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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

#351

Post by rangibaby »

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…

It didn't take me much to adjust to Ubuntu (Mac user for 10 years). Terminal and apps (Sublime) are the same, browser is the same, etc.

I did change some shortcuts so that run=cmd+shift+g instead of alt+f2 and f4 to work like Mac OS but that's it really.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#352

Post by wtallis »

shittyadmin wrote: post #349
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.

I figured I'd get used to it eventually, so I didn't want to just up and change what seemed like it should have been a good default, what you're suggesting would mean basically turning off a hardware "feature". In the end it just wasn't for me and I didn't accept it until I had basically switched to using my desktop machine full time. I typically give things like this their fair shot - some of them I get used to, lik…

> what you're suggesting would mean basically turning off a hardware "feature".

Enabling tap to click does not disable the mechanical or haptic click mechanisms, nor does it disable any other functionality.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#353

Post by timonv »

I've had the XPS13 for 1,5 years now, came from 10 years Mac, running Linux for the past 4 years or so. Generally I'm very happy with the laptop, build quality is great, linux support is spot on, even slack works decently on Linux these days.

I did get the 4k screen, which is amazing with the touch disabled. Lots of room if you have great eyes.

Couple downsides however: * They must have been drunk when they decided where the camera should go * Huge screen wobble after 6 months, maybe the hinges are just loose and need to be tightened. * Regular charging port doesn't work anymore. USB-C everywhere however.

I'm happy about the laptop, there's faults but I like it a lot more than my previous three MBPs. The X1 carbon looks like an amazing follow up, closely following that.

Also, the new XPS has a virtual longer key travel by using magnets, as a mech keyboard fan, how cool is that?

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#354

Post by voltagex_ »

ms013 wrote: post #190
bunderbunder wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can't speak for everyone, but I've always been a polyglot on OSes. I'm usually either remoted into a Linux box from a Mac, remoted into a Linux box from Windows, remoted into Windows from a Mac, or several of those at once. Pretty much all the software I use is cross-platform, and even Windows is a fairly acceptable Unix nowadays, so the biggest transitioning problem I have is keeping track of which modifier keys to…

Exactly. I've always bounced between OSes over my career. Switching between them is not that hard at all - just need to mentally page in the key modifiers, shell commands, and other little idioms and pretty quickly I'm running along working. In my experience I've found inflexibility with respect to OS to be a warning sign that usually means someone isn't going to work well long term as a flexible, open-minded team me…

>In my experience I've found inflexibility with respect to OS to be a warning sign that usually means someone isn't going to work well long term as a flexible, open-minded team member.

Come on. Someone can be an excellent dev but be made much more efficient by their chosen tools/environment.

Come do some public sector work for a while - you'll see what inflexibility really looks like.

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#355

Post by SyneRyder »

oarsinsync wrote: post #222
SyneRyder wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Mac user since 2006 here, who often tries switching back to Windows. The biggest deal breaker for me has been the Windows 10 update system, where it will sometimes start installing updates when you shut down your computer and tell you "don't turn off your computer". There's been times when I've been stuck at a cafe for 45 minutes & nearly missed a train home because Windows was still sitting there saying "Don't Turn…

The Mac has a snooze light? Where? I’ve been using a MacBook Air since 2010 and MacBook Pro since 2015 and haven’t seen anything resembling a snooze light. Would love to discover this!

Oh no, did they remove it on later models? I'm still using a 2012 MBP (bought new in 2015), that I upgraded to 16GB and 2TB and is still covered by AppleCare. My 2006 & 2007 MacBooks had the light too.

Here's a video of the sleep / snooze light in action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT6siXyIjvQ

Aside from it being cool/delightful, it's also useful. When you close the lid, the light initially stays fully on, until the system has actually entered sleep mode. If it stays fully lit (and doesn't start 'breathing'), it's a hint that the machine hasn't actually gone to sleep. Do not put a non-sleeping MacBook in a backpack, or it will get insanely hot to touch...

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#357

Post by dest »

gls2ro wrote: post #343
dest wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Note they have put the webcam in the F6 key.

It is not on the F6 key but it is between F6 and F7 (a new key added with camera symbol on it) as far as I can see in the picture with focus on keyboard.

Indeed. Good catch

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#358

Post by stevewillows »

I jump between OSX, Windows, and Linux (using i3) several times per day.

The main struggle for me is hitting HYPER + enter in OSX and not getting a new term. I should just map it in alfred.

Nevertheless, outside of creating the hyper key in OSX, all other keys have remained stock. I use sharemouse to jump between systems.

With regards to the article, I'm surprised they didn't mention a really annoying Magic Trackpad 2 glitch where the cursor slows to about 20% until its been pressed. It annoys the crap out of me when it happens (not through sharemouse, but when the trackpad is paired directly with the windows box.)

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#359

Post by k_bx »

reacharavindh wrote: post #9

I have a Dell XPS 13 as my personal machine. It runs Linux. Everything works. But, I still find myself using my MacBook Pro (provided by work) for almost everything even at home. Two things that keep me in the Mac land. 1. Retina Display and the 16:10 aspect ratio. 2. Smooth, and usable touchpad. XPS13's display is too rectangle and I'm not watching movies in it. It feels too cramped for looking at code. GNOME out of…

Doesn't Ubuntu 18.04 have an ability to do fractional scaling when used under Wayland (not X.org)?

Re: Dell XPS 13 Review from a lifelong Mac user

#360

Post by socksy »

mherrmann wrote: post #21

I made the switch last year and am pretty happy, especially with Ubuntu instead of macOS: https://fman.io/blog/home-and-hotel/

I have this in my startup scripts to get rid of the hissing sound with headphones:

    #this gets rid of the hissing on XPS 13
    amixer -c PCH cset 'name=Headphone Mic Boost Volume' 1
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