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> Lenovo is famous for their TrackPoint (that little red thing on the keyboard), but I am not sure if I’ll take the time to learn using it. Some say it’s far mo
by bhaak 4y ago
> Lenovo is famous for their TrackPoint (that little red thing on the keyboard), but I am not sure if I’ll take the time to learn using it. Some say it’s far more precise and comfortable as you don’t have to lift your fingers from the keyboard. I might give it a shot sometime.
Why buy a ThinkPad if you don't use its most important selling point?
- jotm 4y agoI used to be really good at using that. Even played FPS games using just the TrackPoint and laptop keyboard. I have had one on nearly every laptop I owned (OmniBooks, later Elitebooks and ZBooks) but kinda stopped using it and now it feels really awkward.
- Melatonic 4y agoI found it not nearly as good on the HP's compared to a Thinkpad
- rgrmrts 4y agoThey’re still one of the better options if you want a powerful laptop (read: desktop replacement) to run Linux on. The only competitive option is Dell Precision series (imo).
- mixedCase 4y agoThe rest of the laptop, is the obvious, but clear answer. I bought a couple of ThinkPads because they're well tested on Linux, have the best non-mechanical keyboard on a laptop that I know of (even after Lenovo), and have a decent build. I can't stand using the TrackPoint despite having tried a few times, but my workflow relies more on a keyboard and any decent scrolling device, for which two-finger scroll on the touchpad more than suffices.
- deltarholamda 4y agoI like the Trackpoint, but beware. I used an old 760 years ago with OpenBSD, and after many months of using the Trackpoint, my pointer finger started to have RSI issues. (Similarly, I used a thumb trackball for a long time, and eventually my thumb started to have issues as well.) For occasional use, these things are great. Long term under heavy use, I have my doubts. It's always better to use the bigger muscles and joints if you can.
- bhaak 4y agoI've been using the Trackpoint for almost 20 years now and I never had any problems with it. Not exclusively though, for desktop applications I still use a mouse. But for couch surfing at home I haven't used a mouse in years.
- deltarholamda 4y agoI'm sure it's very dependent on each person. Some people get tennis elbow, some don't. The Thinkpad 760 I had only had a Trackpoint, so when I was using it as my main machine, I used it 8-ish hours a day. The last joint in my pointer finger was pretty sore by the time I stopped using it.
- klazutin 4y agoI've also switched from a MacBook to a T14 Gen 1 about a year ago and the TrackPoint is the one problem I struggle with on Linux. On Windows, it's buttery smooth and a joy to use. On Linux, the refresh rate tops out at 80 Hz, and if you so much as lightly touch the touchpad with your palm, it goes further down to ~45 Hz for the next few seconds. All of this makes for a very rough, jerky and imprecise movement. I really want to use Linux on my T14, but this problem just makes the experience a pain. I really wonder if everybody recommending using TrackPoint and running Linux have somehow solved this issue?
- bhaak 4y agoI don't use the trackpad at all so I don't have that problem. :) You could try playing around with the settings in /sys/devices/platform/i8042/serio1/. The file "sensitivity" or "rate" might be what you're looking for.
- klazutin 4y agoSadly, I've tried it all. It seems that the 80Hz cap is enforced by the kernel PS/2 driver, for whatever reason, and is shared between the touchpad and the TrackPoint since they are on the same bus. I can only imagine drivers under Windows employ some proprietary trickery to get around that limitation.