31–40 of 95 posts
I want better hardware, but as a pro software developer, I can't really adopt a fundamentally different operating system, even if it is "better."
I don't care how nice your hand-crafted kernel is; if I can't run a JVM, Node.js, and the Android toolchain on it, I can't do my professional work on it.
> Pros don’t quit because their tools are suboptimal. That’s practically the definition of “professional” – a pro gets the damn thing done. A pro user might gripe about the new MacBook Pro, but the next time she needs a new machine, she’s going to buy one anyway because that’s the path of least resistance and she needs to get back to work. This sums up perfectly my thoughts about Apple hardware right now. I am annoye…
> I also agree that the pro market is ripe for disruption (again). I kind of hope so. I am not happy with Apple's latest moves with their Mac lineup. I have been using my current Macbook Pro for six years. I expected to buy one of the newly-announced Macs, but they really aren't speaking my language anymore. So I ordered a refurb Macbook Pro from 2015. It's still not what I would prefer, because the battery is glued…
> Pros don’t quit because their tools are suboptimal. That’s practically the definition of “professional” – a pro gets the damn thing done. A pro user might gripe about the new MacBook Pro, but the next time she needs a new machine, she’s going to buy one anyway because that’s the path of least resistance and she needs to get back to work. This sums up perfectly my thoughts about Apple hardware right now. I am annoye…
There are plenty of MacBook Pro alternatives that have identical hardware but have a wider range of ports: Microsoft Surface Book Razor Stealth Dell XPS 13 Unless you are sticking with the macOS ecosystem for old time's sake, it's trivial to switch to a Windows workflow.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think it's unfortunate you're being downvoted, but here's the thing: you go to the Apple store, buy a laptop, bring it home and plug it in and it works beautifully from day one. That's Apple's value proposition. (Subtract "beautifully" for Microsoft's.) Your plan means I'm signing up for a period of pain of unknown duration. It could be four hours or two weeks. And for the next three years I might have a laptop tha…
You bring up an interesting point: There are different kind of Pro's. For IT professionals my suggestion is valid in my opinion, but for all other professionals, like audio engineers or graphic designers, not so much. I understand that most professionals really see their pc as a tool that needs to work from day one. But as a professional knowing about the internals of such tool, I really see Apple's (and Microsoft's)…
For the past 5, I haven't even looked at the insides of a computer. If the hardware breaks, I take it to the dealer to get it fixed. Somehow at one point spending time to make the tool work stopped being fun and got annoying.
Maybe it's just me, but I have heard other people having the same type of experience.
If I try to figure out, why, then the thought that pops into my mind is creating value. If I use the tool I have (2014 mbp) then I create value by writing software (you can argue about the external value if it, but for me it creates value by giving me money). If I spend time configuring the tool to make it work, I'm not creating value - the work I'm doing is not unique or interesting to anyone, it's just spending time. Perhaps as I get older and feel the amount of time left getting smaller and smaller, it drives focus away from spending time to creating new things (value).
Here is an easy alternative to a MacBook Pro (easy for a professional anyway): Buy a standard Laptop with matte display. Install Arch Linux (learn one thing or another on the way). Use Gnome 3 (maybe install some software from Pantheon as well, like the file manager pantheon-files). Get work done.
I think it's unfortunate you're being downvoted, but here's the thing: you go to the Apple store, buy a laptop, bring it home and plug it in and it works beautifully from day one. That's Apple's value proposition. (Subtract "beautifully" for Microsoft's.) Your plan means I'm signing up for a period of pain of unknown duration. It could be four hours or two weeks. And for the next three years I might have a laptop tha…
1: E.g., System76.
> Pros don’t quit because their tools are suboptimal. That’s practically the definition of “professional” – a pro gets the damn thing done. A pro user might gripe about the new MacBook Pro, but the next time she needs a new machine, she’s going to buy one anyway because that’s the path of least resistance and she needs to get back to work. This sums up perfectly my thoughts about Apple hardware right now. I am annoye…
"Pros don’t quit because their tools are suboptimal." Indeed they don't quit. Quite the opposite, pros dump sub-optimal tools ASAP and buy something decent to finish the job. The productivity of a tool that meets requirements hugely outweighs any additional cost. In the UK Draper brand hand-tools were well regarded until the 2000s, when they started applying their brand to cheaply-manufactured tools from China. Word…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
You bring up an interesting point: There are different kind of Pro's. For IT professionals my suggestion is valid in my opinion, but for all other professionals, like audio engineers or graphic designers, not so much. I understand that most professionals really see their pc as a tool that needs to work from day one. But as a professional knowing about the internals of such tool, I really see Apple's (and Microsoft's)…
I've been doing software development professionally for the last 20 years now. I used to build my own pc's and installed linux and had fun compiling the kernel and so on. After about 10 years of that I started to find it annoying. For the past 5, I haven't even looked at the insides of a computer. If the hardware breaks, I take it to the dealer to get it fixed. Somehow at one point spending time to make the tool work…
During the last few years using my 2008 MacBook Pro I find it harder and harder to get stuff done. As a software developer I have to install/upgrade/configure certain software TOOLS for my work that I can not in a flexible robust way using MacOS X. That is the main reason for me to ditch the old fruit, apart from the proprietary mess that is Apple/Microsoft.
My list of essentials for a pro computer at this point would be: * Robustness * Upgradeability * longevity * reasonable performance Having the latest and greatest isn't essential, since I've had my current pair of thinkpad and custom build desktop for a few years now and after a some upgrades(new SSDs, maybe a new GPU and extra RAM for the desktop, etc.) I expect to use them for a few more, maybe even until 2020, if…
I know not all workloads can work this way, but a lot of it can.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Pros don’t quit because their tools are suboptimal." Indeed they don't quit. Quite the opposite, pros dump sub-optimal tools ASAP and buy something decent to finish the job. The productivity of a tool that meets requirements hugely outweighs any additional cost. In the UK Draper brand hand-tools were well regarded until the 2000s, when they started applying their brand to cheaply-manufactured tools from China. Word…
Speaking of hand tools, is there anything between something like Xuron / Xcelite / CHP and Erem? $100 for a pair of diagonal cutters is too much but the rivet on my CHP PN2007 sheared when using it for some heavier-but-not-IMO-abusive work. I don't mind paying $20-40 for a good set.
Here is an easy alternative to a MacBook Pro (easy for a professional anyway): Buy a standard Laptop with matte display. Install Arch Linux (learn one thing or another on the way). Use Gnome 3 (maybe install some software from Pantheon as well, like the file manager pantheon-files). Get work done.
Everyone calls themselves pros, but nobody wants to get their hands dirty with Linux. Basically everyone's a pro-sumer.
When I go to the mechanic he doesn't care if the tools get him dirty, he uses the best tools for the job, not for his clothes. I get that some people want to look at gorgeous UIs but nobody told me how that gets the work done.
I want to use the best tool, and I try to define best as objectively as possible. Faster CPUs is better. Native support for docker is better. Walled garden is worse. macOs is better if you do ios apps. UI look&feel is debatable. Preference on terminal emulator is debatable. More memory is better. If you do devops and ssh onto linux boxes, linux is better. etc.