10 ms·

I wouldn't buy a macbook for linux regardless of display. Mainstream linux window managers expect two mouse buttons. If you want an ultrabook, there's a great n

by cturner 14y ago

I wouldn't buy a macbook for linux regardless of display. Mainstream linux window managers expect two mouse buttons. If you want an ultrabook, there's a great new Thinkpad just released made out of carbon fibre. Lenovo hardware tends to work well with linux/unix. http://gizmodo.com/5935723/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-review-what-the-future-of-laptops-should-be http://gizmodo.com/5935723/lenovo-thinkpad-x1-carbon-review-...

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]
quesera 14y ago
I don't suppose there's much motivation to write Linux mouse drivers that detect the second mouse button and/or scrolling and swipe gestures on the Apple mouses the same way Apple does. But it's too bad, Apple went from making subpar mouses to some of the best I've ever used in the last five years or so. The trackpad is pretty great too.
- trueneverland 14y ago
  This. The trackpad is godly. I haven't seen a PC equivalent.
  - drx 14y ago
    Assuming you mean desktop and not laptop PC, there's this: http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/ http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/
- keeperofdakeys 14y ago
  Linux has been capable of driving multitouch trackpads for years (specifically the synaptic driver). Even then, it can 'fake' it on some, by detecting the width of the touch area. The main problem is all the touches must be handled in the driver, so pretty much only two finger scrolling, two finger click for right click and three finger click for middle click work. There is work going on to bring a proper multitouch api to xorg, so gestures can be used correctly.
  - nuje 14y ago
    I've played around with multitouch on Ubuntu, it does work with some hardware (but not if the driver intercepts the touches and synthesizes something like scrollwheel events, that's bad). See eg. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Multitouch https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Multitouch and https://lists.launchpad.net/multi-touch-dev/msg00997.html https://lists.launchpad.net/multi-touch-dev/msg00997.html
    - keeperofdakeys 14y ago
      I have full multitouch on this laptop, and use the two-finger scrolling and triple click that is provided by the synaptic driver everyday. The inability for programs to directly use gestures isn't great though.
arrrg 14y ago
Huh? The 90s called and they want their cliches back. All Macs come with very capable multi touch mice or touchpads. Clicking with two fingers (or more) for secondary mouse buttons is perfectly convenient and two finger scrolling is just awesome. Are there no drivers or what?
- hastur 14y ago
  Thinkpads have an understated, timeless design, superior to almost all competition, Macs included. The only distinguishing quality of Macs is their built quality - but that's not exactly a good reason to buy an ugly laptop. Of course, most people have pretty childish tastes and prefer shiny things. But I guess de gustibus non est disputandum. [And yes, I do feel like I have a bit too much karma... ;]
  - chris_wot 14y ago
    There's nothing quite like reading a post with the words de gustibus non est disputandum while the poster debates matters of taste.
    - gbog 14y ago
      Right, but you may be aware that Friedrich Nietzsche would have said all discussions are about taste.
      - its_so_on 14y ago
        as just a reader on this thread, am I being asked to judge whether Nietzsche trumps a Latin proverb? This is a hard one, and I would need some more evidence. Don't you have a steve jobs quote?
        gbog 14y ago
        I think Nietzsche meant that either you are talking about objective known facts and there is no discussion, facts just are (or not); or, in the most common case, you are talking about subjective ideas, feelings, opinions, etc, and these are just other names for taste. So both are right, we should not be discussing taste and we are deemed to only discuss about taste. I'll let some other HNmate complement with a Steve Jobs quote, if they wish.
cmelbye 14y ago
OS X expects two mouse buttons too, I'm not sure what your point is.
- rane 14y ago
  Not exactly, but yeah it expects you to be able to right click. It's up to the user how they wish to do that, tap with two fingers on trackpad, ctrl-tap etc.
  - megablast 14y ago
    You can set the right part of the track pad to be the right button, just like every other laptop. It has always been this way.
chilie 14y ago
I've got a Macbook 7,1 with Ubuntu 12.04 running Xmonad, and its by far the smoothest linux experience I've ever had. I ran it under Gnome Unity for a bit and that was fine too. I've never had the mouse issues you refer to. The trackpad works just as well as it did until OS X.
LeafStorm 14y ago
I actually dual-boot Arch on my mid-2011 Macbook Pro, and two mouse buttons has been the least of my problems -- you can configure Synaptics to recognize a click on the touchpad with two fingers as a right-click, just like OS X. (You can even set it up to recognize a three-finger click as a middle click, which OS X doesn't do.) The only real issue I have with Linux is that something keeps eating my bootloader, so I have to keep a GRUB boot CD around to boot into it.
- archangel_one 14y ago
  That sounds like a pain - how are you trying to boot Linux? Have you tried refit?
- acomar 14y ago
  Are you sure it's getting eaten? I have had issues with efi bootloader, where it'll forget to boot from the right OS but the bootloader is still there and accessible from the boot menu.
archangel_one 14y ago
I'm typing this on a macbook pro running Linux, and it works just fine; two-finger taps are a right-click, three for middle. That's worked on any Synaptics touchpad in Linux for at least the last seven years and probably longer.
HorizonXP 14y ago
Thanks for linking this. I've been using my GF's MBP while I look for a new laptop, and while OS X is nice, I just don't grok it. I'm an Ubuntu guy, and this looks like a good fit.
- deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
batista 14y ago
>I wouldn't buy a macbook for linux regardless of display. You wouldn't. Linus Torvalds would --and actually did. And he says that his Macbook Air is the best laptop he ever had, and that Lenovo doesn't even come close.
- ballooney 14y ago
  I've read the interview where he says he uses an Air because it's quiet and light [1]. However I don't see him say anything about how the lenovo 'doesn't even come close'. I'm sure you're not making stuff up, so could you provide your citation? I'm interested as considering a new small dev laptop, you see. [1] http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium-technology-prize-finalist-linus-torvalds/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium...
  - batista 14y ago
    >I'm sure you're not making stuff up, so could you provide your citation? Sure, happy to oblige. It was on a comment in his Google+ page (around 1/5 scroll length) he said: "no, Lenovo doesn't [still make quite decent hardware]. I have the Lenovo X1. It's bigger, plasticky, and has worse battery life". https://plus.google.com/102150693225130002912/posts/1vyfmNCYpi5 https://plus.google.com/102150693225130002912/posts/1vyfmNCY...
Evbn 14y ago
I haven't seen any claim that the X1 will have backlit keyboard or an ambient light sensor to adjust the display. Will it? Seems a huge oversight in a laptop that is gunning for "best ever".

by cturner 14y ago

deleted 14y ago

[deleted]

quesera 14y ago

I don't suppose there's much motivation to write Linux mouse drivers that detect the second mouse button and/or scrolling and swipe gestures on the Apple mouses the same way Apple does. But it's too bad, Apple went from making subpar mouses to some of the best I've ever used in the last five years or so. The trackpad is pretty great too.

trueneverland 14y ago
This. The trackpad is godly. I haven't seen a PC equivalent.
- drx 14y ago
  Assuming you mean desktop and not laptop PC, there's this: http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/ http://www.apple.com/magictrackpad/
keeperofdakeys 14y ago
Linux has been capable of driving multitouch trackpads for years (specifically the synaptic driver). Even then, it can 'fake' it on some, by detecting the width of the touch area. The main problem is all the touches must be handled in the driver, so pretty much only two finger scrolling, two finger click for right click and three finger click for middle click work. There is work going on to bring a proper multitouch api to xorg, so gestures can be used correctly.
- nuje 14y ago
  I've played around with multitouch on Ubuntu, it does work with some hardware (but not if the driver intercepts the touches and synthesizes something like scrollwheel events, that's bad). See eg. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Multitouch https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Multitouch and https://lists.launchpad.net/multi-touch-dev/msg00997.html https://lists.launchpad.net/multi-touch-dev/msg00997.html
  - keeperofdakeys 14y ago
    I have full multitouch on this laptop, and use the two-finger scrolling and triple click that is provided by the synaptic driver everyday. The inability for programs to directly use gestures isn't great though.

arrrg 14y ago

Huh? The 90s called and they want their cliches back. All Macs come with very capable multi touch mice or touchpads. Clicking with two fingers (or more) for secondary mouse buttons is perfectly convenient and two finger scrolling is just awesome. Are there no drivers or what?

hastur 14y ago
Thinkpads have an understated, timeless design, superior to almost all competition, Macs included. The only distinguishing quality of Macs is their built quality - but that's not exactly a good reason to buy an ugly laptop. Of course, most people have pretty childish tastes and prefer shiny things. But I guess de gustibus non est disputandum. [And yes, I do feel like I have a bit too much karma... ;]
- chris_wot 14y ago
  There's nothing quite like reading a post with the words de gustibus non est disputandum while the poster debates matters of taste.
  - gbog 14y ago
    Right, but you may be aware that Friedrich Nietzsche would have said all discussions are about taste.
    - its_so_on 14y ago
      as just a reader on this thread, am I being asked to judge whether Nietzsche trumps a Latin proverb? This is a hard one, and I would need some more evidence. Don't you have a steve jobs quote?
      - gbog 14y ago
        I think Nietzsche meant that either you are talking about objective known facts and there is no discussion, facts just are (or not); or, in the most common case, you are talking about subjective ideas, feelings, opinions, etc, and these are just other names for taste. So both are right, we should not be discussing taste and we are deemed to only discuss about taste. I'll let some other HNmate complement with a Steve Jobs quote, if they wish.

cmelbye 14y ago

OS X expects two mouse buttons too, I'm not sure what your point is.

rane 14y ago
Not exactly, but yeah it expects you to be able to right click. It's up to the user how they wish to do that, tap with two fingers on trackpad, ctrl-tap etc.
- megablast 14y ago
  You can set the right part of the track pad to be the right button, just like every other laptop. It has always been this way.

chilie 14y ago

I've got a Macbook 7,1 with Ubuntu 12.04 running Xmonad, and its by far the smoothest linux experience I've ever had. I ran it under Gnome Unity for a bit and that was fine too. I've never had the mouse issues you refer to. The trackpad works just as well as it did until OS X.

LeafStorm 14y ago

I actually dual-boot Arch on my mid-2011 Macbook Pro, and two mouse buttons has been the least of my problems -- you can configure Synaptics to recognize a click on the touchpad with two fingers as a right-click, just like OS X. (You can even set it up to recognize a three-finger click as a middle click, which OS X doesn't do.) The only real issue I have with Linux is that something keeps eating my bootloader, so I have to keep a GRUB boot CD around to boot into it.

archangel_one 14y ago
That sounds like a pain - how are you trying to boot Linux? Have you tried refit?
acomar 14y ago
Are you sure it's getting eaten? I have had issues with efi bootloader, where it'll forget to boot from the right OS but the bootloader is still there and accessible from the boot menu.

archangel_one 14y ago

I'm typing this on a macbook pro running Linux, and it works just fine; two-finger taps are a right-click, three for middle. That's worked on any Synaptics touchpad in Linux for at least the last seven years and probably longer.

HorizonXP 14y ago

Thanks for linking this. I've been using my GF's MBP while I look for a new laptop, and while OS X is nice, I just don't grok it. I'm an Ubuntu guy, and this looks like a good fit.

deleted 14y ago
[deleted]

batista 14y ago

>I wouldn't buy a macbook for linux regardless of display. You wouldn't. Linus Torvalds would --and actually did. And he says that his Macbook Air is the best laptop he ever had, and that Lenovo doesn't even come close.

ballooney 14y ago
I've read the interview where he says he uses an Air because it's quiet and light [1]. However I don't see him say anything about how the lenovo 'doesn't even come close'. I'm sure you're not making stuff up, so could you provide your citation? I'm interested as considering a new small dev laptop, you see. [1] http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium-technology-prize-finalist-linus-torvalds/ http://techcrunch.com/2012/04/19/an-interview-with-millenium...
- batista 14y ago
  >I'm sure you're not making stuff up, so could you provide your citation? Sure, happy to oblige. It was on a comment in his Google+ page (around 1/5 scroll length) he said: "no, Lenovo doesn't [still make quite decent hardware]. I have the Lenovo X1. It's bigger, plasticky, and has worse battery life". https://plus.google.com/102150693225130002912/posts/1vyfmNCYpi5 https://plus.google.com/102150693225130002912/posts/1vyfmNCY...

Evbn 14y ago

I haven't seen any claim that the X1 will have backlit keyboard or an ambient light sensor to adjust the display. Will it? Seems a huge oversight in a laptop that is gunning for "best ever".