MacBook vs. other Notebooks
For the last 2 years, I've worked on a MacBook for my clients and private projects. And I think I can finally compare the feeling of working with the MB and other Notebooks. Around 2015, I've bought my first ThinkPad, a T450s from Lenovo and used it for ~6 years (Before that, I was using a Schenker XMG Gaming Notebook, which was not the best for client work. Big and clumsy). I was happy with it and my Arch Linux installation. The only thing what bothered me, was the memory limit of 12gb. So I decided to buy the next ThinkPad, a T490s. That was the end of 2019 and the start of 2020. Which I then used until I bought the MacBook. The best thing was, that the Arch Linux installation was the same as on the T450s, I just moved the data onto a new bigger SSD.
To be clear, I will not compare the software on the Notebooks. They are not comparable, and I still would work with my Arch Linux. But I think that this is not worth the effort, especially on the newer M Chips. I always thought that Apple Hardware is superior to other hardware. Be it the iPhone or the MacBooks. But they made “strange” software was strange. I still think that, but I've learned to workaround it. My ulterior motive in buying a MacBook was that I wanted to save time. Just have a working system when you need it. Not that it was the case before, but I'm more compatible with my clients' work now. No hassle with VPN installations or getting something to work. I no longer wanted to be the “special” guy with the Linux Notebook anymore. 😅 It was cool when I was younger and had more time, but now with the Kids, my time is needed somewhere else. I'm still rooting for Linux, but I need to be more compatible and can't tinker around.
So, enough prelude. 😂 What I initially wanted to say was, that a MacBook is such a nice piece of hardware and I love to work with it. On the couch. On the dining table or just sitting somewhere on the ground. Mostly because the trackpad is so great. I was also able to play Oxygen not included with it on the couch. 😎 My other Notebooks were always a desktop alternative, with a mouse and keyboard plugged in. ThinkPads have the better Keyboard, that's for sure. But the Trackpad and also the Trackpad of other brands are from hell to torture you. I even learned to use the Trackpoint efficiently, which then was a game changer. But not the best for ergonomics.
What I want to compare here, to get to the point. Is that feeling when you take the Notebook, open the lid and start working with it. With the MacBook, it feels just good. With the ThinkPads or the Schenker XMG or event before, my old Compaq or Acer were all shitty. You always wanted to attach the mouse and do as less as possible. Furthermore, the MacBook is an aluminum unibody, the others just plastic slammed together. This is something you will recognize while using a Notebook. I wish other companies would do the same. But then you have the software, which is mostly Windows…
The frame.work Notebooks come close, I think. I never tested one, but if my next Notebook will not be a MacBook, then I would try a frame.work one. It is modular, looks like it will have a nice haptic comparable to a MacBook, and you can use Linux on it.
I hope this gibberish makes sense to anyone. 😂
62 of #100DaysToOffload
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