Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

The Perfect Laptop

blog.brossia.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

191–200 of 354 posts

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#191

Post by BanazirGalbasi »

johnnyjeans wrote: post #127
binkHN wrote: post #70

I’ll be that guy—The Perfect Laptop requires a TrackPoint. ;)

This and physical mouse buttons are my bottom line for any laptop. Without these, I'm simply not interested in using the laptop, they are not optional. Good keyboard is very close 3rd place. I don't care about the trackpad, I don't use it. I'd prefer if it didn't have one at all, in fact. My ideal laptop is basically an IBM Thinkpad 365x with modern screen, battery, updated peripherals and internals.

All three physical buttons, at that. My work laptop has a trackpoint and the right/left click buttons, but it's missing the middle button that lets you scroll with the trackpoint. The same button works as a middle-click for pasting the second text buffer in Linux, which is nice to be able to rely on when transitioning between terminal and web windows.

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#192

Post by gwbas1c »

Some things that I'd like:

Either 100% USB-C, or include a USB-A port. I'm really sick of laptops containing ports that I'll never use, but needing to STILL carry around an adaptor. I don't see how anyone can justify getting rid of USB-A (which everyone needs,) while still keeping things like 3.5mm headphone jacks, SD Card readers, HDMI... Just go USB-C only (and make everyone carry an adaptor) or include a USB-A port with the plethora of ports that I'll never use.

I really want to bring back 17" laptops. I know this is a niche market, but I really miss my old 2007 MBP's wiiiiide screen. I don't mind the weight and the size; and there's plenty of smaller laptops on the market for everyone else.

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#193

Post by 0_____0 »

herval wrote: post #137
RajT88 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm just surprised that people feel so passionately about touchpads/trackpads. Apple can have the best one, sure, I believe it. But they still are bad pointing devices as a type of pointing device. People have gotten used to them, because what else can you really fit into a laptop?

It's not a bad pointing device, that's the thing. I can use a Mac with a trackpad for pretty much anything, including image editing. It's precise, doesn't do ghost clicks/taps, and it's BIG I never found a non-Mac with a trackpad I could use _at all_. I always need a mouse to use my windows laptop...

I've designed non-trivial mechanical components in Solidworks on an Intel Macbook using the trackpad. Arrow keys to spin the model. Having a mouse is better but the trackpad is much better than using a mouse on a poor surface while mobile.

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#194

Post by willis936 »

mistercheph wrote: post #187
willis936 wrote: post #165

I don't like that Lenovo is put shoulder to shoulder with Apple here. I have never personally owned a macbook, but my SO has and they are multiple classes above anything Lenovo has made in the past decade. My work gives me a P1 and I liked it for the first year (especially with that mobile xeon with every ISA extension on the block), but I am growing tired of it. Here is the short list: the touchpad drops out, blue s…

Every single issue you mention has to do with Microsoft's Windows, including the touchpad drop outs that are likely W11 palm detection.

Probably not that since it's running W10.

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#195

Post by filoleg »

RajT88 wrote: post #125
post-it wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> can’t put my finger on why this is so much better than everyone else Because it doesn't move. When you press down on an Apple touchpad, it doesn't displace at all, it vibrates . This gives you an identical touch response across the entire trackpad, plus nifty things like Force Touch and customizable response intensity. Nobody else has done it, and it makes every other touchpad feel awful.

I'm just surprised that people feel so passionately about touchpads/trackpads. Apple can have the best one, sure, I believe it. But they still are bad pointing devices as a type of pointing device. People have gotten used to them, because what else can you really fit into a laptop?

> But they still are bad pointing devices as a type of pointing device.

The Apple one is so good though, it convinced me to buy their dedicated desktop trackpad for when my laptop is docked and I work on my large monitor at the desk. It got to the point where I prefer their trackpad for literally everything I do on my desktop, with games being the only exception. Though I am still fine and good with using a mouse. Trackpads on windows laptops though, it feels insufferable in comparison.

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#199

Post by Aerbil313 »

herval wrote: post #137
RajT88 wrote: post #125

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm just surprised that people feel so passionately about touchpads/trackpads. Apple can have the best one, sure, I believe it. But they still are bad pointing devices as a type of pointing device. People have gotten used to them, because what else can you really fit into a laptop?

It's not a bad pointing device, that's the thing. I can use a Mac with a trackpad for pretty much anything, including image editing. It's precise, doesn't do ghost clicks/taps, and it's BIG I never found a non-Mac with a trackpad I could use _at all_. I always need a mouse to use my windows laptop...

Really? For example as a software dev using Linux as a daily driver (so no gaming), would I not need a mouse at all with a Mac? (considering buying one)

Re: The Perfect Laptop

#200

Post by tibbon »

SamuelAdams wrote: post #150
dhruvmittal wrote: post #113

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've very happily left a Mac touchpad. Not once but twice. While the gesture support in the OS is nice, I don't like how big the touchpads are. I feel like it regularly gets in the way of typing. I'm okay with the size of the trackpad on the Framework laptop, but it could have been smaller. I really miss my old Thinkpad trackpad with the physical buttons between the trackpad and spacebar, which I felt was really usab…

For me it’s not about how big it is. The MacBook trackpads feel very precise. I rarely mis-click a part of my screen because my cursor drifted too far.

Same. Even clicking, alone right clicking, is super awkward for some reason on my partner's computer (I can't recall the brand, Asus or such). On my mac, it seems flawless.
Post reply on HN