8 ms·

> Linux isn't really there yet. It really isn't, quite. I'm using a brand new Dell XPS 13 with the way-too-many-pixels option, and there are a lot of things t

by brennen 10y ago

> Linux isn't really there yet. It really isn't, quite. I'm using a brand new Dell XPS 13 with the way-too-many-pixels option, and there are a lot of things that have to be tweaked, particularly if you're not running a mainstream desktop environment. Even with tweaks in place, there're places where proportions are off and/or UI elements are way too tiny. I expect that things will improve within the working lifetime of this laptop, but it's definitely a problem at the moment. I'd happily donate money to some kind of Linux Dealing With Too Many Pixels Initiative, if someone were going to put together an effort at putting developer time into all the miscellaneous issues and getting fixes into distros / applications / desktops / etc.

erstorreyk 10y ago
Have you had any problems with your new XPS' keyboard? Mine lags and sometimes doesn't register keypresses on around the D key.
- CodeWriter23 10y ago
  Just a guess from someone who doesn't have an XPS but has experienced similar symptoms. Maybe there's some kind of debris or perhaps liquid in between the switch contacts for those keys. In my case, two plastic sheets comprised the contact surfaces and getting them separated and cleaning them with a damp cloth and drying them did the trick.
- I_am_tiberius 10y ago
  I have an XPS13 1080p 9350. The keyboard actually works fine but it is the only weakness of the laptop in my opinion. I don't have any keys that cause problems but the quality of the arrow keys on that laptop is really bad - one reason why I switched to vim keybindings by taking advantage of the TAB key. In terms of keytravel Lenovo laptops and Macbooks <2016 are much better.
  - sedachv 10y ago
    > In terms of keytravel Lenovo laptops and Macbooks <2016 are much better. This is such a sad statement about the quality of today's laptop keyboards. Of the laptops I can remember using the keyboard on the Thinkpad 701C "butterfly" was superior to that on the T20 and T42 in terms of key shape and stroke, and the T42 is superior to the X60. The keyboards on the (work-issued) Macbook Air 2012 and Macbook Pro 2013 are garbage by comparison.
    - brennen 10y ago
      In my more conspiracy-minded moments, I conclude that the overall trend towards garbage keyboards even on high-end machines is long-game industry collusion to force us all, eventually, into pure-touchscreen interfaces. I glimpse the future every time I use my smartphone, and it is stupid.
- brennen 10y ago
  Not to speak of, but I have friends with earlier models who I think did experience some weirdness. ISTR something about a BIOS update fixing it?
AdmiralAsshat 10y ago
I'm optimistic that it will get better as more developers buy newer laptops with QHD+ resolutions. ElementaryOS even had a pledge fund to get the founder a 3200x1800 res laptop just so he could actually dogfood his OS on a hi-res laptop and improve HiDPI support. Unless, of course, the average Linux developer remains a graybeard with a Thinkpad. Then we might be waiting for awhile. :) The other major hump to get over at the moment is that many of the distros are spending resources to switch to Wayland, and I imagine we'll need to let that transition stabilize first before we get the bulk of resources diverted to HiDPI support.
- brennen 10y ago
  The Wayland transition will, itself, probably leave people with my preferences (tiling WM, a stack of other small customizations that depend on X) high and dry for a while, but I guess one can hope that it'll be a solid foundation for future development.
  - fiddlerwoaroof 10y ago
    I'm just not transitioning until my preferred WM (stumpwm or another Common Lisp tiling WM) transitions. I'm a bit skeptical that Wayland provides any significant benefits for my use cases.
- lima 10y ago
  > Unless, of course, the average Linux developer remains a graybeard with a Thinkpad. The latest generation Thinkpads have high res screens :) > many of the distros are spending resources to switch to Wayland High DPI support is vastly improved in Wayland, so that's a good thing!
vacri 10y ago
> particularly if you're not running a mainstream desktop environment This is a bit unfair. "Linux isn't there yet, if you use an unpopular DE".
- esrauch 10y ago
  I have an xps13 with the default windowing manager that Dell installed and it is really inconsistent in sizing (some things are weirdly large while others hard to read from being too small)

by brennen 10y ago

erstorreyk 10y ago

Have you had any problems with your new XPS' keyboard? Mine lags and sometimes doesn't register keypresses on around the D key.

CodeWriter23 10y ago
Just a guess from someone who doesn't have an XPS but has experienced similar symptoms. Maybe there's some kind of debris or perhaps liquid in between the switch contacts for those keys. In my case, two plastic sheets comprised the contact surfaces and getting them separated and cleaning them with a damp cloth and drying them did the trick.
I_am_tiberius 10y ago
I have an XPS13 1080p 9350. The keyboard actually works fine but it is the only weakness of the laptop in my opinion. I don't have any keys that cause problems but the quality of the arrow keys on that laptop is really bad - one reason why I switched to vim keybindings by taking advantage of the TAB key. In terms of keytravel Lenovo laptops and Macbooks <2016 are much better.
- sedachv 10y ago
  > In terms of keytravel Lenovo laptops and Macbooks <2016 are much better. This is such a sad statement about the quality of today's laptop keyboards. Of the laptops I can remember using the keyboard on the Thinkpad 701C "butterfly" was superior to that on the T20 and T42 in terms of key shape and stroke, and the T42 is superior to the X60. The keyboards on the (work-issued) Macbook Air 2012 and Macbook Pro 2013 are garbage by comparison.
  - brennen 10y ago
    In my more conspiracy-minded moments, I conclude that the overall trend towards garbage keyboards even on high-end machines is long-game industry collusion to force us all, eventually, into pure-touchscreen interfaces. I glimpse the future every time I use my smartphone, and it is stupid.
brennen 10y ago
Not to speak of, but I have friends with earlier models who I think did experience some weirdness. ISTR something about a BIOS update fixing it?

AdmiralAsshat 10y ago

I'm optimistic that it will get better as more developers buy newer laptops with QHD+ resolutions. ElementaryOS even had a pledge fund to get the founder a 3200x1800 res laptop just so he could actually dogfood his OS on a hi-res laptop and improve HiDPI support. Unless, of course, the average Linux developer remains a graybeard with a Thinkpad. Then we might be waiting for awhile. :) The other major hump to get over at the moment is that many of the distros are spending resources to switch to Wayland, and I imagine we'll need to let that transition stabilize first before we get the bulk of resources diverted to HiDPI support.

brennen 10y ago
The Wayland transition will, itself, probably leave people with my preferences (tiling WM, a stack of other small customizations that depend on X) high and dry for a while, but I guess one can hope that it'll be a solid foundation for future development.
- fiddlerwoaroof 10y ago
  I'm just not transitioning until my preferred WM (stumpwm or another Common Lisp tiling WM) transitions. I'm a bit skeptical that Wayland provides any significant benefits for my use cases.
lima 10y ago
> Unless, of course, the average Linux developer remains a graybeard with a Thinkpad. The latest generation Thinkpads have high res screens :) > many of the distros are spending resources to switch to Wayland High DPI support is vastly improved in Wayland, so that's a good thing!

vacri 10y ago

> particularly if you're not running a mainstream desktop environment This is a bit unfair. "Linux isn't there yet, if you use an unpopular DE".

esrauch 10y ago
I have an xps13 with the default windowing manager that Dell installed and it is really inconsistent in sizing (some things are weirdly large while others hard to read from being too small)