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New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

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Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#551

Post by antihero »

ericjang wrote: post #37

I dislike this post intensely. The opinion comes across as uncharitable, as the author probably has not used this Macbook Pro yet. How can you (alexeysemeney) be so sure? I consider myself a developer, and I almost never use the Fn and ESC keys on my Mac. Everybody uses the computer differently, but I'm pretty sure this is not a deal-breaker for most. One could also argue that the touch bar might lead to innovative d…

The claims about CPU MHz are hilarious, too. It's an entirely different CPU generation.

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#552

Post by palunon »

mgkimsal wrote: post #480
zzzcpan wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ESC key is the default in vim, most vim users do use it.

Thanks for some sanity. The other anecdote is I've been using vim for about 15 years, and use esc daily. I am constantly in multiple vim environments - different servers, different clients, different OS, etc. I don't have the luxury of saying "I'm going to install all my default vim keybindings and plugins on every vim installation I ever use". Walking someone else over the phone who has to do vim - I need to count o…

Isn't ctrl-[ default on vim too ?

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#553

Post by bitbiter »

mozumder wrote: post #511
zzzcpan wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

ESC key is the default in vim, most vim users do use it.

For what commands? I'm trying to look up vim commands that would use the ESC key, and I only see one: https://www.fprintf.net/vimCheatSheet.html#select http://tnerual.eriogerg.free.fr/vimqrc.html I'm not even a power user, & after 25 years, I just know the basic few commands that you need to do anything - insert, delete, search/replace, save, & quit. I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!

From the docs: http://vimdoc.sourceforge.net/htmldoc/insert.html#i_%3CEsc%3...

End insert or Replace mode, go back to Normal mode. Finish abbreviation.

Note: If your key is hard to hit on your keyboard, train yourself to use CTRL-[.

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#554

Post by nartsbtaa »

There's room for debate about the new Macbook Pro, but this post is bad.

#1 - The touch bar is dynamic and contextual. It's likely that you can enable the traditional ESC/Fx row when you're using Terminal, your editor, etc. It's extremely unlikely that the ESC key is gone forever, given that existing software relies on it.

#2 - RAM is a valid point, but this part is wrong/dishonest: "The MacBook Pro had options with 2.4 gigahertz dual-core processors back in 2010. Anything new in 2016? Not really, well... nope." The 13" MBP now has a 2.9 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5, upgradable to 3.3 GHz. The 15" MBP now has a 2.6 GHz quad-core Intel Core i7.

#3 - So there are four negative snarky people on Twitter. Not a surprise. And they're just repeating issues #1 and #2.

This is a garbage post. A much better critical article is linked here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12817332

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#555

Post by falcolas »

geofft wrote: post #521
mozumder wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. Been using vi as my primary command-line editor for 25+ years, and have never used the ESC key, and just use the default setup. I don't even know what commands would use the ESC key?

What do you use to get out of insert mode? Like, you've just finished typing some text and want to save and quit, what do you press? EDIT: Thanks for the replies, other people. I personally use ^C, I was curious what 'mozumder specifically used. :)

The usual answer is 'C-[' or 'kj' (having added the appropriate line to your .vimrc).

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#556

Post by 903109983109 »

PopsiclePete wrote: post #472
TheOtherHobbes wrote: post #432

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's a completely fair post. Devs are a huge market for Apple, but Apple is ignoring them. This isn't about ESC, it's about whether Apple has any interest in acknowledging the dev market and keeping devs on board. The answer is "no." Apple is making no concessions to developers or professional power users who need performance. Instead, Apple is producing vanilla-grade laptops with a touch of gimmicky brand fr…

They're ignoring the giant behemoth that is ....Vim users..? What? Wait till the EMACS crowd gets a whiff of how Apple refuses to sell pedals for their keybindings, then Apple is truly in trouble. Look, I know VIM is popular, but so is XCode, so is Sublime, so is Atom, so is TextMate, so is a multitude of other text editors for God's sake, that to claim that Apple is somehow "abandoning the entire software developmen…

Do you feel better now?

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#557

Post by BrandonM »

BlackjackCF wrote: post #494
soyiuz wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would also recommend Lenovo Thinkpads, which are quite popular with Linux folks. The X and T in particular give a lot of bang for your buck. I am also eying Thinkpad 13 as a great beater machine replacement for my aging x230.

Are Lenovos still a good go-to? I've just seen them fall apart pretty quickly amongst my friends. Just wondering if the build quality has gotten better...

I got the 1st gen Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon, and it didn't hold up great. The balance of weight, power, battery life, and Linux support were huge for a traveling programmer. By the end of year 2, though, I had replaced a broken screen, and the battery life was down to 30-60 minutes (from about 6 hours).

I decided to give them another chance on the 4th gen X1 Carbon, and I've been very happy so far. The build quality seems much better, and they've nixed some of the annoying "innovations" from the 1st gen one (ironically including a touch bar at the top; they reverted to normal keys). That said, I've only had this one for about 5 months, so I might change my mind by the time another year or 2 passes.

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#558

Post by palunon »

geofft wrote: post #521
mozumder wrote: post #454

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. Been using vi as my primary command-line editor for 25+ years, and have never used the ESC key, and just use the default setup. I don't even know what commands would use the ESC key?

What do you use to get out of insert mode? Like, you've just finished typing some text and want to save and quit, what do you press? EDIT: Thanks for the replies, other people. I personally use ^C, I was curious what 'mozumder specifically used. :)

CTRL-[ (of course if you're not using a QWERTY keyboard, it may be hard to hit)

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#559

Post by suprgeek »

What they could have done (one or more):

1) Bezel-less display

2) Full Touch screen

3) Detachable Screen - IPad Pro +

4) Stylus input (from Apple Pencil)

5) 15-20 hr battery life

6) NVidia Graphics

7) 64 Gb Ram option

8) Kept the HDMI & SDXC port

What they did do:

1) Gimmicky Touch bar - Useless when you close the MBP & Dock; Hard to do for touch typists

2) Hiked the prices by crazy margins

3) Pegged the RAM at 16 Gb Max

4) Battery is not much better

5) All in on USB-C - Get ready for Dongle-o-rama

Feels like a pure greedy money grab with nothing to justify it. Steve must be spinning in his grave.

Re: New MacBook Pro Is Not a Laptop for Developers Anymore

#560

Post by Ph0X »

rhapsodic wrote: post #479
lucisferre wrote: post #450

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I nearly exclusively use VIm and any other editor I use has a VIm mode plugin installed. I pretty much can't work productively in anything else. I can tell you that I haven't used Esc in ages. I have Caps Lock mapped to Ctrl (as it is a vastly more useful a key than Esc and Caps Lock is a much better position for it and is just as an extraneous as Esc is). I use Ctrl-C or Ctrl-[ to exit insert mode and it works just…

Esc is, by and large a useless key I'm not a Mac User, but I use THE ESC key extensively to cancel out of dialogs.

I hear all this talk about no more ESC key, but couldn't they potentially just put one up there on the bar, albeit not a real clickable key?
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