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Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

anishathalye.com

71–80 of 244 posts

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#71

As other people mentioned this is obviously not something I would want in my notebook... but I can still appreciate the cool tech! I can also definitely see this kind of thing being used in things budget outdoor displays, specially if the UI is made to accommodate the lack of accuracy, and the camera is positioned on the side (since these displays are usually vertical).

Difficult to capture reflections across a large screen while also dealing with outdoor lighting, glare, and moisture. The touchscreen part isn't usually what makes outdoor signage expensive compared to IP65, temperature control, and a secure housing, all of which would still need to apply here.

This looks like a neat option for retrofitting, and I suspect it'd work for some non-screen glass applications too. A combined IR/visible light solution would be interesting too, since I suspect those are complimentary (IR touch has issues with radiant light, while this wouldn't; this would have issues with low/no light, while IR wouldn't).

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#72
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Macs are definitely not optimized for keyboard commands. If you feel the software you use is keyboard optimized, odds are it's not really Mac software.

Huh? Of all the wonky shit about my Mac, the flawless keyboard navigation is really none of that

Really? I find that on MacOS apps are very inconsistent about whether popping open a menu shows me hints for selecting items in that menu. Those same apps are consistent about it on Linux.

And then there's the bonkers window manager which can't move focus directionally (e.g. Super + left) and so you have to fall back to Cmd + tab tab tab tab but even then there's no consistency about whether you're switching between app instances or windows instances within the same app...

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#73

I wonder how well this would work with my bright blue fingernails that are about .5" longer than my finger. I then wonder how much recalibration I would have to do when one of them broke and I was poking directly at the screen.

You chose to suffer not just with touchscreens. That said, it would probably work just fine.

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#74
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Flawless” is absolutely the opposite of how I’d describe the third class keyboard navigation in MacOS. It’s actually more intuitive to use a magic keyboard on the iPad than on the desktop OS.

At least we have trackpads that are worth a crap.

I do adore the macOS trackpads, they blow anything else I’ve used out of the water.

The keyboard (physically) is also just very pleasant to type on.

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#75
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

“Flawless” is absolutely the opposite of how I’d describe the third class keyboard navigation in MacOS. It’s actually more intuitive to use a magic keyboard on the iPad than on the desktop OS.

What do you find missing from macOS keyboard navigation? I've been using macs since the 90s so I'm quite used to it, so I'd love to know what I've been missing out on.

I have a lot of complaints but I would say my three big gripes are:

- Window navigation within (rather than between) open programs. Mainly if one is on an external monitor, this is just a nightmare and I end up using expose and clicking the window instead.

- Window positioning (I installed 3rd party software called Rectangle for this last year so it’s kind of solved but if we’re talking about the vanilla experience this is a big one)

- Having to switch focus to the dock and navigate one by one through shortcuts to open them instead of the Super+Dock position shortcuts that Windows and KDE expose

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#76
post #16

I wouldn't want a touchscreen MBP even if it was free, anyone else feel similar? I don't get the draw - we already optimize for keyboard commands to avoid living our fingers over to a touchpad. Why would I want to start clicking on my screen? If you're using your computer for tasks (rather than entertainment) and you're not a visual designer, I don't get why Apple are apparently going to be putting them into the new…

Macs are definitely not optimized for keyboard commands. If you feel the software you use is keyboard optimized, odds are it's not really Mac software.

macOS has been one of the best keyboard OSes for over a decade, maybe longer. Nearly everything is bindable without additional software or third party apps. This can be done on globally or app-specific. A lot of this comes from the deep script ability that used to be a priority but has fallen by the wayside in recent years.

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#77
post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? Of all the wonky shit about my Mac, the flawless keyboard navigation is really none of that

Really? I find that on MacOS apps are very inconsistent about whether popping open a menu shows me hints for selecting items in that menu. Those same apps are consistent about it on Linux. And then there's the bonkers window manager which can't move focus directionally (e.g. Super + left) and so you have to fall back to Cmd + tab tab tab tab but even then there's no consistency about whether you're switching between…

Cmd+Shift+Tab goes in the opposite direction.

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#78
post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you find missing from macOS keyboard navigation? I've been using macs since the 90s so I'm quite used to it, so I'd love to know what I've been missing out on.

I have a lot of complaints but I would say my three big gripes are: - Window navigation within (rather than between) open programs. Mainly if one is on an external monitor, this is just a nightmare and I end up using expose and clicking the window instead. - Window positioning (I installed 3rd party software called Rectangle for this last year so it’s kind of solved but if we’re talking about the vanilla experience t…

> Window navigation within open programs

Isn’t table cmd + ~

Re: Turning a MacBook into a touchscreen with $1 of hardware (2018)

#79
post #16

I wouldn't want a touchscreen MBP even if it was free, anyone else feel similar? I don't get the draw - we already optimize for keyboard commands to avoid living our fingers over to a touchpad. Why would I want to start clicking on my screen? If you're using your computer for tasks (rather than entertainment) and you're not a visual designer, I don't get why Apple are apparently going to be putting them into the new…

I have 2-3 old touchscreen laptops lying around. The touchscreen is useless to me. Worse than useless. If I ever use it, it’s accidentally, and I end up annoyed.
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