The biggest issue that I have with google is product sustainability -- if something doesn't seem to have "Hockey stick" levels of growth and use, google kills it.
Do I want to spend $500 on yet another google branded brick?
Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
151–160 of 270 posts
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#152I'm looking forward to the upcoming announcement of a Google game console in 2019 [0], and the subsequent announcement that it has been discontinued in 2022. [0] https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/03/all-signs-point-to-a...
There was some hiring mini surge around 2006 or so where Google seemed to hire a lot of my game development coworkers and they already cancelled whatever they were working on within three years.
Ha - I think you might be thinking about 2009-2011 or so. That was the Google+ effort (under VicG) and thinking that games (like it did with Facebook) would be a key driver of growth. I think this was also around the time of the bad $180M+ acquisition of Slide to get Max Levchin. Lots of folks used this "social games" and the Google+ track to launch stuff and get promoted quickly and then after it shuts down, find another place within the org where they can now hang out with the nice salary that comes with the promotions they got. :-)
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#153Please build me a Linux laptop for software engineering, Google. For engineers only. No software support beyond ensuring the BIOS and the drivers work and are updated. I hate Dell, but I got a Dell XPS 15 because it was the only laptop I knew would: boot Linux reliably; last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); have a high spec (i9 etc); and was reasonably priced (Apple tax was 50% higher for worse hardware). Is it imp…
IMO the best (or one of the best) for Linux : Thinkpad Carbon X1 6th gen (or 7th now?) I only wish it was sold without Windows so I can save $30-40 on the win license. Other than that, freaking perfect laptop that rivals a macbook (I will admit that the mac trackpad is slightly better... but this one is pretty damn good)
I will definitely look at getting a Thinkpad next time.
I needed a laptop (I try to refresh every 4 years in time with Ubuntu LTS releases), and the Dell met my requirements at the time, so that was what I got.
I looked at getting an Macbook Pro, but I was worried about the keyboard issues (I do use the laptop keyboard), and I had read about Linux driver issues.
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#154Please build me a Linux laptop for software engineering, Google. For engineers only. No software support beyond ensuring the BIOS and the drivers work and are updated. I hate Dell, but I got a Dell XPS 15 because it was the only laptop I knew would: boot Linux reliably; last two Ubuntu LTS upgrades (4 years); have a high spec (i9 etc); and was reasonably priced (Apple tax was 50% higher for worse hardware). Is it imp…
I have used a few different system76 laptops with Ubuntu LTS pre-installed (you can opt-out of Pop!OS, whatever that is!). They've been just fine for my purposes. https://system76.com/laptops
I am in New Zealand (we are far away from everything!) and I wanted something that at least had the potential to be supported locally.
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#155Earlier quoted context omitted.
IMO the best (or one of the best) for Linux : Thinkpad Carbon X1 6th gen (or 7th now?) I only wish it was sold without Windows so I can save $30-40 on the win license. Other than that, freaking perfect laptop that rivals a macbook (I will admit that the mac trackpad is slightly better... but this one is pretty damn good)
I will definitely look at getting a Thinkpad next time. I needed a laptop (I try to refresh every 4 years in time with Ubuntu LTS releases), and the Dell met my requirements at the time, so that was what I got. I looked at getting an Macbook Pro, but I was worried about the keyboard issues (I do use the laptop keyboard), and I had read about Linux driver issues.
The keyboard is one of the best things about Thinkpads :)
My dream is Thinkpad keyboard + macbook trackpad... I can dream...
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#156The move comes after the group received pressure to turn Google Hardware into "a real business" from higher-ups at Google/Alphabet -- the squeeze continues unabated :-) Its too bad, since the Pixelbook is pretty nice and with actual investment it could have been something much more than it is, but alas it would not have the margins search advertising does. Back in the 90's I met the head of Xerox's PARC after he had…
As an Xoogler, I can tell you that promising products that "will never be a billion-dollar business" get killed all the time. $100M in projected revenue? Yawn. Kill it.
Maybe that's opportunity cost working.
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#157Earlier quoted context omitted.
All 3 of these issues appear to be related to one common variable.. Windows. I have a Dell XPS 13 9360 8th Gen i5-8250u running Fedora 29 and I've never experienced any of these issues. Why don't you try another OS instead of blaming the hardware. If it continues with Ubuntu 18.04/18.10/Fedora 29 then contact Dell for support..
It's almost certainly a driver issue. Drivers that are provided by Dell. I'm not at all blaming the hardware for the issues. I'm blaming Dell. To answer your question, I don't switch OS because the machine belongs to my employer and they set the rules. They say everyone runs Windows so I run Windows. It's actually a very usable OS. You also seem to have missed the part where I spent 4 hours on the phone with Dell sup…
FWIW, my aforementioned Dell and the Thinkpad both are running Ubuntu flawlessly and without any reboots for months on end, as true workhorses should. In fact, out-of-the-box experience for Linux desktops with first-party support by manufacturers has never been better IMO.
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#158Earlier quoted context omitted.
I will definitely look at getting a Thinkpad next time. I needed a laptop (I try to refresh every 4 years in time with Ubuntu LTS releases), and the Dell met my requirements at the time, so that was what I got. I looked at getting an Macbook Pro, but I was worried about the keyboard issues (I do use the laptop keyboard), and I had read about Linux driver issues.
The keyboard is one of the best things about Thinkpads :) My dream is Thinkpad keyboard + macbook trackpad... I can dream...
Mine is thinkpad 7 row keyboard and trackpoint on a Macbook pro.
I don't think either of us are getting one for Xmas. If I had become founder of a unicorn I'd have had one custom made by now...
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#159The biggest issue that I have with google is product sustainability -- if something doesn't seem to have "Hockey stick" levels of growth and use, google kills it. Do I want to spend $500 on yet another google branded brick?
Does Google kill hardware often? What's the previous Google brick you can remember?
Re: Google Hardware makes cuts to laptop and tablet development, cancels products
#160Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chrome OS comes with Linux VMs now. You can do most dev work with it
Do you have to enable developer mode, and if so, does it stay enabled between boots?
No. You don't. It's fully secure and the host OS is aware of it as a feature. You can see your Linux files in the Files app etc..