5 ms·

What about System76? Aren't they in the exact market space/niche you're describing? https://system76.com/ https://system76.com/

kyllo 12y ago
Yep, and I probably will buy one of those once my MBP needs replacing.
vinceguidry 12y ago
I replaced my work laptop (MBP 15") with a System76 GalagoPro. I wanted the Galago for my personal machine, but stuff like the trackpad just didn't work half as well. I bought a Macbook Air for my personal machine, and will end up getting a Linux desktop for my home office.
- zanny 12y ago
  I got the Galago model from another retailer because they were cheaper and I was hearing horror stories at the time about system76 support. Apparently they got their act together and made a big positive PR campaign in the months following that won back mindshare though. Yea, the trackpad is shit. But all trackpads are shit, including the MBP trackpad, having used at least the 2010 and 2013 models my friends have for a few days at a time. I always use a bluetooth or wired mouse with a notebook. The hinge scares me to death though, and the screen has more flex than a veteran stripper. The revised keyboard I actually really like though. I use a mechanical one at my workstation and honestly do not mind the chiclet keyboard on the Galago at all. The connectivity is fantastic. HDMI and displayport out means I can run triple monitor off the thing, and the i7 with Iris graphics means it can actually run three monitors. Three USB is great, the battery life is fine (I get about 4 - 6 hours of web browsing and emailing, 3 - 4 of movie streaming). The size is fine. If they had made it unibody aluminum and got rid of the screen flex by making it slightly thicker, I would have paid another $100 and been completely sold. I just threw a 256GB SSD in plus the 1TB mechanical it comes with and it is a portable monster that is actually compact. End of the day, it was a much better buy IMO than a $2000+ MBP, despite the shortcomings. Though I'm actually really interested in trying out a low end Chromebook with Kubuntu on it to see how that plays at some point.
  - vinceguidry 12y ago
    The GalagoPro is better when you don't actually have to use it as a laptop, then you don't have to deal with the limitations of the hardware. The 13" Macbook Air is the best laptop on the market, IMO. Those 13" Retina's look great, but the killer feature on a laptop is battery life. I can take or leave graphics, memory, and power, but if the battery life sucks, then it's basically tethered to a power brick. Funny thing is battery life isn't that big of a deal on a smartphone. I have a Nexus 5 and I don't mind that I have to charge it every day. I have a wireless charger that I put it down on, no big deal. But I don't want to have to do that with a laptop. Strange why I feel that way. Skip the low-end Chromebook. I tried it, the fact that the battery still drains when it's in sleep mode makes it a non-starter. I don't want to be plugging it up every time I use it. Linux just hasn't been tuned well-enough to make it a decent laptop OS.
    - sbuk 12y ago
      >> Linux just hasn't been tuned well-enough to make it a decent laptop OS. Exactly this! Take the time to tune and integrate the OS to the specific hardware, which would probably mean making a custom Linux, but isn't that the joy of OSS? I know that it's frowned upon to mention aesthetics, but they do matter. Marry that with build quality and you'd have the right ingredients for success. Price point is what it is.
nsgf 12y ago
System76 are just Clevo rebrands. Low quality too.

kyllo 12y ago

Yep, and I probably will buy one of those once my MBP needs replacing.

vinceguidry 12y ago

I replaced my work laptop (MBP 15") with a System76 GalagoPro. I wanted the Galago for my personal machine, but stuff like the trackpad just didn't work half as well. I bought a Macbook Air for my personal machine, and will end up getting a Linux desktop for my home office.

zanny 12y ago
I got the Galago model from another retailer because they were cheaper and I was hearing horror stories at the time about system76 support. Apparently they got their act together and made a big positive PR campaign in the months following that won back mindshare though. Yea, the trackpad is shit. But all trackpads are shit, including the MBP trackpad, having used at least the 2010 and 2013 models my friends have for a few days at a time. I always use a bluetooth or wired mouse with a notebook. The hinge scares me to death though, and the screen has more flex than a veteran stripper. The revised keyboard I actually really like though. I use a mechanical one at my workstation and honestly do not mind the chiclet keyboard on the Galago at all. The connectivity is fantastic. HDMI and displayport out means I can run triple monitor off the thing, and the i7 with Iris graphics means it can actually run three monitors. Three USB is great, the battery life is fine (I get about 4 - 6 hours of web browsing and emailing, 3 - 4 of movie streaming). The size is fine. If they had made it unibody aluminum and got rid of the screen flex by making it slightly thicker, I would have paid another $100 and been completely sold. I just threw a 256GB SSD in plus the 1TB mechanical it comes with and it is a portable monster that is actually compact. End of the day, it was a much better buy IMO than a $2000+ MBP, despite the shortcomings. Though I'm actually really interested in trying out a low end Chromebook with Kubuntu on it to see how that plays at some point.
- vinceguidry 12y ago
  The GalagoPro is better when you don't actually have to use it as a laptop, then you don't have to deal with the limitations of the hardware. The 13" Macbook Air is the best laptop on the market, IMO. Those 13" Retina's look great, but the killer feature on a laptop is battery life. I can take or leave graphics, memory, and power, but if the battery life sucks, then it's basically tethered to a power brick. Funny thing is battery life isn't that big of a deal on a smartphone. I have a Nexus 5 and I don't mind that I have to charge it every day. I have a wireless charger that I put it down on, no big deal. But I don't want to have to do that with a laptop. Strange why I feel that way. Skip the low-end Chromebook. I tried it, the fact that the battery still drains when it's in sleep mode makes it a non-starter. I don't want to be plugging it up every time I use it. Linux just hasn't been tuned well-enough to make it a decent laptop OS.
  - sbuk 12y ago
    >> Linux just hasn't been tuned well-enough to make it a decent laptop OS. Exactly this! Take the time to tune and integrate the OS to the specific hardware, which would probably mean making a custom Linux, but isn't that the joy of OSS? I know that it's frowned upon to mention aesthetics, but they do matter. Marry that with build quality and you'd have the right ingredients for success. Price point is what it is.

nsgf 12y ago

System76 are just Clevo rebrands. Low quality too.