" is something you can't feel when you touch it. Real physical buttons guide your finger to the correct location if you miss them slightly. "Touch" buttons don't. To fix that, one would need to rework the whole OS and applications in such way that they don't use F-keys at all, but rather something else. So, fixing Touch Bar means rethinking…

if there was even a way to just have the f-keys on all the time by default, that would have helped. Last I looked, that was not an option - you needed to hold down the fn key (or control?)

[deleted]

Re: Thoughts on the Late 2016 MacBook Pro

#150

Post by tqkxzugoaupvwqr »

8draco8 wrote: post #103
yokohummer7 wrote: post #100

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well, my experience is the opposite: while using the new MacBook I realized how infrequent I was using the function keys. The only times that I noticed the "missing" function keys were when I tried to open up the web developer console (F12), or rename a file (F2). I did see Apple's rationale here: ordinary users won't miss them, given I, being a developer, didn't miss them either. But unlike you and the OP, pressing…

But on mac to open Developer Tools you are using Cmd + Opt + I or Cmd + Shift + C and to rename a file Enter key is used. There is almost no use for F-keys on macOS other than volume and brightness controls. I don't have newest MBP but on daily basis I am using 60% keyboard without F-keys row and very rarely have to go to F-keys layer even on Ubuntu and Windows.

General macOS users don’t have a need for F-keys, true. But the people that use F-keys, typically use them frequently. In my IDE, some shortcuts use F-keys. I use them regularly.
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