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My 2020 desk setup

michael.stapelberg.ch

151–160 of 160 posts

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#151
post #130

The WH-1000XM3 are just about the only recommended bluetooth headphone anymore that makes switching devices that much of a pain. Most will either automatically switch between a few active devices or allow you to switch by just initiating the connection from the target device. Have you looked at installing the patched pulseaudio-bluetooth modules to gain LDAC support? :)

Have not looked at any fancy pulseaudio setups. I don’t want to maintain them on my machines over time, as I use these headphones with 4 different devices :)

Fair enough! For other people coming across the thread, the repo for the modules is here (sorry for not posting this in the original post: https://github.com/EHfive/pulseaudio-modules-bt)

Good news is that there's some more activity towards upstreaming them; at least in my experience, they Just Worked(TM) as far as the system automatically selecting LDAP or AAC as needed.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Considering how many hours a day he likely uses his machine, it may work out to something like the difference between a few cents and 10 cents an hour.

That's only going to be true if the $4000 extra they spent is used for 40,000+ hours. It's likely closer to be a dollar an hour more for slightly crisper text. (Assuming they use it full time for 2 years)

The monitor/GPU have a lot more than 2 year lifespan. Depreciation is likely less than 50% in 2 years.

And he didn't pay for slightly crisper text, he paid for higher productivity. At $100/hour that 25 to 50 cents is trivial to make up. Which is why devs should never, ever skimp on hardware.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#153
post #29

One minor benefit of TFA to me this morning is I had a 120mm case fan that has been vibrating / buzzing, but I've been delaying buying a replacement just due to not wanting to choose the wrong SKU (again). Scrolling through the size I see the recommendation of the Noctua NF-A12x25. Probably 3x what I paid for the fan that is being replaced, but it could be the only component in the case that stays during the next reb…

I just built a system, but the included case fans are too loud.

Just ordered a Be Quiet! 140 mm Shadow Wings 2 for the front and a 120 mm for the back.

From everything I've read, they're the quietest. And are cheaper. But might move less air, due to being limited to 900 rpm.

https://www.bequiet.com/en/casefans/1625 https://smile.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07MCHLGC5

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#154
post #121

Given that this is the closest thing to a monitor discussion thread I've seen on HN, I'd like to ask if anyone has a recommendation for what I should upgrade to next. My progression has been the 2560x1440 Thunderbolt display to the Dell P2715Q, which has been my main monitor at work and home for the past 5 years. I've tried to upgrade from the P2715Q three times now, and always end up going back to it because I'm dis…

Rtings has comprehensive reviews for TV as monitors: https://www.rtings.com/tv/reviews/best/by-usage/pc-monitor

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#155

About the slow package managers complaint, you should try out Void Linux! Xbps is god speed compared to apt or pacman

Thanks, I’m aware. Unfortunately, Void Linux runs runit as init system, and I want systemd.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#156
post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have three monitors, but I only use one (a 24" one, the second is for when I want to watch some show or movie while doing stuff on the main one, and the third I basically never use). I have my apps always maximized/fullscreen in the main monitor and I alt-tab between them. I never could get into having multiple apps on-screen at the same time, since I can only focus on one. Writing this comment, though, I realize t…

A better alt+tab switcher would be great! Why isn't that a thing? I'm imagining something where you could use alt+f1, alt+f2, alt+f3, etc. to switch to specific windows rather than just rotating between everything.

On Linux, I use jumpapp: https://github.com/mkropat/jumpapp

On Mac, Quicksilver with Triggers: https://qsapp.com/

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's only going to be true if the $4000 extra they spent is used for 40,000+ hours. It's likely closer to be a dollar an hour more for slightly crisper text. (Assuming they use it full time for 2 years)

The monitor/GPU have a lot more than 2 year lifespan. Depreciation is likely less than 50% in 2 years. And he didn't pay for slightly crisper text, he paid for higher productivity. At $100/hour that 25 to 50 cents is trivial to make up. Which is why devs should never, ever skimp on hardware.

Okay, first of all let me say that I don't want to poo-poo anyone's choice of environment. If it "sparks joy" for hours every day, it's probably a good personal investment.

On the other hand, it does require additional resources being wasted, both for producing the items -- monitors/GPUs indeed do have a long lifespan, which means that the previous ones would still work -- and increased energy used per hour. So saying that any $ spent on hardware can't be wasted for devs...

And whether it will actually result in increased productivity is a good question. Readability, eye strain, enjoyment all factor in. Plenty of studies that only focus on one aspect, so easy to cherry pick a conclusion...

Again, I don't believe this is more wasteful than a few spa days or a vacation, so good for the OP. My initial post was about how that works out for them (or others chiming in). I find myself not too affected by this, i.e. my last big jump was from a 21 CRT to a 24 inch Dell, especially when it comes to the simple shapes of monochrome fonts.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's a HUGE difference between the Kinesis Advantage and the Freestyle line. The Advantage2 uses MX Browns. I tried to love my Ergodox, but I've spent way too many years with the scooped keybed of the Kinesis.

btw - have you seen/tried anything like the 'tractyl' [0] or ultimate hacking keyboard[1] ? I used to use a trackball full-time, and I'm wondering how well a lil 'thumball' works... [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/dk9b34... [1] https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/

Tractyl looks pretty neat, but I think I'd miss my thumb keys too much.

I looked pretty closely at the UHH, but I think it would be the same issue as the Ergodox -- I'm too used to the scooped keybed of the Kinesis, which makes the reach between e.g. K and 8 short enough that I notice when it's not there on a flat keybed.

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#159

Earlier quoted context omitted.

btw - have you seen/tried anything like the 'tractyl' [0] or ultimate hacking keyboard[1] ? I used to use a trackball full-time, and I'm wondering how well a lil 'thumball' works... [0] https://www.reddit.com/r/MechanicalKeyboards/comments/dk9b34... [1] https://ultimatehackingkeyboard.com/

Tractyl looks pretty neat, but I think I'd miss my thumb keys too much. I looked pretty closely at the UHH, but I think it would be the same issue as the Ergodox -- I'm too used to the scooped keybed of the Kinesis, which makes the reach between e.g. K and 8 short enough that I notice when it's not there on a flat keybed.

You could have the trackball on one thumb and the thumb cluster on the other... I have a couple of crooked fingers from breaks that didn't heal completely straight, and I think I'm getting arthritis. So I'm trying to maximize usage of my 'strong' fingers.

I should really try a kinesis sometime. Everyone that has one seems to love them...

Re: My 2020 desk setup

#160
post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It does, actually. It’s supposed to describe a display where the individual pixels aren’t discernible at normal viewing distance

I prefer numbers and measurement units to trademarked, fuzzy descriptions of experiences. Since we're talking about display density, DPI is the term I want to see used.

That's all well and good, you're entitled to your preferences. But it doesn't change the fact that it's not a 'fuzzy' description of experience. DPI alone isn't enough information to describe what it is meant to define.

Again, retina refers to the minimum resolution, at a given viewing distance, where individual pixels are not recognizable.

The part about the viewing distance is essential. As I sit at my desk, my monitor is about a full arms length away from me. When I use my phone, it's distance from my eyes is about 1/3 that of the monitor (ish).

Thus, the DPI required for my phone to have its pixels indistinguishable is a lot higher than what my monitor needs to achieve the same. So in reality, DPI is a fuzzier description of experience than 'retina' is, even if it is an annoying, trademarked, marketing buzzword (which it is, no arguments there).

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