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SoftTalker | on: “This is not the computer for you”
> This computer is for the kid who doesn’t have a margin to optimize. Who can’t wait for the right tool to materialize. Who is going to take what’s available and push it until it breaks and learn something permanent from the breaking.

That kid will be much better off with a used laptop and Linux or BSD.

stuporglue | parent | next
I started college with a white G3 iBook. By the end of freshman year I had installed Yellow Dog Linux, then Suse, Mandriva and eventually Gentoo.

Now, 20+ years later all my home computers are running Linux (Debian though), and my kids grew up using Linux.

But I'm going to send my teenager to college with Windows or a Mac. They're going to be 1200 miles away, and they're going to need to get support for their computer and I won't be there.

Yes, I like Linux 1000x better than Windows or Mac, but Linux demands a different relationship with the admin. This kid hasn't wanted that relationship with tech, and will rely on friends to help get Office or Zoom or whatever installed.

I'm still deciding between Mac and Windows now. I'll probably end up getting a quality used business laptop from FB marketplace, but the Neo is interesting too.

t-writescode | parent | next
The kid’s parents want to be able to monitor their kid. The kid’s parents want to be able to drag the machine to a local store and have the people there fix it.

The kid’s parents - and the kid - all have iPhones, so it’s familiar.

The kid’s school requires Windows or Mac for their WiFi and won’t let the kid use Linux because they don’t trust it.

There’s plenty of reasons why Linux isn’t the answer in current climate.

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Gigachad | parent | next
Most schools don't let you use chargers due to fire and tripping hazards. The macbooks strength is you can use it on battery for the entire day. Most alternatives fail at this.
DerArzt | root | parent | next
They would still be better purchasing a used MacBook as you can find those at similar prices and they (assuming they aren't Intel) will have the long battery life and more.
sedatk | root | parent
ARM PC laptops are on par with Macbooks in terms of battery life nowadays.
Gigachad | root | parent
Is ARM Windows usable these days?
sedatk | root | parent
Very much so if you don't care about gaming. x86-64 emulation has already been great, and 99% of popular apps have native ARM64 versions. The only exception was Discord for me for a long time. I used to use an unofficial wrapper called "Legcord" instead. But, now even Discord has a native Windows version. I mostly use my laptop for software development + browsing.

I haven't tried gaming, but I feel like it'll suck for almost anything that's not natively ARM64. Steam doesn't have an ARM64 based client yet, AFAIK.

prmoustache | root | parent
Isn't Discord just a web app? Why would you need an ARM64 specific version in the first place when you have a browser?
sedatk | root | parent
Your question is essentially "why do Electron apps exist?" and the full answer would be quite long.

The most important one is that an app's lifecycle can be different than a web browser. You don't always keep a web browser open, but you might want to keep Discord open regardless of what you do with the web browser. That kind of lifecycle management can be tedious and frustrating for a regular user.

Discord's electron app has many features that its web app doesn't such as "Minimize to system tray", "Run at startup", "Game/media detection", "In-game overlays" etc.

Even PWAs can't have most of these features, so that's why we have to deploy an entire browser suite per app nowadays.

sghiassy | parent | next
I’ve been an Apple fan boi since the Apple II in my room. 44 years later, 15 in software engineering, and I’m still very happy with Apple
hackyhacky | parent | next
> That kid will be much better off with a used laptop and Linux or BSD.

True, and suffering through the limitations of the Apple platform will show the kid why Linux is better.

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lelandbatey | root | parent
Don't downvote, it certainly did for me. My first computer was a MBP 13inch from 2009, as I was apple obsessed like the person in the parent article. Time passes and I realized I really didn't like either Windows or Mac, and for the past 10 years Ive been linux only. It really does happen, even if rarely.
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milkey_mouse | parent
Unless said kid ports Asahi Linux...