16 ms·

I don't see any information on the licensing of the adapter card / inter-module interfaces. Can others build a Framework laptop without approval? Can others bu

by sho_hn 6y ago

I don't see any information on the licensing of the adapter card / inter-module interfaces. Can others build a Framework laptop without approval? Can others build cards without approval? Will it be a platform? Tell me how this isn't a Nespresso machine for silicon pods. :-) Edit: To be clear, even a "we have a generic base laptop and you can pick your I/O" concept is potentially a nice value prop, but it'd be good if the picture (and roadmap) was clear.

znpy 6y ago
tbh the adapter card really looks like a simple adaptor with an usb-c/thunderbolt plug on one side. it'll take a week or two for chinese knock-off to appear on aliexpress etc. what i wonder is: - can those cards be locked in place? - can i hotplug/hot-unplug them ?
- nrp 6y ago
  They are hot swappable, and they latch in place. There is a button on the bottom of the system to release the latch.
  - znpy 6y ago
    thanks!
  - rzzzt 6y ago
    Can they be locked in place? I'm wondering if it will withstand the pull of eg. the USB-A connection while it is being unplugged, and disconnect on the USB-C side instead.
oconnore 6y ago
Nespresso pods for silicon sound great! I’m not a hardware engineer, I’m just tired of $800 “replace the entire main board” repairs when I broke my ‘H’ key.
- xbar 6y ago
  I agree with you. I cannot avoid saying: you don't have to throw your whole coffeemaker out after every pot if you don't have Nespresso.
- Schlaefer 6y ago
  These laptops exist today, just vote with your wallet. I don't know, Lenovo's T-series is popular, e.g. the T14: Here's how to do it (page 72) [1], new keyboard costs around 50 bucks. [1] https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t14_gen1_p14s_gen1_hmm_en.pdf https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t14_gen1_p14s...
nrp 6y ago
We will be releasing specifications and reference designs for the Expansion Card system under a permissive license. We want to make it easy for both other companies and members of the community to develop their own cards and sell them through the Framework Marketplace. That is something we'll be detailing and sharing between now and the time we start shipping out the product. We'll also provide documentation around internal interfaces, though those will be more technically challenging for an individual to be able to build something with.
- likesfwlaptop 6y ago
  Hello, glad you're here but I'd urge you to remember that while a minority at HN is highly knowledgeable and technical, hn is an hive-mind opinionated niche and hope that you'd make decisions that widen your reach among general populace so that your firm survives to make money and eventually more such laptops. (Also, hopefully your laptop will play with linux as well as Lenovo's at some point in future).
  - teekert 6y ago
    Did you find they don't work well with Linux? That'd be a big shame, I think the Foss crowd likes these kind of initiatives.
    - mymindstorm 6y ago
      It seems like it will work just fine: > For those of you who love to tinker, we’ve also created the Framework Laptop DIY Edition, the only high-end notebook available as a kit of modules that you can customize and assemble yourself, with the ability to choose Windows or install your preferred Linux distribution.
      - whitten 6y ago
        The modularity of a Framework Laptop promises a lot of good. I know there are some workplaces where having wifi working is not permitted. Is this modular enough to have a wired networking plug and not have a wireless wifi ? Thanks for your info
Eric_WVGG 6y ago
They're just USB-C dongles that snap into the chassis.. You can see better shots here: https://frame.work https://frame.work This is an unpopular opinion, but I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space that could have been spent on a bigger battery. USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. (the Nespresso analogy is ridiculous, a laptop doesn't exist to consume adapters. But I presume you were enjoying a little tongue-in-cheek with your coffee)
- znpy 6y ago
  > This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space this is true, yet... I'd be okay with that, to be honest. My current work laptop (a dell latitude 7390) is a jewel also because it's got a lot of ports. I have used them all at least once, but quite frankly, never all at the same time. So yeah, being able to unplug a port and plug a different one it's almost the perfect middle ground. we're pretty much all carrying dongles anyway (not me, the dell latitude 7390 has all the ports i might need)
- baybal2 6y ago
  Luke Leighton tried to make something like this for a really long time.
- sho_hn 6y ago
  > the Nespresso analogy is ridiculous Well, sort of :-) Nespresso is a famous implementation of a "your basic machine stays static, you swap out a different element of the system based on temporary/current needs, but you can only buy those elements from one vendor" pattern. Printer ink cartridges are another. Yeah, add-on cards to a computer aren't consumables per se - but the entire premise is that as time goes on you might want to get new ones (because your current needs change), i.e. upgrade. Whether I can pick upgrades from different vendors, and what the tax imposed on creating and/or selling upgrades is, matters.
  - gregmac 6y ago
    I don't understand this criticism. On every other laptop on the market today, if you want different ports you either buy dongles or buy a whole new laptop. Every laptop I've ever owned has at least one port I never use, and after a couple years it's missing some other port I'd rather have. This one seems to solve that problem, extending the life of the machine and/or avoiding dongle hell.

by sho_hn 6y ago

znpy 6y ago

tbh the adapter card really looks like a simple adaptor with an usb-c/thunderbolt plug on one side. it'll take a week or two for chinese knock-off to appear on aliexpress etc. what i wonder is: - can those cards be locked in place? - can i hotplug/hot-unplug them ?

nrp 6y ago
They are hot swappable, and they latch in place. There is a button on the bottom of the system to release the latch.
- znpy 6y ago
  thanks!
- rzzzt 6y ago
  Can they be locked in place? I'm wondering if it will withstand the pull of eg. the USB-A connection while it is being unplugged, and disconnect on the USB-C side instead.

oconnore 6y ago

Nespresso pods for silicon sound great! I’m not a hardware engineer, I’m just tired of $800 “replace the entire main board” repairs when I broke my ‘H’ key.

xbar 6y ago
I agree with you. I cannot avoid saying: you don't have to throw your whole coffeemaker out after every pot if you don't have Nespresso.
Schlaefer 6y ago
These laptops exist today, just vote with your wallet. I don't know, Lenovo's T-series is popular, e.g. the T14: Here's how to do it (page 72) [1], new keyboard costs around 50 bucks. [1] https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t14_gen1_p14s_gen1_hmm_en.pdf https://download.lenovo.com/pccbbs/mobiles_pdf/t14_gen1_p14s...

nrp 6y ago

We will be releasing specifications and reference designs for the Expansion Card system under a permissive license. We want to make it easy for both other companies and members of the community to develop their own cards and sell them through the Framework Marketplace. That is something we'll be detailing and sharing between now and the time we start shipping out the product. We'll also provide documentation around internal interfaces, though those will be more technically challenging for an individual to be able to build something with.

likesfwlaptop 6y ago
Hello, glad you're here but I'd urge you to remember that while a minority at HN is highly knowledgeable and technical, hn is an hive-mind opinionated niche and hope that you'd make decisions that widen your reach among general populace so that your firm survives to make money and eventually more such laptops. (Also, hopefully your laptop will play with linux as well as Lenovo's at some point in future).
- teekert 6y ago
  Did you find they don't work well with Linux? That'd be a big shame, I think the Foss crowd likes these kind of initiatives.
  - mymindstorm 6y ago
    It seems like it will work just fine: > For those of you who love to tinker, we’ve also created the Framework Laptop DIY Edition, the only high-end notebook available as a kit of modules that you can customize and assemble yourself, with the ability to choose Windows or install your preferred Linux distribution.
    - whitten 6y ago
      The modularity of a Framework Laptop promises a lot of good. I know there are some workplaces where having wifi working is not permitted. Is this modular enough to have a wired networking plug and not have a wireless wifi ? Thanks for your info

Eric_WVGG 6y ago

They're just USB-C dongles that snap into the chassis.. You can see better shots here: https://frame.work https://frame.work This is an unpopular opinion, but I think this proves that Apple was right to dump legacy ports. This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space that could have been spent on a bigger battery. USB-C, and the correct cables, are all anyone needs. (the Nespresso analogy is ridiculous, a laptop doesn't exist to consume adapters. But I presume you were enjoying a little tongue-in-cheek with your coffee)

znpy 6y ago
> This solution is sort of clever but it sacrifices a ton of internal space this is true, yet... I'd be okay with that, to be honest. My current work laptop (a dell latitude 7390) is a jewel also because it's got a lot of ports. I have used them all at least once, but quite frankly, never all at the same time. So yeah, being able to unplug a port and plug a different one it's almost the perfect middle ground. we're pretty much all carrying dongles anyway (not me, the dell latitude 7390 has all the ports i might need)
baybal2 6y ago
Luke Leighton tried to make something like this for a really long time.
sho_hn 6y ago
> the Nespresso analogy is ridiculous Well, sort of :-) Nespresso is a famous implementation of a "your basic machine stays static, you swap out a different element of the system based on temporary/current needs, but you can only buy those elements from one vendor" pattern. Printer ink cartridges are another. Yeah, add-on cards to a computer aren't consumables per se - but the entire premise is that as time goes on you might want to get new ones (because your current needs change), i.e. upgrade. Whether I can pick upgrades from different vendors, and what the tax imposed on creating and/or selling upgrades is, matters.
- gregmac 6y ago
  I don't understand this criticism. On every other laptop on the market today, if you want different ports you either buy dongles or buy a whole new laptop. Every laptop I've ever owned has at least one port I never use, and after a couple years it's missing some other port I'd rather have. This one seems to solve that problem, extending the life of the machine and/or avoiding dongle hell.