5 ms·

I agree with you, but I'm locked into ThinkPads due to the trackpoint. To me, using a trackpad or having to carry a mouse around when trackpoints exist would b

I agree with you, but I'm locked into ThinkPads due to the trackpoint. To me, using a trackpad or having to carry a mouse around when trackpoints exist would be a massive downgrade in comfort and usability, comparable to e.g. not having a battery. Thus, as trackpoint uptake from other brands is almost nonexistent, I'll swallow whatever crappy decision Lenovo comes up with in new laptops. They would have to do something exaggeratedly egregious (no battery? no USB ports? That kind of thing) for me to even consider the competition. It's sad, but as bad as it is that Lenovo makes these changes, to me it's even worse that other brands don't even bother to offer a TrackPoint in at least some of their lineup, considering that it takes negligible space and the inconvenience for people who don't use it is near zero.

pmyteh 6y ago
Work have just given me a new HP Elitebook with a trackpoint, so they're not completely unknown on other makes. Not saying that machine's any good, mind - I haven't had a chance to play with it yet.
- pjmlp 6y ago
  They used to be patented, not sure what the situation is currently.
  - Al-Khwarizmi 6y ago
    AFAIK it's expired, see: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en?oq=6115030 https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en?oq=6115030
    - pjmlp 6y ago
      I see, thanks.
- jpetso 6y ago
  The trend is not going in the right direction despite the expired patents: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-kills-off-its-TrackPoint-on-the-new-Latitude-5320-Latitude-5420-Latitude-5520.513041.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-kills-off-its-TrackPoint-... Add to that the braindead half-size arrow key design of most models (often paired with a loss of Home/End/PgUp/PgDown keys, thanks a ton Apple) and already there's a comfortable gap between ThinkPads and most other laptops. HP seems to be an exception here, and you'll have to go larger than the 12"/13" range to even find any options there.
3np 6y ago
IDK if you're married to using your laptop keyboard - Leno has USB/BT keyboards with identical trackpoint.
- Al-Khwarizmi 6y ago
  At home that's a good solution, but when on the go, lugging a keyboard around does seem like too much discomfort too.
  - 3np 6y ago
    Right. These days I can't sit at just the laptop for an extended period without severe back pain anyway, so I just lost the habit of using it betwene that and adopting a more keyboard-centric workflow. I have been keeping an eye out for options of operating the pinter device from a mech without having to ove from the home row. There are rotary encoders, sensors you can put on the keyboard itself if you make it small and mobile enough, I think I saw something trackpoint-like at some point as well, but nothing fundamental so far.

pmyteh 6y ago

Work have just given me a new HP Elitebook with a trackpoint, so they're not completely unknown on other makes. Not saying that machine's any good, mind - I haven't had a chance to play with it yet.

pjmlp 6y ago
They used to be patented, not sure what the situation is currently.
- Al-Khwarizmi 6y ago
  AFAIK it's expired, see: https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en?oq=6115030 https://patents.google.com/patent/US6115030A/en?oq=6115030
  - pjmlp 6y ago
    I see, thanks.
jpetso 6y ago
The trend is not going in the right direction despite the expired patents: https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-kills-off-its-TrackPoint-on-the-new-Latitude-5320-Latitude-5420-Latitude-5520.513041.0.html https://www.notebookcheck.net/Dell-kills-off-its-TrackPoint-... Add to that the braindead half-size arrow key design of most models (often paired with a loss of Home/End/PgUp/PgDown keys, thanks a ton Apple) and already there's a comfortable gap between ThinkPads and most other laptops. HP seems to be an exception here, and you'll have to go larger than the 12"/13" range to even find any options there.

3np 6y ago

IDK if you're married to using your laptop keyboard - Leno has USB/BT keyboards with identical trackpoint.

Al-Khwarizmi 6y ago
At home that's a good solution, but when on the go, lugging a keyboard around does seem like too much discomfort too.
- 3np 6y ago
  Right. These days I can't sit at just the laptop for an extended period without severe back pain anyway, so I just lost the habit of using it betwene that and adopting a more keyboard-centric workflow. I have been keeping an eye out for options of operating the pinter device from a mech without having to ove from the home row. There are rotary encoders, sensors you can put on the keyboard itself if you make it small and mobile enough, I think I saw something trackpoint-like at some point as well, but nothing fundamental so far.