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Offtopic, it's amusing and really interesting to me how Framework solved the "dongle" gripe by just... integrating the dongles into the frame. From a HW I/O pe
by AceJohnny2 4y ago
Offtopic, it's amusing and really interesting to me how Framework solved the "dongle" gripe by just... integrating the dongles into the frame.
From a HW I/O perspective, they're not much different than a Macbook Pro with all its USB-C ports. But but recessing them and creating a form-factor that gives you the dongle's feature within the laptop's bounding-box, they've effectively solved the problem.
Brilliant.
- AceJohnny2 4y agoIt's like PCMCIA for the USB-C era.
- adgjlsfhk1 4y agoA lot of it is a rigidity and ease of use thing. If it's integrated it travels with the laptop. If it's external, you never have it when you need it.
- highwaylights 4y agoAlso, it’s not going to snap anything going into a bag in a hurry / without remembering the dongle is in.
- craftkiller 4y agoand best of all, if I do leave something attached and shove it into my bag and break something, I'm breaking a $9 add-on card instead of the type-c port on my laptop's motherboard.
- kube-system 4y agoAnd they've introduced a new problem: rather than buying a standardized USB-C dongle, you've got a new one-off form factor.
- nrp 4y agoThe designs are available on GitHub under Creative Commons licensing: https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionCards https://github.com/FrameworkComputer/ExpansionCards We've seen both community developed Expansion Cards and other device makers starting to adopt Expansion Cards.
- kube-system 4y agoI appreciate that, and my comment wasn't a knock against your product. I like what y'all are doing, it's just not my personal preference.
- echelon 4y agoDon't think of it as a dongle. It allows them to build a combinatorial number of SKUs off of a linear number of them. Basically, you get a fully custom laptop body.
- taf2 4y agoAt least the EU hasn't regulated away the possibility of this to some brilliant idea. To me it's also pretty solid - the built in dongle as it is means i can use my laptop on my lap with different wires - or on my work bench with less clutter...
- the_duke 4y agoWhy? You can just load the laptop with four USB-C adapters and stick to USB-C for everything if you want to.
- throwaway773748 4y agoNot really, you're perfectly free to put USB-C ports in and you can use your standardised dongles if you want. Or mix and match. I can't imagine what other existing form factor would have been suitable and more useful than them just creating their own and open sourcing the design.
- 4y ago
- squarefoot 4y agoIt would also benefit a lot from a dedicated external multiport USB-C Hub with recessed ports so they can be used to plug more expansion cards than the ones the laptop could allow in its own ports. That could also allow to set some standards for the development of bigger expansion cards carrying hardware that needs more space.