4 ms·

But what can you do? If you want unix environment (and don't want support Microsoft with their telemetry spyware bullshit), and want retina quality text? You'r

by glogla 10y ago

But what can you do? If you want unix environment (and don't want support Microsoft with their telemetry spyware bullshit), and want retina quality text? You're stuck with Apple, because nothing else like that exists. XPS 13 is close, but the scaling on Linux just isn't good enough yet, and there's the coil whine, and there's the touchpad, etc. Apple has created a niche - high quality laptops with unix environment and HiDPI screens, and is the only one inside that niche and can do anything it wants with people who are in it. It's sad, but that's the way it is. Apple has developers by the balls and know is. EDIT: and this is really, really sad - and it's probably even worse on mobile, where you get to chose between Apple (bye bye jack) and giving all you data to Google 24/7, but I digress, sorry.

nkantar 10y ago
> XPS 13 is close, but the scaling on Linux just isn't good enough yet It isn't? A coworker has one and Fedora looks pretty stellar on it. What qualms do you still have with it?
- reitanqild 10y ago
  Mac users will always find a reason to like Mac. They are possibly even more stubborn than me. Mac will always be better to them just like KDE is better to me. And I even liked KDE 4 - which I hardly used. Last time I found a new favourite desktop was with early Ubuntus and they were discontinued. Since then it has been mate, Gnome 3, Cinnamon and elementary until KDE 5 came and everything was back to normal with KDE being best (even if most people don't seem to be able to understand it ;-)
  - nkantar 10y ago
    That's all well and good, but glogla specifically mentioned scaling issues. The only thing I've still seen only work so-so is mixing HiDPI and non-HiDPI screens, like laptop + monitor, so I was curious if they were referring to that or something else.
x220 10y ago
Well of course if the things you care about most are the things that are unique to Apple laptops, only Apple laptops will satisfy you. But those things are by no means what most consumers care about or will even notice in a laptop.
SmellTheGlove 10y ago
The Macbook trackpad is underrated. Well, maybe that's the wrong word. I know I take it for granted until the second I go to use any other laptop. And I'm still using a 2008 Macbook Unibody. That said, my next machine won't be a Macbook. They are just too expensive, as the alternatives are catching up. It used to be that they were priced well to similarly-spec'ed competitors, but I'm not sure that's true any more.
- city41 10y ago
  Is it the hardware or software that makes it better? On my Thinkpads, I disable the trackpad in Ubuntu because it's just terrible. But when I boot into Windows 10, it works rather well. The difference seems to be whether unintentional brushings are ignored and how accurately the trackpad is ignored during typing.
  - SmellTheGlove 10y ago
    I think it's a combination. The physical quality certainly feels nicer than others, and I think the surface area is larger too. Then, whatever is going on with the software side is great. I know that on mine, it's nicer in OSX than Windows with Bootcamp drivers, so I'm sure software has a lot to do with it. It is the only trackpad that I enjoy using.
    - city41 10y ago
      It's a shame. I've grown disillusioned with Apple, and have largely switched to Ubuntu on Thinkpads. But I really miss Apple's trackpad implementation. I disable the trackpad and only use the pencil nub, which does work very well, but months in and I'm still not completely used to it. Not to mention other people are always disappointed to find my trackpad disabled if they jump on my computer.
  - uzoodoo 10y ago
    The Linux touchpad driver is extremely configurable. Try playing around with synclient. https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man1/synclient.1.html https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man1/synclient.1.h... https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man4/synaptics.4.html https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man4/synaptics.4.h...
saosebastiao 10y ago
Is a hard preference for retina quality text actually a thing? It's never been something I've ever cared about, and while I recognize that I could be suffering from the False Consensus Effect, I have a really hard time imagining it is a thing for a critical mass of laptop users.
nunez 10y ago
I haven't seen a single ad on my Windows 10 Surface Pro 4 since getting it nearly a year ago. And, no, Apple doesn't have devs by the balls. Windows 10 has Ubuntu now. Linux environment out of the box.

by glogla 10y ago

nkantar 10y ago

> XPS 13 is close, but the scaling on Linux just isn't good enough yet It isn't? A coworker has one and Fedora looks pretty stellar on it. What qualms do you still have with it?

reitanqild 10y ago
Mac users will always find a reason to like Mac. They are possibly even more stubborn than me. Mac will always be better to them just like KDE is better to me. And I even liked KDE 4 - which I hardly used. Last time I found a new favourite desktop was with early Ubuntus and they were discontinued. Since then it has been mate, Gnome 3, Cinnamon and elementary until KDE 5 came and everything was back to normal with KDE being best (even if most people don't seem to be able to understand it ;-)
- nkantar 10y ago
  That's all well and good, but glogla specifically mentioned scaling issues. The only thing I've still seen only work so-so is mixing HiDPI and non-HiDPI screens, like laptop + monitor, so I was curious if they were referring to that or something else.

x220 10y ago

Well of course if the things you care about most are the things that are unique to Apple laptops, only Apple laptops will satisfy you. But those things are by no means what most consumers care about or will even notice in a laptop.

SmellTheGlove 10y ago

The Macbook trackpad is underrated. Well, maybe that's the wrong word. I know I take it for granted until the second I go to use any other laptop. And I'm still using a 2008 Macbook Unibody. That said, my next machine won't be a Macbook. They are just too expensive, as the alternatives are catching up. It used to be that they were priced well to similarly-spec'ed competitors, but I'm not sure that's true any more.

city41 10y ago
Is it the hardware or software that makes it better? On my Thinkpads, I disable the trackpad in Ubuntu because it's just terrible. But when I boot into Windows 10, it works rather well. The difference seems to be whether unintentional brushings are ignored and how accurately the trackpad is ignored during typing.
- SmellTheGlove 10y ago
  I think it's a combination. The physical quality certainly feels nicer than others, and I think the surface area is larger too. Then, whatever is going on with the software side is great. I know that on mine, it's nicer in OSX than Windows with Bootcamp drivers, so I'm sure software has a lot to do with it. It is the only trackpad that I enjoy using.
  - city41 10y ago
    It's a shame. I've grown disillusioned with Apple, and have largely switched to Ubuntu on Thinkpads. But I really miss Apple's trackpad implementation. I disable the trackpad and only use the pencil nub, which does work very well, but months in and I'm still not completely used to it. Not to mention other people are always disappointed to find my trackpad disabled if they jump on my computer.
- uzoodoo 10y ago
  The Linux touchpad driver is extremely configurable. Try playing around with synclient. https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man1/synclient.1.html https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man1/synclient.1.h... https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man4/synaptics.4.html https://www.x.org/archive/X11R7.5/doc/man/man4/synaptics.4.h...

saosebastiao 10y ago

Is a hard preference for retina quality text actually a thing? It's never been something I've ever cared about, and while I recognize that I could be suffering from the False Consensus Effect, I have a really hard time imagining it is a thing for a critical mass of laptop users.

nunez 10y ago

I haven't seen a single ad on my Windows 10 Surface Pro 4 since getting it nearly a year ago. And, no, Apple doesn't have devs by the balls. Windows 10 has Ubuntu now. Linux environment out of the box.