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This is the first time I'm hearing about the Framework laptop and… damn, it looks enticing. Unfortunately, 13" is definitely too small for me (in terms of ergo

This is the first time I'm hearing about the Framework laptop and… damn, it looks enticing. Unfortunately, 13" is definitely too small for me (in terms of ergonomics). Are you planning on releasing models with a larger (and matte) screen in the future? Also, could the keyboard "module" in theory be fully customized by the community (so as to support ergonomic layouts similar to ErgoDox, include a trackpoint etc.)? Finally, why only 4 expansion slots? AFAIU there's no Thunderbolt card(?) yet, so I need every USB slot I can get my hands on and 2 (4 - 1 HDMI or DP slot - 1 PowerDelivery slot) would definitely not be enough!

freedomben 5y ago
I'm not affiliated with frame.work, but I read before on an HN thread that they are working on a 15". IIRC it was a "we can't release product details yet but we're not not working on one ;-)"
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
trvv 5y ago
The built in USB-C ports are actually fully compatible with Thunderbolt they're just waiting for certification before they can say that. https://community.frame.work/t/thunderbolt-yes-or-no-or-not-jet/2792/4 https://community.frame.work/t/thunderbolt-yes-or-no-or-not-...
- BHSPitMonkey 5y ago
  This is correct; The customization flow advertises the modules as USB4, which is a superset of Thunderbolt 3's capabilities (which itself was a superset of USB 3).
  - Dylan16807 5y ago
    You can usually expect them to work as supersets. But I believe it's possible to implement USB4 without all the Thunderbolt compatibility, and Thunderbolt 3 has some situations where it's not backwards compatible with USB 3.
    - DiabloD3 5y ago
      AFAIK USB4 now mandates Thunderbolt's Type C altmode. That was Intel's concession on blocking PCI-E 4.0: they wanted to mandate Thunderbolt over Type C as the official external PCI-E interface in enterprise, when the entire industry went with OCuLink instead, due to actually being enterprise-grade (it uses the replacement of the SFF-8644 (multiuse, commonly called MiniSAS HD), the SFF-8611; some mobos use SFF-8644, and SF-8644<->SFF-8611 cables exist) whereas Type C is not. When they got their way with USB4 mandating Thunderbolt, PCI-E 4.0 finally was ratified several years late.... PCI-E 4.0 is now so late because of Intel's ridiculous tantrum that only two generations of PC will use it, and the world is proceeding directly to 5.0. Some products have already only exist in 3.0 and (soon to be) 5.0, skipping 4.0 entirely.
mackrevinack 5y ago
i would have bought it in an instant if it had a trackpoint! i get its a pretty big ask to add something so niche that only a few people use but still, i just don't even consider non-trackpoint laptops these days. i even switched fully to using a trackpad/surface book for a year to see if i could could rid myself of the addiction but it wasn't for me. #trackpoint4life
atlgator 5y ago
True it is 13" but it's a 3:2 aspect ratio so lots of vertical real estate. I will take a 13" 3:2 over a 15" 16:9 any day.

freedomben 5y ago

I'm not affiliated with frame.work, but I read before on an HN thread that they are working on a 15". IIRC it was a "we can't release product details yet but we're not not working on one ;-)"

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

trvv 5y ago

The built in USB-C ports are actually fully compatible with Thunderbolt they're just waiting for certification before they can say that. https://community.frame.work/t/thunderbolt-yes-or-no-or-not-jet/2792/4 https://community.frame.work/t/thunderbolt-yes-or-no-or-not-...

BHSPitMonkey 5y ago
This is correct; The customization flow advertises the modules as USB4, which is a superset of Thunderbolt 3's capabilities (which itself was a superset of USB 3).
- Dylan16807 5y ago
  You can usually expect them to work as supersets. But I believe it's possible to implement USB4 without all the Thunderbolt compatibility, and Thunderbolt 3 has some situations where it's not backwards compatible with USB 3.
  - DiabloD3 5y ago
    AFAIK USB4 now mandates Thunderbolt's Type C altmode. That was Intel's concession on blocking PCI-E 4.0: they wanted to mandate Thunderbolt over Type C as the official external PCI-E interface in enterprise, when the entire industry went with OCuLink instead, due to actually being enterprise-grade (it uses the replacement of the SFF-8644 (multiuse, commonly called MiniSAS HD), the SFF-8611; some mobos use SFF-8644, and SF-8644<->SFF-8611 cables exist) whereas Type C is not. When they got their way with USB4 mandating Thunderbolt, PCI-E 4.0 finally was ratified several years late.... PCI-E 4.0 is now so late because of Intel's ridiculous tantrum that only two generations of PC will use it, and the world is proceeding directly to 5.0. Some products have already only exist in 3.0 and (soon to be) 5.0, skipping 4.0 entirely.

mackrevinack 5y ago

i would have bought it in an instant if it had a trackpoint! i get its a pretty big ask to add something so niche that only a few people use but still, i just don't even consider non-trackpoint laptops these days. i even switched fully to using a trackpad/surface book for a year to see if i could could rid myself of the addiction but it wasn't for me. #trackpoint4life

atlgator 5y ago

True it is 13" but it's a 3:2 aspect ratio so lots of vertical real estate. I will take a 13" 3:2 over a 15" 16:9 any day.