8 ms·

For people that are highly invested in their work, the computer is more than just a tool, it is an extension of themselves as it is their link to their deep-sea

For people that are highly invested in their work, the computer is more than just a tool, it is an extension of themselves as it is their link to their deep-seated passion. I feel for the author as I have had to deal with terrible technology hampering me at bad moments as well. I wonder what is preventing them from trying something like a Mac. I have three computers under my desk (Windows, Mac, and Linux) and I always find Mac to be the least bad experience(although all three are regressing in my opinion).

ghostpepper 6y ago
I also spend many hours per day on the computer, both for work and leisure, and for this reason I have invested money and time finding high quality: chair, desk, monitors, headphones, mouse and keyboard. I understand that not everyone has the luxury of space for a full WFH setup but I can't imagine doing 8-10 hours per day with only a 14" laptop at the kitchen table. This is why, for me, a Mac quality trackpad experience on Linux is closer than a nice-to-have than a necessity.
- edjrage 6y ago
  Interestingly I've been using a 12" laptop as my daily driver with a crappy chair, desk and earbuds and no monitor for over two years and I've had no cardiovascular problems so far. Stressed people are quick to blame their environment (tools and whatnot) but fail to take a hard look at themselves.
  - NikolaNovak 6y ago
    Age? :->
    - edjrage 6y ago
      Old enough to be mindful about the health consequences of worrying about the wrong things and not worrying about the right things.
      - NikolaNovak 6y ago
        I'm merely asking because the things I could get away in my 20's and things I can get away with in my 40's appear to be wildly different, and I don't seem to be an outlier in this respect :) (mind you, for me second monitor is about sanity/efficiency, not ergonomics; but a well adjusted chair, keyboard and mouse make a stunning difference to my fingers & wrists these days)
  - Frondo 6y ago
    Same here, except it's an 11" MacBook air! And I'm old enough to remember Clinton's presidency well. I think some of us are lucky to have a flexibility gene activated. I have a 24" display I sometimes plug it into, but I've been working off this setup for a few months and it's fine.
  - Disposition 6y ago
    Genes and your body's physical characteristics have a lot to do with it. I have a slipped disk in my neck from bad posture related to using missized chairs and desks while looking down at a 12" laptop for years and I'm not even 30 yet. The combination of slouching your shoulders forward to keep your hands together and face-down for typing on a small keyboard, and looking down exacerbate such problems, faster for some than others—unless you happen have the build of a horse jockey.
nitrogen 6y ago
Years ago when I had to switch from Linux to Mac for work, the different keyboard shortcuts for simple things like copy, paste, word left, move selection with cursor, etc. killed me. There are ways to change some of them, but Electron apps and various websites have hard coded emulations of the defaults. My coworkers simply refused to empathize with my frustration, but it's seriously like having a malfunctioning limb when a neurally deeply learned technology starts failing you. Imagine a nightmare where when you try to open your hand and it closes, you try to move your arm outward and it smacks you in the face, you try to look down and your eyes instead flail randomly, and your legs are moving in slow motion while the monster is hunting you down.
- jorvi 6y ago
  Now imagine coming from years of Mac use to Linux or Windows, and discovering to your horror that because the modifier key on those platforms isn't cmd but ctrl you cannot do many of the default shortcuts you're used to in the terminal.
  - Gracana 6y ago
    Yep, Apple really nailed it with that choice. Not only can you use GUI key combos in the terminal, but also you can use terminal line editing key combos in the GUI. That's something that seems like it ought to be possible in Linux, but afaik it is not.
    - reuben364 6y ago
      One thing one my wish list of things that will probably never happen is an extensible EMACs, Jupyter hybrid with a full on highly extensible dependently typed programming language. By keeping the specification of the components as abstract as possible, one could reinterpret the same code to give a completely different and customizable user experience. Probably with a lens based GUI toolkit for interactive widgets. I have no idea if it is possible, and maybe I should be the change I want to see in the world. EDIT: I realize now this doesn't quite follow the conversation, but I wanted to get the thought out somewhere.
edjrage 6y ago
But there are many alternatives. My suggestions are one such alternative. Getting a Mac is another. Or using a mouse. Or switching to a keyboard-only workflow. None of them need to involve killing yourself because a crappy touchpad driver is between you and your "deep-seated passion".

ghostpepper 6y ago

I also spend many hours per day on the computer, both for work and leisure, and for this reason I have invested money and time finding high quality: chair, desk, monitors, headphones, mouse and keyboard. I understand that not everyone has the luxury of space for a full WFH setup but I can't imagine doing 8-10 hours per day with only a 14" laptop at the kitchen table. This is why, for me, a Mac quality trackpad experience on Linux is closer than a nice-to-have than a necessity.

edjrage 6y ago
Interestingly I've been using a 12" laptop as my daily driver with a crappy chair, desk and earbuds and no monitor for over two years and I've had no cardiovascular problems so far. Stressed people are quick to blame their environment (tools and whatnot) but fail to take a hard look at themselves.
- NikolaNovak 6y ago
  Age? :->
  - edjrage 6y ago
    Old enough to be mindful about the health consequences of worrying about the wrong things and not worrying about the right things.
    - NikolaNovak 6y ago
      I'm merely asking because the things I could get away in my 20's and things I can get away with in my 40's appear to be wildly different, and I don't seem to be an outlier in this respect :) (mind you, for me second monitor is about sanity/efficiency, not ergonomics; but a well adjusted chair, keyboard and mouse make a stunning difference to my fingers & wrists these days)
- Frondo 6y ago
  Same here, except it's an 11" MacBook air! And I'm old enough to remember Clinton's presidency well. I think some of us are lucky to have a flexibility gene activated. I have a 24" display I sometimes plug it into, but I've been working off this setup for a few months and it's fine.
- Disposition 6y ago
  Genes and your body's physical characteristics have a lot to do with it. I have a slipped disk in my neck from bad posture related to using missized chairs and desks while looking down at a 12" laptop for years and I'm not even 30 yet. The combination of slouching your shoulders forward to keep your hands together and face-down for typing on a small keyboard, and looking down exacerbate such problems, faster for some than others—unless you happen have the build of a horse jockey.

nitrogen 6y ago

Years ago when I had to switch from Linux to Mac for work, the different keyboard shortcuts for simple things like copy, paste, word left, move selection with cursor, etc. killed me. There are ways to change some of them, but Electron apps and various websites have hard coded emulations of the defaults. My coworkers simply refused to empathize with my frustration, but it's seriously like having a malfunctioning limb when a neurally deeply learned technology starts failing you. Imagine a nightmare where when you try to open your hand and it closes, you try to move your arm outward and it smacks you in the face, you try to look down and your eyes instead flail randomly, and your legs are moving in slow motion while the monster is hunting you down.

jorvi 6y ago
Now imagine coming from years of Mac use to Linux or Windows, and discovering to your horror that because the modifier key on those platforms isn't cmd but ctrl you cannot do many of the default shortcuts you're used to in the terminal.
- Gracana 6y ago
  Yep, Apple really nailed it with that choice. Not only can you use GUI key combos in the terminal, but also you can use terminal line editing key combos in the GUI. That's something that seems like it ought to be possible in Linux, but afaik it is not.
  - reuben364 6y ago
    One thing one my wish list of things that will probably never happen is an extensible EMACs, Jupyter hybrid with a full on highly extensible dependently typed programming language. By keeping the specification of the components as abstract as possible, one could reinterpret the same code to give a completely different and customizable user experience. Probably with a lens based GUI toolkit for interactive widgets. I have no idea if it is possible, and maybe I should be the change I want to see in the world. EDIT: I realize now this doesn't quite follow the conversation, but I wanted to get the thought out somewhere.

edjrage 6y ago

But there are many alternatives. My suggestions are one such alternative. Getting a Mac is another. Or using a mouse. Or switching to a keyboard-only workflow. None of them need to involve killing yourself because a crappy touchpad driver is between you and your "deep-seated passion".