9 ms·

It’s not just the keyboard, either. I’ve been buying Macs since they switched to Intel in 2006 and the most recent MacBook Pros are the most problematic I’ve ev

It’s not just the keyboard, either. I’ve been buying Macs since they switched to Intel in 2006 and the most recent MacBook Pros are the most problematic I’ve ever had. - Bluetooth seems to be fundamentally flawed at a hardware level. AirPods, Plantronics, doesn’t matter. It just randomly connects and disconnects as it pleases. - USB-C dongles are a minefield of poor functionality However, I’ve run Linux off and on since 2007 and Windows for 20+ years and I still wouldn’t give up macOS as my daily driver. Even with the issues above it still has an excellent display, I like the keyboard (waiting to start having issues), and the battery life is the best I’ve ever had. I’m glad to hear desktop Linux works for some people, but I just don’t have time to a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose or b.) troubleshoot it when it randomly decides to break itself on update.

robertAngst 7y ago
>Even with the issues above it still has an excellent display, I like the keyboard (waiting to start having issues), and the battery life is the best I’ve ever had. I don't understand this. I understand not liking Linux Desktop(I hate it, but LOVE LOVE LOVE Ubuntu Server, fav OS of all time) And... the screen is what has you sold on Apple OS? I'm flustered at this logic. Pretty screen-> Good operating system I only imagine you use your laptop as a facebook machine. Would a cellphone do?
- zaphar 7y ago
  I send easily 8-10 hours per day looking at my screen. Screen quality has a large effect on how tied my eyes are at the end of the day. When I was younger it wasn't as noticeable but I'm not young anymore and my eyes are noticeable happier with the MacBook Pro screen that any other screen I've tried. For me it's an issue of eye health.
  - seba_dos1 7y ago
    There are plenty of non-Apple hidpi laptops.
    - dsego 7y ago
      How is win or linux support for those these days?
      - snazz 7y ago
        Pretty poor. At fractional scaling on Windows, expect that even preinstalled applications (Computer Management, for instance) will be very fuzzy. GNOME works fairly nicely, but as usual expect glitches and strange scaling problems with non-GTK applications, multiple monitors, etc. I continue to prefer a screen where it has a high pixel density but is plenty usable without any scaling.
      - seba_dos1 7y ago
        Dunno about Windows, but on GNU/Linux (Plasma user here) it's pretty solid these days. It's problematic on X11 only when you have multiple screens with different DPIs, but I connect external screens only for movies or slides, so that's a non-issue for me - plus if you're fine with Wayland (I'm not yet, but it's close) it's pretty much solved there.
    - mikestew 7y ago
      Just like there is more to cameras than megapixels, there is more to a display than resolution. Simply saying “hidpi” does not necessarily solve the problem.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
- vbezhenar 7y ago
  It is good experience to be able to buy Apple device and be sure that everything there is pretty good. Choosing among thousands of alternatives is pretty frustrating. What brand should I choose? HP, Dell, Lenovo, IBM, Acer, Asus, whatever? I need good display, fast CPU, good battery life, enough RAM. Pretty vague requirements. You are buying Macbook and it's just good, you don't have any regrets, because its CPU is one of the fastest, RAM is enough for most tasks, build is good, devices are just working with all drivers included, etc. I think that people love Apple because of that. They put their trust to this brand, they are paying astronomical margins and they expect to receive the best in return. It's hard to earn that trust.
  - robertAngst 7y ago
    >buy Apple device and be sure that everything there is pretty good. The alternative is that you spend 30 minutes of research and get a superior product cheaper. This isnt an opinion, this is reality. You can find a computer with better specs than Apple, cheaper. I'm not sympathetic to the 'mom' who doesn't know what RAM is, they get penalized by Apple for being an uninformed consumer. Is there any reason for a 'Nerd' to pick Apple?
    - Veen 7y ago
      > Is there any reason for a 'Nerd' to pick Apple? You are making a typical nerd assumption, which is to equate "better product" with "better specs".
      - robertAngst 7y ago
        The rest is just marketing. Apple is very good at Marketing. EDIT: Will someone explain what this theoretical 'non spec' thing that matters is? The Apple logo?
        mikestew 7y ago
        It’s almost as if an Apple troll script broke free from alpha testing long before it was ready. “But the replies are just canned crap you found on online forums from five years ago.” “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it before it is public-facing.” Oops, guess not.
bnt 7y ago
How about wifi? I am experiencing random wifi disconnects ever since the mid-2014 MBP all throughout the current-gen 12” MB. It’s so infuriating that I had to disable wifi and Bluetooth altogether and switch to a dongle with an Ethernet connector. I changed routers and even my home (!!) to see if the issue persists (it does). And I’m not alone, forums have similar cases dating years prior to me.
H1Supreme 7y ago
> tune and configure it to work You really don't have to do that. For example: I put Ubuntu Mate on a 2009 Macbook that could not run MacOs anymore (too slow). I had to install a wifi driver, and that was it. Everything else worked out of the box. My current Dell Inspiron 7000 laptop is running the same OS, and needed 0 drivers installed. I put Antergos on an Intel Nuc (that I later switched to Ubuntu Server). Again, no configuration, and no issues with drivers. I will mention that Mate has some font scaling problems if you're running two monitors with different resolutions (spoiler: you can't), but I know that other distro's handle that just fine.
- noxToken 7y ago
  Another legacy hardware user here. I have a HP laptop from early 2008 that pretty much can't run anything. I no longer have Linux on my daily driver, and I'll need to occasionally break out that laptop for dev purposes. Ubuntu has been a godsend for that laptop. Unfun fact: although the Wi-Fi spec is backwards compatible, a lot of places only serve 802.11n and forward making legacy hardware impossible to use on their network.
- rayiner 7y ago
  If you don’t have to tune Linux to get it to work, then why does every single complaint about Linux’s battery life in laptops get met with “install TLP?” Of course Windows is shit in this respect too these days. I got two extra hours of battery life from my X1 Carbon by wiping the disk and installing Windows LTSB. But even then I still have to police things, watching for driver updates or software installs that randomly leave some service running that keeps the CPU from sleeping. It’s like nobody tests these things.
  - pessimizer 7y ago
    > If you don’t have to tune Linux to get it to work, then why does every single complaint about Linux’s battery life in laptops get met with “install TLP?” That's evidence that there exists something that Linux users recommend to people who complain about having battery problems on Linux, not evidence of widespread problems with Linux that require expertise to get the operating system to "work" at all.
lloeki 7y ago
> USB-C dongles are a minefield of poor functionality Since most of my peripherals have a detachable cord, I just bought a couple of USB-C <-> whatever cables and now I'm fully 'native' USB-C. Suddenly the couple of USB-A host devices I have around feel incredibly legacy (an old MacBook, Xbox One). > Bluetooth seems to be fundamentally flawed / USB-C dongles I do have a USB-C-to-many-things hub but I never use it now, yet it should be noted that the thing is so badly shielded that it throws WiFi down the curb every single time I used to plug a device or even SD card into it, so it might affect bluetooth too. I have zero issues with the same devices but using USB-C cables.
- vanviegen 7y ago
  I have the same thing happening with a Maxtor usb stick. When I plug it into my 2017 MBP (via a usb-c to usb-a dongle), wifi connectivity will drop to what feels like an unreliable 1200 baud connection. Apparently, it is an issue due to the metal unibody. It took me way longer than I care to admit to figure out the usb stick was causing the problem. :-( Fun fact: try gently swiping your finger over the unibody while charging, and then without charging. You'll feel something like a vibration in the former case. I prefer quality plastic.
seba_dos1 7y ago
> but I just don’t have time to a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose or b.) troubleshoot it when it randomly decides to break itself on update From my experience, troubleshooting macOS when it randomly decides to break is almost a Windows-like experience - lots of frustration and no sensible help on the internet (unless your problem is so trivial it gets solved by something like NVRAM reset, because this is the best advice you can count on online). I absolutely prefer GNU/Linux where, if something breaks, it's not that hard to get it back to sensible state.
- rovr138 7y ago
  For my workstation, no matter the OS, I’m going to revert what I did. If that doesn’t fix it, I’m going to format and restore with a backup. I have better things to do.
  - xfer 7y ago
    Or you can just use a proper linux distro that allows systemwide rollbacks like nixos.
    - mrguyorama 7y ago
      I just realized, wait, windows has had that feature since at least 2000! Is that not standard on linux distros?
      - lenocinor 7y ago
        But doesn't malware like to hide in there in Windows? I've had it turned off for years on my Windows machines for that reason.
        mrguyorama 7y ago
        That sounds like a poor strategy over just running Windows Defender or the like
tomwilson 7y ago
I'm not sure it's the MBP thats the problem with the Bluetooth - My iMac at work has the mouse disconnect randomly at least a couple of times a week.
- ajscanlan 7y ago
  We've also got it happening to us on our 2015 MBPs in work, at least 3 of us have experienced it. Some more than others.
  - j2bax 7y ago
    I use AirPods daily with my 2015 MBP and never have disconnect issues. When I first got the AirPods it was far less reliable but I believe a firmware update a couple months after launch cleared up whatever issues I was having.
    - UseStrict 7y ago
      I happen to have two 2015 15" MBPs, both with Mojave installed. My personal laptop works flawlessly, no disconnects or issues. My work one has constant disconnects, unrecognized devices, etc. It's frustrating.
Sir_Cmpwn 7y ago
It sounds like you're spending as much time on finicky Bluetooth and USB-C as you might spend on battery tuning on Linux.
weberc2 7y ago
Also, the trackpads on Mac just work. I recently made a foray back into Windows a few years ago and was disappointed to learn that PC trackpads have made little progress in the intervening decade. Is it really easier to touchscreenify your entire software stack than to build a sane touchpad?
- SilasX 7y ago
  In terms of sensitivity it's good, but the new MBPs also have this enormous trackpad that makes it so I can't use the keyboard without accidentally swiping it all the time and moving the cursor in a way that does something I don't want. I know I'm in the minority here, since I do so much on the keyboard and don't use the mouse or the fancy trackpad features, but it's really infuriating. Edit: I must be getting old, because I much prefer the ~2015 MB Airs: no touch bar, yes appropriately sized trackpad and magsafe.
  - cpcallen 7y ago
    I'm 'old' too: when I finally decided to replace my 2010 15" MBP last summer I opted for a 2015 model. Keyboard durability, battery life and ports were the main considerations, but ease of repair factored in, too. (I mean, 1/10 is better than 0/10, right?) The work-issued 2017 MBP I was using at the time is bit smaller and lighter but the bigger trackpad and brighter screen were not worth the downsides for a personal machine that I expect to use for at least five years.
    - katbyte 7y ago
      I got my company to purchase me a 2015 last year too. Best choice ever. Love the keyboard, have spilled wine on It and it still works and I have all the ports I need!
  - manojlds 7y ago
    The bigger trackpad is a huge downer in other ways too. I can't keep the laptop on my tummy while lying on a sofa. Does anyone know the motivation for making them big and so close to the edge?
achow 7y ago
Flexgate
xfer 7y ago
> I’m glad to hear desktop Linux works for some people, but I just don’t have time to a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose So you are comparing a finely tuned OS for a specific hardware to using linux with whatever hardware you throw at it? Why don't you just pick a specific hardware that works with linux well e.g. thinkpads?
- starsinspace 7y ago
  But does it really? I’m using Xubuntu on two different Thinkpads, an old T420 and a pretty recent T580. On both, I have the same awful problems with waking up the laptop after it went to sleep mode (when closing the lid). It will wake up at first, allow me to enter the password in the screen locker, then screen goes black and that’s it. Have to reboot then, losing all unsaved data. Google search shows, plenty of people out there with the same problem, but the only “solution” seems to be “oh, just disable screen locking”. So if Thinkpads are the known-good choice for Linux... then I don’t want to know how it behaves on other laptops...
- rayiner 7y ago
  > Why don't you just pick a specific hardware that works with linux well e.g. thinkpads? You can't, because Lenovo changes out the hardware randomly every year. Look at the long list of Linux problems with the latest X1 Carbon: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carbon_(Gen_6) https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carb...
flowersjeff 7y ago
The whole selling point of Macs - the lack of need to 'tune'. Yet I even had to do this with my 2014 model - otherwise, the laptop would run hot to the touch. It is troubling to see the trend happening.
wazoox 7y ago
I've tuned and configured my WindowMaker desktop in 2003, and it didn't change much since then, through many, many upgrades of hardware and software, switch to 64 bits, etc. Oldies are goldies. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.
Kaze404 7y ago
> a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose Literally all you have to do is install powertop. > b.) troubleshoot it when it randomly decides to break itself on update. I've been running Linux desktop for almost 2 years now and I've never had that happen. Unlike when I used Windows, where a W10 update would be forced into my system and either change functionality or fundamentally break something.
lrem 7y ago
I'm on a 2013 retina and wouldn't swap for the new ones even if somebody paid me to. It has regressed in a bunch of ways and the only thing I would get for that is a slightly faster CPU. Which doesn't really matter. If I had a significant workload, I would not put it on a laptop anyways.

robertAngst 7y ago

>Even with the issues above it still has an excellent display, I like the keyboard (waiting to start having issues), and the battery life is the best I’ve ever had. I don't understand this. I understand not liking Linux Desktop(I hate it, but LOVE LOVE LOVE Ubuntu Server, fav OS of all time) And... the screen is what has you sold on Apple OS? I'm flustered at this logic. Pretty screen-> Good operating system I only imagine you use your laptop as a facebook machine. Would a cellphone do?

zaphar 7y ago
I send easily 8-10 hours per day looking at my screen. Screen quality has a large effect on how tied my eyes are at the end of the day. When I was younger it wasn't as noticeable but I'm not young anymore and my eyes are noticeable happier with the MacBook Pro screen that any other screen I've tried. For me it's an issue of eye health.
- seba_dos1 7y ago
  There are plenty of non-Apple hidpi laptops.
  - dsego 7y ago
    How is win or linux support for those these days?
    - snazz 7y ago
      Pretty poor. At fractional scaling on Windows, expect that even preinstalled applications (Computer Management, for instance) will be very fuzzy. GNOME works fairly nicely, but as usual expect glitches and strange scaling problems with non-GTK applications, multiple monitors, etc. I continue to prefer a screen where it has a high pixel density but is plenty usable without any scaling.
    - seba_dos1 7y ago
      Dunno about Windows, but on GNU/Linux (Plasma user here) it's pretty solid these days. It's problematic on X11 only when you have multiple screens with different DPIs, but I connect external screens only for movies or slides, so that's a non-issue for me - plus if you're fine with Wayland (I'm not yet, but it's close) it's pretty much solved there.
  - mikestew 7y ago
    Just like there is more to cameras than megapixels, there is more to a display than resolution. Simply saying “hidpi” does not necessarily solve the problem.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
vbezhenar 7y ago
It is good experience to be able to buy Apple device and be sure that everything there is pretty good. Choosing among thousands of alternatives is pretty frustrating. What brand should I choose? HP, Dell, Lenovo, IBM, Acer, Asus, whatever? I need good display, fast CPU, good battery life, enough RAM. Pretty vague requirements. You are buying Macbook and it's just good, you don't have any regrets, because its CPU is one of the fastest, RAM is enough for most tasks, build is good, devices are just working with all drivers included, etc. I think that people love Apple because of that. They put their trust to this brand, they are paying astronomical margins and they expect to receive the best in return. It's hard to earn that trust.
- robertAngst 7y ago
  >buy Apple device and be sure that everything there is pretty good. The alternative is that you spend 30 minutes of research and get a superior product cheaper. This isnt an opinion, this is reality. You can find a computer with better specs than Apple, cheaper. I'm not sympathetic to the 'mom' who doesn't know what RAM is, they get penalized by Apple for being an uninformed consumer. Is there any reason for a 'Nerd' to pick Apple?
  - Veen 7y ago
    > Is there any reason for a 'Nerd' to pick Apple? You are making a typical nerd assumption, which is to equate "better product" with "better specs".
    - robertAngst 7y ago
      The rest is just marketing. Apple is very good at Marketing. EDIT: Will someone explain what this theoretical 'non spec' thing that matters is? The Apple logo?
      - mikestew 7y ago
        It’s almost as if an Apple troll script broke free from alpha testing long before it was ready. “But the replies are just canned crap you found on online forums from five years ago.” “Don’t worry, we’ll fix it before it is public-facing.” Oops, guess not.

bnt 7y ago

How about wifi? I am experiencing random wifi disconnects ever since the mid-2014 MBP all throughout the current-gen 12” MB. It’s so infuriating that I had to disable wifi and Bluetooth altogether and switch to a dongle with an Ethernet connector. I changed routers and even my home (!!) to see if the issue persists (it does). And I’m not alone, forums have similar cases dating years prior to me.

H1Supreme 7y ago

> tune and configure it to work You really don't have to do that. For example: I put Ubuntu Mate on a 2009 Macbook that could not run MacOs anymore (too slow). I had to install a wifi driver, and that was it. Everything else worked out of the box. My current Dell Inspiron 7000 laptop is running the same OS, and needed 0 drivers installed. I put Antergos on an Intel Nuc (that I later switched to Ubuntu Server). Again, no configuration, and no issues with drivers. I will mention that Mate has some font scaling problems if you're running two monitors with different resolutions (spoiler: you can't), but I know that other distro's handle that just fine.

noxToken 7y ago
Another legacy hardware user here. I have a HP laptop from early 2008 that pretty much can't run anything. I no longer have Linux on my daily driver, and I'll need to occasionally break out that laptop for dev purposes. Ubuntu has been a godsend for that laptop. Unfun fact: although the Wi-Fi spec is backwards compatible, a lot of places only serve 802.11n and forward making legacy hardware impossible to use on their network.
rayiner 7y ago
If you don’t have to tune Linux to get it to work, then why does every single complaint about Linux’s battery life in laptops get met with “install TLP?” Of course Windows is shit in this respect too these days. I got two extra hours of battery life from my X1 Carbon by wiping the disk and installing Windows LTSB. But even then I still have to police things, watching for driver updates or software installs that randomly leave some service running that keeps the CPU from sleeping. It’s like nobody tests these things.
- pessimizer 7y ago
  > If you don’t have to tune Linux to get it to work, then why does every single complaint about Linux’s battery life in laptops get met with “install TLP?” That's evidence that there exists something that Linux users recommend to people who complain about having battery problems on Linux, not evidence of widespread problems with Linux that require expertise to get the operating system to "work" at all.

lloeki 7y ago

> USB-C dongles are a minefield of poor functionality Since most of my peripherals have a detachable cord, I just bought a couple of USB-C <-> whatever cables and now I'm fully 'native' USB-C. Suddenly the couple of USB-A host devices I have around feel incredibly legacy (an old MacBook, Xbox One). > Bluetooth seems to be fundamentally flawed / USB-C dongles I do have a USB-C-to-many-things hub but I never use it now, yet it should be noted that the thing is so badly shielded that it throws WiFi down the curb every single time I used to plug a device or even SD card into it, so it might affect bluetooth too. I have zero issues with the same devices but using USB-C cables.

vanviegen 7y ago
I have the same thing happening with a Maxtor usb stick. When I plug it into my 2017 MBP (via a usb-c to usb-a dongle), wifi connectivity will drop to what feels like an unreliable 1200 baud connection. Apparently, it is an issue due to the metal unibody. It took me way longer than I care to admit to figure out the usb stick was causing the problem. :-( Fun fact: try gently swiping your finger over the unibody while charging, and then without charging. You'll feel something like a vibration in the former case. I prefer quality plastic.

seba_dos1 7y ago

> but I just don’t have time to a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose or b.) troubleshoot it when it randomly decides to break itself on update From my experience, troubleshooting macOS when it randomly decides to break is almost a Windows-like experience - lots of frustration and no sensible help on the internet (unless your problem is so trivial it gets solved by something like NVRAM reset, because this is the best advice you can count on online). I absolutely prefer GNU/Linux where, if something breaks, it's not that hard to get it back to sensible state.

rovr138 7y ago
For my workstation, no matter the OS, I’m going to revert what I did. If that doesn’t fix it, I’m going to format and restore with a backup. I have better things to do.
- xfer 7y ago
  Or you can just use a proper linux distro that allows systemwide rollbacks like nixos.
  - mrguyorama 7y ago
    I just realized, wait, windows has had that feature since at least 2000! Is that not standard on linux distros?
    - lenocinor 7y ago
      But doesn't malware like to hide in there in Windows? I've had it turned off for years on my Windows machines for that reason.
      - mrguyorama 7y ago
        That sounds like a poor strategy over just running Windows Defender or the like

tomwilson 7y ago

I'm not sure it's the MBP thats the problem with the Bluetooth - My iMac at work has the mouse disconnect randomly at least a couple of times a week.

ajscanlan 7y ago
We've also got it happening to us on our 2015 MBPs in work, at least 3 of us have experienced it. Some more than others.
- j2bax 7y ago
  I use AirPods daily with my 2015 MBP and never have disconnect issues. When I first got the AirPods it was far less reliable but I believe a firmware update a couple months after launch cleared up whatever issues I was having.
  - UseStrict 7y ago
    I happen to have two 2015 15" MBPs, both with Mojave installed. My personal laptop works flawlessly, no disconnects or issues. My work one has constant disconnects, unrecognized devices, etc. It's frustrating.

Sir_Cmpwn 7y ago

It sounds like you're spending as much time on finicky Bluetooth and USB-C as you might spend on battery tuning on Linux.

weberc2 7y ago

Also, the trackpads on Mac just work. I recently made a foray back into Windows a few years ago and was disappointed to learn that PC trackpads have made little progress in the intervening decade. Is it really easier to touchscreenify your entire software stack than to build a sane touchpad?

SilasX 7y ago
In terms of sensitivity it's good, but the new MBPs also have this enormous trackpad that makes it so I can't use the keyboard without accidentally swiping it all the time and moving the cursor in a way that does something I don't want. I know I'm in the minority here, since I do so much on the keyboard and don't use the mouse or the fancy trackpad features, but it's really infuriating. Edit: I must be getting old, because I much prefer the ~2015 MB Airs: no touch bar, yes appropriately sized trackpad and magsafe.
- cpcallen 7y ago
  I'm 'old' too: when I finally decided to replace my 2010 15" MBP last summer I opted for a 2015 model. Keyboard durability, battery life and ports were the main considerations, but ease of repair factored in, too. (I mean, 1/10 is better than 0/10, right?) The work-issued 2017 MBP I was using at the time is bit smaller and lighter but the bigger trackpad and brighter screen were not worth the downsides for a personal machine that I expect to use for at least five years.
  - katbyte 7y ago
    I got my company to purchase me a 2015 last year too. Best choice ever. Love the keyboard, have spilled wine on It and it still works and I have all the ports I need!
- manojlds 7y ago
  The bigger trackpad is a huge downer in other ways too. I can't keep the laptop on my tummy while lying on a sofa. Does anyone know the motivation for making them big and so close to the edge?

achow 7y ago

Flexgate

xfer 7y ago

> I’m glad to hear desktop Linux works for some people, but I just don’t have time to a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose So you are comparing a finely tuned OS for a specific hardware to using linux with whatever hardware you throw at it? Why don't you just pick a specific hardware that works with linux well e.g. thinkpads?

starsinspace 7y ago
But does it really? I’m using Xubuntu on two different Thinkpads, an old T420 and a pretty recent T580. On both, I have the same awful problems with waking up the laptop after it went to sleep mode (when closing the lid). It will wake up at first, allow me to enter the password in the screen locker, then screen goes black and that’s it. Have to reboot then, losing all unsaved data. Google search shows, plenty of people out there with the same problem, but the only “solution” seems to be “oh, just disable screen locking”. So if Thinkpads are the known-good choice for Linux... then I don’t want to know how it behaves on other laptops...
rayiner 7y ago
> Why don't you just pick a specific hardware that works with linux well e.g. thinkpads? You can't, because Lenovo changes out the hardware randomly every year. Look at the long list of Linux problems with the latest X1 Carbon: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carbon_(Gen_6) https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_X1_Carb...

flowersjeff 7y ago

The whole selling point of Macs - the lack of need to 'tune'. Yet I even had to do this with my 2014 model - otherwise, the laptop would run hot to the touch. It is troubling to see the trend happening.

wazoox 7y ago

I've tuned and configured my WindowMaker desktop in 2003, and it didn't change much since then, through many, many upgrades of hardware and software, switch to 64 bits, etc. Oldies are goldies. If it ain't broken, don't fix it.

Kaze404 7y ago

> a.) tune and configure it to work and have decent battery life with whatever hardware I choose Literally all you have to do is install powertop. > b.) troubleshoot it when it randomly decides to break itself on update. I've been running Linux desktop for almost 2 years now and I've never had that happen. Unlike when I used Windows, where a W10 update would be forced into my system and either change functionality or fundamentally break something.

lrem 7y ago

I'm on a 2013 retina and wouldn't swap for the new ones even if somebody paid me to. It has regressed in a bunch of ways and the only thing I would get for that is a slightly faster CPU. Which doesn't really matter. If I had a significant workload, I would not put it on a laptop anyways.