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Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

jeffgeerling.com

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Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#321

Post by xur17 »

sundvor wrote: post #313
Schaulustiger wrote: post #148

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was looking at buying an ultrabook and had the same problem (but living in Germany). In the end I decided on a Lenovo X1 Carbon, though, but faced the decision to either get one from the Lenovo store (which allows you to get a US keyboard) or buy with an education discount from a retailer. Since the discount for the latter was really steep, I saved 500€ and settled on a DE keyboard, although its layout is a major p…

The X1 Carbon is a beautiful laptop, with the best keyboard in business. I am still using my original (i7/8/256) one from 2012, and it's holding up incredibly well. Build quality is second to none. I would love to upgrade to the latest quad core goodness, and better energy saving tech, but as long as it works I'll keep on using it. It would be good to see a toughness comparison of the MBP against the X1 Carbon, espec…

I just got an X1 Carbon that I use with an egpu dock for work, and I absolutely love it. Thinner and lighter than a MacBook, the keyboard is great, and it runs Linux. Only complaint I have is that the egpu doesn't support hotswapping, but egpus are new, so I'll give it some time.

Also, a trackpoint :).

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#322

Post by xur17 »

boomskats wrote: post #43

I’m surprised at the lack of comparison to the X1C6 in the rest of the writeup. It is what I chose over the XPS, and couldn’t be happier with it (running f28).

I just got the same laptop for work a few days ago, and I've been very happy with it. Great keyboard + a trackpoint.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#323

Post by jonodubs »

eknkc wrote: post #36

What I'm mostly curious about these posts is, how the heck do you guys switch operating systems that easily? I guess it would work if you are already using Linux or Windows on a Mac hardware but that's gotta be rare. I mean, hardware is nothing compared to the OS.. I can switch to any other Mac and it would take me a couple hours to be comfortable. That would be it. If I'm switching to a Dell XPS, I don't really care…

I'm a MBP user but i just setup a new Windows work computer yesterday. No kidding it took me 10+ hours to get all the drivers and customisation done.

I also had an XPS 13 I bought 10 years ago. I really loved it as it was great hardware at the time- but it actually fell apart in a few years as they are made with cheap plastic. Their build quality might be a bit higher than other laptops, but if you're after MBP quality the Surface Pro/Books are the next best thing.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#324

Post by dingo_bat »

eknkc wrote: post #36

What I'm mostly curious about these posts is, how the heck do you guys switch operating systems that easily? I guess it would work if you are already using Linux or Windows on a Mac hardware but that's gotta be rare. I mean, hardware is nothing compared to the OS.. I can switch to any other Mac and it would take me a couple hours to be comfortable. That would be it. If I'm switching to a Dell XPS, I don't really care…

I agree. I've used windows and Linux all my life and macos absolutely kills my productivity. Simple stuff I take for granted in a UI are not present or hidden away. I can imagine similar pain for somebody coming from macos to windows. However I feel that it is possible to train yourself again. I'd only do that as a last resort though.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#325

Post by bcheung »

overcast wrote: post #216
eknkc wrote: post #36

What I'm mostly curious about these posts is, how the heck do you guys switch operating systems that easily? I guess it would work if you are already using Linux or Windows on a Mac hardware but that's gotta be rare. I mean, hardware is nothing compared to the OS.. I can switch to any other Mac and it would take me a couple hours to be comfortable. That would be it. If I'm switching to a Dell XPS, I don't really care…

A lot of us use multiple environments every single day. Linux/Unix/Windows for a variety of server environments, MacOS for daily life / photo editing / web dev / IOS dev, Linux for web development, Windows for gaming. Switching between them isn't really much of an issue at this point, unless you're trying to literally move your entire life to a new environment. I use each for their suitable tasks.

I have both Mac and Windows 10 running simultaneously in my office at home and I keep getting Ctrl-W and Cmd-W confused when I try to close a browser tab. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually. I hope so.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#326

Post by dingo_bat »

wtallis wrote: post #280
shittyadmin wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe I'm alone in this, but I really don't see what anyone likes about Macs or macOS, I bought a rMBP a few years back and it's to this date one of the worst purchases of my life, I hate the touchpad (the clicking thing is much slower than tapping), I hate the keyboard (feels really cheap) and macOS too, mostly due to Finder and Objective C being absolute garbage like nothing else I've seen. Wound up bootcamping it…

> the clicking thing is much slower than tapping That has nothing to do with Macs vs PCs. Everything with a touchpad gives you a tap to click option, and if you didn't spend enough time with a Mac to realize this then you can't really make a fair assessment of the platform in any way other than hostile first impressions.

Defaults are very important in any UI. An OS that prides itself on usability should have the best default.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#327

Post by dingo_bat »

bcheung wrote: post #325
overcast wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A lot of us use multiple environments every single day. Linux/Unix/Windows for a variety of server environments, MacOS for daily life / photo editing / web dev / IOS dev, Linux for web development, Windows for gaming. Switching between them isn't really much of an issue at this point, unless you're trying to literally move your entire life to a new environment. I use each for their suitable tasks.

I have both Mac and Windows 10 running simultaneously in my office at home and I keep getting Ctrl-W and Cmd-W confused when I try to close a browser tab. Maybe I'll get used to it eventually. I hope so.

Why does Mac os even have Ctrl? Why not do everything with Cmd? The Ctrl key is really unused on Mac.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#328

Post by dingo_bat »

abrookins wrote: post #106
yulaow wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always had very little sympathy for those who express very strong opinion _against_ other OSes and their users, professionals or not. In 2018 every one of the main OSes can be used efficiently for programming purposes, windows10 too especially now that it has the WLS

I've been hearing this about WSL for a while now. However, I just spent a ton of time (like weeks) actually trying Windows 10 and the Windows Subsystem for Linux (for those who don't know what WSL is), coming from a Mac, and I gotta say, WSL isn't there yet for the code I work with. Specifically, it worked fine for some Python stuff, it built some Go code decently, I figured something out for Docker, but then it blew…

> you may run into "big company" problems if you work for one

This is the biggest problem I have with Windows. Microsoft lets corporate IT depts fuck it up. Such control should not be possible. It's my computer, I should be able to use it as I like.

At least they shouldn't be able to override existing functionality, like disabling edge and windows store.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#329

Post by mchahn »

procinct wrote: post #185

I have a 2015 MBP and a Dell XPS 13 (I forget the year) and the thing that blew me away the most with Dell is the support. One day I went to turn my XPS on and it wouldn’t start. After some research it seemed like a dead motherboard. I was concerned I was going to have to send my laptop away for months to have it fixed but surprisingly because the XPS is an enterprise grade machine it qualifies for their pro support.…

> the thing that blew me away the most with Dell is the support.

I have an XPS 13 and when my keyboard got flakey a repairmen came to my house and replaced the keyboard without even checking it first. Also, after I bought the laptop they randomly put $50 in my credit card account because I was "a good customer". WTF? I guess buying customer's loyalty is a thing now.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#330

Post by wtallis »

dingo_bat wrote: post #326
wtallis wrote: post #280

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> the clicking thing is much slower than tapping That has nothing to do with Macs vs PCs. Everything with a touchpad gives you a tap to click option, and if you didn't spend enough time with a Mac to realize this then you can't really make a fair assessment of the platform in any way other than hostile first impressions.

Defaults are very important in any UI. An OS that prides itself on usability should have the best default.

Yes, but you can't assume that having tap to click enabled by default is the best default for the general public. It's way too easy for that to lead to a ton of stray clicks for anyone with impaired sensation or dexterity in their fingers. Apple very often likes to err on the side of making things simpler and more accessible by default while keeping the more powerful features hidden where power users can find them and where they won't distract your grandma. This can be a bit annoying at times for power users, but since those features are available to be turned on it's just a momentary annoyance when you're first setting up a new machine.
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