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Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

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Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#521

Post by mxschumacher »

crispinb wrote: post #490
fortran77 wrote: post #259

Windows 10 on good hardware is very, very nice. My advice is "don't fight windows". I've seen many people try to make Windows like Unix. Don't. Use Windows versions of things, not things compiled under Cygwin or MinGW. Learn to use Powershell and Powershell scripting language. I do development (C/C++/CUDA/Erlang/Python) all day long on Windows 10 and in addition use desktop applications like Microsoft Office and Adob…

> Use Windows versions of things, not things compiled under Cygwin or MinGW This seems like an oddly outdated notion in the WSL era. Having used Windows 10 f/t in 2018, I'd say 'use Linux versions of commandline dev tools, not Windows'. Mostly though I agree that Windows 10 is a decent and viable Desktop OS. It does have some problems. The task bar is an appalling bit of Stalinist design (insisting on obscuring parts…

agree on the trade-offs

have you given pop_os a try for the hdpi/multimonitor issue?

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#522

Post by ratiolat »

jlg23 wrote: post #413
ratiolat wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thinkpads come in different flavours, and the have very different quality. Either get a T-series, or X-series (X series is basically smaller version of T). Or if it's a used one, the later A-series are good as well (A series means AMD instead of Intel). The old A - series were crap. Nowadays T and X series have AMD also (if model ends with 5, it's AMD). T and X series have MIL certification. For example there's also…

Lenovo claims it has the usyal MIL certications, see Features under: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x/Thi...

My bad. It reality it has the MIL-STD-810G cert. Sorry for causing confusion.

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#523

Post by quantgenius »

Just switched to a Thinkpad P1 Gen 2 which is almost the same machine as a X1 Extreme Gen 2. You can get upto 64 GB of user-upgradeable RAM and 2 replaceable SSDs in a package approx the same weight but 1-2 mm thicker than a 15 inch Macbook Pro. It may not fit the current fashion but to me it's a really aesthetically attractive package.

Windows 10 Pro with WSL is MUCH better than I expected it to be. Download Conemu, Terminus or similar as a terminal and you may as well be running Linux. Download VxXsrcv and you can even run the Linux version of your IDE. I run the Linux versions Emacs, IntelliJ and Pycharm, not the Windows versions.

Hardware wise, the Trackpad is worse but I don't really miss it. Keyboard is much better. Lots of ports. Great screen, though most of my time is spent connected to an external monitor, keyboard and mouse. Multi-monitor support is good. Only annoyance is that if the screens sleep all your applications get moved to whatever monitor you set as primary but this is a minor annoyance.

Ubuntu runs great but since I can ssh to multiple machines running Linux already, and I can run WSL, I really don't feel the need for Linux on the machine itself.

Less thermal throttling. Battery life is decent. I get a real 8 hours in battery save mode even with IntelliJ or Pycharm running, so long as I've set things up in the IDE to save battery by not continuously re-indexing things. Most Thinkpads are rated Milspec 1 so the keyboard isn't going to die with the first spec of dust and the machine will survive minor mistreatment. Windows with WSL basically gives me everything I need.

I bought a Macbook the week Apple released OSX and have been an Apple fanboy for years but at this point for what I do, as someone doing a fair bit of programming, it's an inferior machine.

I've also tried the various Dell XPS machines. They frankly aren't really comparable to Thinkpads in how well they are built or fit and finish. The XPS 15 is a direct competitor to the P1 Gen2 (or X1 Extreme) and in my opinion if you use both for a week, there is no comparison. I have friends who have also switched to Thinkpads and/or Dell XPS machines so I was able to compare directly before I bought them.

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#524

Post by Rapzid »

heavyset_go wrote: post #323
mgamache wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

me too, I purchased a 3rd party battery from amazon and so far so good... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0748BRHH4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

Going to put a blanket warning about buying battery replacements on Amazon. I bought a replacement battery on Amazon that was a Chinese knock-off. It barely holds a charge and started swelling within a few months. I don't think it would be safe to bring on a plane.

Amazon basics high capacity AA rechargable used to be made in Japan. People speculated they were rebranded enloop based on specs and charge profile.

I just ordered a new batch and they are made in China! Same product description, same picture with the old label, and same good reviews(though the recent reviews are now warning of the change and complaining of quality issues).

Amazon is now gaming their own review system. Supposedly Amazon is under heavy scrutiny over Chinese batteries in general and are getting sued by insurance companies.

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#525

Post by gambiting »

tinus_hn wrote: post #387
asjw wrote: post #381

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Except you are paying 150 $ for a dinner and they are serving you a very over priced average meal and you can't even add anything to it to make it better. Do you want some oil on it(ram)? It's 80 euros because you have to ask the chef assistant (apple store) Do you want different kind of pasta which is the standard for that receipe? (Nvidia GPU) You can't So what are you really paying for? The forniture? I go to a mu…

In an expensive restaurant adding salt or oil to your meal is an insult to the chef.

I have eaten at some incredibly fancy restaurants and I think the chef would have to be an incredibly self-centered dick to have an issue with me adding some salt or oil to the dish - everyone has different tastebuds, if I want more soil then judging that is silly.

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#526

Post by crispinb »

mxschumacher wrote: post #521
crispinb wrote: post #490

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Use Windows versions of things, not things compiled under Cygwin or MinGW This seems like an oddly outdated notion in the WSL era. Having used Windows 10 f/t in 2018, I'd say 'use Linux versions of commandline dev tools, not Windows'. Mostly though I agree that Windows 10 is a decent and viable Desktop OS. It does have some problems. The task bar is an appalling bit of Stalinist design (insisting on obscuring parts…

agree on the trade-offs have you given pop_os a try for the hdpi/multimonitor issue?

> have you given pop_os a try for the hdpi/multimonitor issue?

A rule I made for myself when shifting to Linux is 'no distro hopping'. I want to spend as much of my computer time programming, and as little faux-sysadmining as I can.

So no, I haven't tried pop_os. I'll have another survey of available distributions next time I change laptops, but thats a couple of years off yet which is a long time in the Linux distro world ;)

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#527

Post by ghettoimp »

laretluval wrote: post #462
dotancohen wrote: post #189

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Most lawn robots can also sweep patios or shovel > snow, so if you move to a different climate you > can use the same tools. I thought that the UNIX was was to one job, well.

That is the official Unix philosophy, but a glance at just about any man page will suggest that it's never been followed.

Yup. My copy of "sudo" has 23 documented command line switches, 15 documented environment variables that influence various behaviors, plugins(!), and can also use a configuration file for setting up paths, debugging tools, etc. Do one thing well, indeed.

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#528

Post by ofrzeta »

pfortuny wrote: post #454
Joeri wrote: post #436

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My Thinkpad T460p on ubuntu sleeps properly when I close the lid, every time, which is better than Windows managed on the same machine. I am running a stock kernel though.

Right, yours does. OK. All macs do.

On my Lenovo sleep works as good as on my older Macbooks. Not having a power saving sleep mode as good as the Macs was one of my main complaints when switching away from Apple. The key to success was the systemd's hybrid sleep mode. With it I can use the Lenovo just as the Macs, that is: never switch off, just close the lid and restart work when I open it again. As a bonus it also properly hibernates when it runs out of battery (just as the Macs do).

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#529

Post by fooey »

ksec wrote: post #519

1. I hope Surface from Microsoft will succeed. For those that live through the real IE era, i.e you are 35+ or 40s, I cant believe I am recommanding Microsoft. 2. I hope Apple fails, it seems obvious Tim Cook is lacking the awful tasing medicine Steve Jobs once had. Unfortunately it wont happen. iOS developers will need a Mac anyway, and along with those Professionals that uses MacBook, the MacBook will continue to d…

Rumor is the next macbooks are dropping the butterfly keyboards

https://www.techradar.com/news/all-macbooks-will-ditch-the-b...

Re: Ask HN: Feasible Alternative to the MacBook Pro?

#530

Post by pjmlp »

robert_foss wrote: post #299
cytzol wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> In a hotel (=on Mac), everything is stylish and cared for, but you have very little freedom to change things. I've heard this over and over — that Macs are locked-down, uncustomisable machines — and I don't agree with it at all. I use replacements for almost all the built-in apps. I use a custom launcher. My editor config Git repo is approaching ten years old, and my shell config Git repo is almost eight. There are…

There's no real package manager. You can't rebuild your kernel. You can't upgrade your hardware. Once your HW is unsupported by Apple you're stuck with an old OS that is unsupported by third party software as well.

Cool stuff I used to do when I had time to spare back in the 90's at the university shared flat.

I don't want to do any of that any more.

Either it works out of the box, or it doesn't.

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