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The Framework Laptop

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Re: The Framework Laptop

#371

Post by Elof »

nrp wrote: post #183
samizdis wrote: post #103

Ars Technica has a sceptical but optimistic/hopeful take on it: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/framework-startup-de... Edit to add quote from Ars article: Framework is promising an awful lot in its very first product—"thin as an XPS 13, repairable as a custom-built gaming PC" is a pretty tall order to live up to. We very much want to believe, but it's going to take a full Ars Technica teardown before we're c…

"thin as an XPS 13, repairable as a custom-built gaming PC" was not actually a direct quote from us, but it's nice that the folks at Ars think of our design that way!

Really stoked for this. Good luck

Re: The Framework Laptop

#372

Post by throwaway894345 »

IQunder130 wrote: post #313
nrp wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"thin as an XPS 13, repairable as a custom-built gaming PC" was not actually a direct quote from us, but it's nice that the folks at Ars think of our design that way!

I hope this business of yours works out because a laptop that isn't a piece of junk with too much stuff I don't need inflating the price is something I've been wanting for a long time.

I've still never seen a PC with a sane touchpad. That's the first issue in a long tail of grievances with the PC laptop ecosystem.

EDIT: This isn't a generic "pro-Mac" dig, I want a nice PC laptop because I like dabbling with Linux; however, even the high end trackpads are clunky, even with the pre-installed Windows (never mind the eternal sadness that is Linux trackpad configuration).

Re: The Framework Laptop

#373

Post by belval »

nrp wrote: post #190
belval wrote: post #169

Lot of optimism in the comments, but unless they have their supply chain pinned down I really really doubt that it will ship in any significant quantity in Summer 2021. The truth is that right now most components are insanely hard to get, not just GPUs and they will have to play the bidding game (which will make their laptop significantly more expansive) or delay. For a small volume like theirs, there is a non zero p…

I shared this in another comment: We placed our forecasts and risk buys on most chips early in anticipation of the silicon crunch that is coming this year. So far, we don't see anything that puts us at risk, short of there being massive unexpected upside on consumer demand (a good problem to have!).

That's great to hear, for the record I really really hope that the project will succeed, the current trend in laptops is soldering everything and we are generating an insane amount of waste.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#374

Post by jedimastert »

nrp wrote: post #67
sho_hn wrote: post #60

I don't see any information on the licensing of the adapter card / inter-module interfaces. Can others build a Framework laptop without approval? Can others build cards without approval? Will it be a platform? Tell me how this isn't a Nespresso machine for silicon pods. :-) Edit: To be clear, even a "we have a generic base laptop and you can pick your I/O" concept is potentially a nice value prop, but it'd be good if…

We will be releasing specifications and reference designs for the Expansion Card system under a permissive license. We want to make it easy for both other companies and members of the community to develop their own cards and sell them through the Framework Marketplace. That is something we'll be detailing and sharing between now and the time we start shipping out the product. We'll also provide documentation around i…

This might be a silly question, but it looks like the adapters are just usb-c/thunderbolt devices with a nice case. Is this the case? I'm not knocking it if it is, I personally think it'd be pretty clever, but it means being able to use them in other places (like pretending the storage expansion thing is just a usb-c flash-drive) and it would have interesting implications for making them.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#375

Post by bmd3991 »

ploxiln wrote: post #237

I don't see any mention of the firmware and drivers efforts for this. Firmware and drivers always end up more difficult to deal with than expected. The Fairphone company was surprised by difficulties upgrading and patching android without support from their BSP vendor, causing many months delays of updates _and_ years shorter support life than they were planning for their earlier models. I purchased the Purism Librem…

Semi off-topic, but how is working in the firmware/drivers/systems space? Everyone always talks about how hard it is, so that makes me think that companies would be paying a premium for good systems devs. On the other hand there aren't as many companies who have that need. I enjoyed the low level work I did in college and have been thinking about getting back into it, but there are no jobs involving it near me (moving to Seattle in a bit so this should change)

Re: The Framework Laptop

#377

Post by adrian_b »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #253
ppezaris wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry who is using RJ45 ports on a laptop these days? Seems like that question was asked and answered years ago, and wifi has won.

Yo (hand up). I mean. Really. That strikes me as willfully ignorant and arrogant. Clearly it's heavily used, especially in professional/corporate environments. FWIW I use WiFi if I have to on the move. But at home and office it's hard wire all the way. In the office it's not even an option, everybody must. At home, it's a quality of life thing. The speed drops and disconnections and unpredictability of WiFi are not t…

Exactly the same applies to me.

Both my own laptop and the laptop from my employer (a large company) are used almost all the time on wired Ethernet, the main exception being during business trips.

Re: The Framework Laptop

#379

Post by imwillofficial »

NikolaNovak wrote: post #253
ppezaris wrote: post #195

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm sorry who is using RJ45 ports on a laptop these days? Seems like that question was asked and answered years ago, and wifi has won.

Yo (hand up). I mean. Really. That strikes me as willfully ignorant and arrogant. Clearly it's heavily used, especially in professional/corporate environments. FWIW I use WiFi if I have to on the move. But at home and office it's hard wire all the way. In the office it's not even an option, everybody must. At home, it's a quality of life thing. The speed drops and disconnections and unpredictability of WiFi are not t…

"Clearly it's heavily used, especially in professional/corporate environments."

It's so clear that they removed it from their lineup? Clearly you're wrong. I have two Macbooks work/home, and a USB-C dock has been life changing in its awesomeness.

And yes my dock has RJ-45 ;)

Re: The Framework Laptop

#380

Post by spijdar »

Gracana wrote: post #146

Do physical units exist yet? Where is the manufacturing done? It looks expensive to manufacture in small quantities. I do like the idea, but I'm afraid that this will become e-waste if Framework doesn't exist, grow, and succeed for years to come. The MNT Reform also does the "sustainable laptop" thing, via an open source approach. It's a lot simpler to manufacture and easier for end users to modify, and its longevity…

They're just very different products, ultimately. I've preordered a Reform and they're just very different laptops, in that this project is aiming to produce a laptop that could satisfy "the masses" buying Thinkpads or MBPs or XPS 13s etc and want the performance and software compatibility.

Reform makes sacrifices in performance and form factor (much bulkier) but makes up for it in basically all the parts being 3D printable on hardware you could feasibly have at home, and even the PCBs look simple enough I bet you could hand assemble everything except the SoM module.

I don't think the reform could ever become "mainstream" but I don't think it really wants to, either. This could be great if, like you mentioned, it "takes off" and converts more regular laptop users to a more repairable laptop than their old ones. We'll see...

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