3 ms·

I am seriously considering ARM too. As a daily driver they are more than good enough. I need a lot of power so my laptop is just a terminal to a server and some

by nextos 12y ago

I am seriously considering ARM too. As a daily driver they are more than good enough. I need a lot of power so my laptop is just a terminal to a server and some desktop applications, mostly CLI-based. ARM wins in terms of low heat and low energy consumption, which are huge plusses IMHO. With a bit of effort, they can also win in openness. They will be powering e.g. http://wiki.vero-apparatus.com/ARM64OpenLaptopConcept http://wiki.vero-apparatus.com/ARM64OpenLaptopConcept and http://pyra-handheld.com/ http://pyra-handheld.com/ Companies should realize design wins over features. If anyone comes up with a developer oriented laptop that (i) has top notch Linux support (ii) can be upgraded / expanded / serviced (iii) has a good keyboard (iv) has a matte 4:3 screen they'll gain loads of backing. With quick SSDs and cheap RAM, CPU speed is not that relevant.

tracker1 12y ago
I think the problem is that nobody has implemented/opened up a standard boot system... There's no equivalent to UEFI/BIOS for ARM. Which is a shame, because it prevents some of the variety in terms of OSes targeting a broader range of devices that we see on x86 based platforms. All of that said, I've been hopeful to see something compelling in an ARM powered laptop for a while... Also, with the likes of the transformer tablet/netbook setups, I'm really surprised nobody has done an interface for a smart phone docking/powering a laptop yet (at least that I'm aware of), carrying the same screen/keyboard/touchpad across multiple generations of mobile device. Such a beast would have to be able to run at least 2x 1080p displays without much lag and several applications. It would probably need a means of docking with active cooling while docked. It would be an interesting design challenge.
- nextos 12y ago
  I've heard coreboot is being ported to ARM. I can't find the source now. Some of the low end Chromebooks will be quite interesting when this becomes a reality.

by nextos 12y ago

tracker1 12y ago

I think the problem is that nobody has implemented/opened up a standard boot system... There's no equivalent to UEFI/BIOS for ARM. Which is a shame, because it prevents some of the variety in terms of OSes targeting a broader range of devices that we see on x86 based platforms. All of that said, I've been hopeful to see something compelling in an ARM powered laptop for a while... Also, with the likes of the transformer tablet/netbook setups, I'm really surprised nobody has done an interface for a smart phone docking/powering a laptop yet (at least that I'm aware of), carrying the same screen/keyboard/touchpad across multiple generations of mobile device. Such a beast would have to be able to run at least 2x 1080p displays without much lag and several applications. It would probably need a means of docking with active cooling while docked. It would be an interesting design challenge.

nextos 12y ago
I've heard coreboot is being ported to ARM. I can't find the source now. Some of the low end Chromebooks will be quite interesting when this becomes a reality.