[HN Gopher] Framework Laptop 13 review: a DIY dream come true
___________________________________________________________________
Framework Laptop 13 review: a DIY dream come true
Author : hillcrestenigma
Score : 68 points
Date : 2023-05-16 20:33 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.theverge.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.theverge.com)
| nrp wrote:
| I'm happy to answer questions that folks have around this
| product.
| deadmutex wrote:
| Can you please elaborate on why the new mobo is so much more
| power efficient? If anything is due to software (e.g. BIOS),
| will you be able to backport these changes to previous version?
|
| Also agree with reviewer's comments about privacy shutters
| being hard to see. My family members have complained about
| "laptop['s webcam] doesn't work" when the shutters were closed.
| This caused unnecessary bad experiences with using the laptop.
| mkozlows wrote:
| As a counterpoint, I love that they're subtle. I don't want
| big things glaring out at me. (But when they're disabled,
| there is an orange section. If you don't know that it's
| possible, as your family probably doesn't, you won't think
| anything of it, but it's easy to see at a glance the status.)
| spruengli wrote:
| Any chance you can dispense with the logo?
| DanHulton wrote:
| Why, oh why have you gone with the terrible "bar-style" arrow
| keys instead of t-shaped? Apple similarly made this mistake,
| and thankfully recanted. It was so miserable to use bar-style
| arrow keys that I've officially sworn off of any keyboard (or
| any machine with a keyboard) that has them.
| ecliptik wrote:
| Any plans for more official FreeBSD or OpenBSD support?
| lousken wrote:
| Kinda related - any plans to expand the list of countries you
| ship to this year? Though, I am waiting for the 16"
| nrp wrote:
| We shared during our event in March that we'll be adding
| Spain, Italy, Belgium, and Taiwan this summer. We're building
| infrastructure to scale beyond that too, but we don't have a
| timeline or specific set of countries we can share yet.
| teruakohatu wrote:
| When you expand to a country do you partner with local
| companies to provide support?
|
| I have been hoping New Zealand gets added to the list soon
| :)
| princevegeta89 wrote:
| Hi. I have an m1 mac but always missed linux since I got it.
| Here are my questions if you can take a minute:
|
| How stable is the Linux laptop and what distros are officially
| supported? What would be the best possible battery life I can
| get out of that 13 inch Ryzen version that was recently
| released?
| lewisinc wrote:
| Have you looked into Asahi Linux?
| rowanG077 wrote:
| I have been wanting to design a framework case for my own use.
| Unfortunately the way I need to mount the motherboard means
| that the air in take is on the other side then it is in the
| Framework laptop. Would it be possible to either flip the fan
| or run it in reverse mode?
| csdreamer7 wrote:
| Hi, thank you for founding Framework.
|
| Love my 12th gen framework laptop except for an issue with the
| headphone jack. Waiting on a replacement for that.
|
| I do wish the keyboard was better. See the Thinkpad. Using the
| function key for terminal paste + home and end forces me to
| spend a second to think to shift between this and my Thinkpad
| keyboards. I know you are coming out with magnetic ones-really
| looking forward to that and hope they match the thinkpad.
| javajosh wrote:
| Will you ever stop iterating on the chassis and focus purely on
| the replaceable components? Seems to me that a
| reparable/upgradable laptop doesn't matter if you keep changing
| the chassis such that in order to enjoy new features you need
| an entirely new laptop every iteration. It also feels to me, as
| an 11th gen owner, that I've been left behind with my power and
| sound issues. Which is basically the same boat as any laptop
| user.
| kieranl wrote:
| The chassis is fully compatible with all previous framework
| laptops.
| dpatterbee wrote:
| My understanding is that every upgraded component which ships
| with the new framework can be purchased separately and
| installed in the 1st generation model. Indeed, this is the
| primary selling point of the framework. What source have you
| seen which says differently?
| flapjaxy wrote:
| I'm in the same boat. Though, I think about it differently;
| the fact that I can print a case and use the mobo as a
| headless server is a differentiator for me. I also don't know
| if it's possible to design an attractive functional chassis
| that doesn't need iterating.
|
| That being said I'd like to see a recycling program, or some
| way to reduce the environmental impact from upgrades.
| [deleted]
| CarVac wrote:
| What's changed about the chassis?
| miloignis wrote:
| From reading the Ars review, it certainly looks to me like
| you get the massive battery improvements without upgrading
| the chassis ( https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2023/05/review-
| framework-lap... ).
|
| Is that not your understanding?
|
| Edit: The marketplace also has replacement speaker parts,
| like https://frame.work/products/speaker-kit?v=FRANBXFG03 ) -
| I'm now even more confused about how your older chassis is
| holding you back.
| javajosh wrote:
| Just a reminder: I may not have read every resource on the
| internet about this subject, and you can share information
| without attacking the person for not already having it. And
| it's not clear to me that I can fix these problems, and I
| stand by my question and look forward to getting an answer
| free of blame.
| ThePowerOfFuet wrote:
| My understanding is that a first-gen chassis precludes
| none of the possible updates.
| miloignis wrote:
| Whoh, I don't interpret anything in my response as
| blaming or attacking you, just asking why you thought
| what you did.
|
| My apologies for coming across aggressively.
|
| I interpreted your question as blaming Framework for
| limiting fixes to the new chassis, and wanted to know
| your source for thinking they were limited, as everything
| I saw indicated that they were not.
|
| Does the Ars review I linked not indicate that you could
| fix your battery problems by upgrading the mainboard? (It
| also mentions that using the larger battery will be
| possible with a BIOS upgrade, which should further
| improve things).
| javajosh wrote:
| Thanks for that, there's a lot I don't know. I still
| don't quite understand what they are talking about with
| "Laptop 13". Is that just a new motherboard in the same
| chassis? that's not clear from the marketing.
| teraflop wrote:
| Just from a quick browse through Framework's replacement
| parts, almost none of them specify which version they're
| designed for. So _either_ they 're all interchangeable with
| any chassis version, _or_ the website has an enormous
| usability problem and can expect a lot of unhappy
| customers. (I don 't own a Framework and I have no idea
| which of these is the case.)
| collsni wrote:
| How does performance compare between your Intel and AMD
| flagships?
| deivid wrote:
| I have a gen12 i5. The thing I am dissappointed with is battery
| life. Will a motherboard swap to AMD significantly improve on
| this?
| gubneor wrote:
| Better control over the power LED would be good -- its blinding
| in certain environments
| kieranl wrote:
| You can adjust the brightness in the bios
| loufe wrote:
| Any efforts going into OLED/AMOLED/MiniLED displays? It's my
| biggest hesitation point.
| CarVac wrote:
| Or just one with a faster response time?
|
| The current panel has quite long rise times.
| yegle wrote:
| I'd definitely want to try an eink display when/if it's
| available.
| juujian wrote:
| Any plans on FOSS stuff? Option to ship with some linux distro,
| dedicated linux support, maybe even libreboot or coreboot?
| pkulak wrote:
| Coreboot, please!
| mustaflex wrote:
| It would be nice if Framework can share a roadmap for
| availability outside U.S (I'm from Belgium) for all their
| products.
| flapjaxy wrote:
| Are there any plans to enhance the sound quality in future
| iterations? The 80dB speaker upgrade makes it louder, but the
| sound quality is still lacking compared to other traditional
| machines.
| gubneor wrote:
| whats a traditional machine? it sounds a lot better than the
| system76 i had prior to it
| tough wrote:
| Macbooks have great speakers, wondering if that's what he
| meant
| PotatoPancakes wrote:
| Possibly, but literally no other laptops sound anywhere
| near as good as Macbooks.[0] Apple has done some real magic
| in the laptop speaker space, and they've kept their secrets
| to themselves. Shame I always wear headphones.
|
| [0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LkYB931iUjc
| Clamchop wrote:
| Apple is way out ahead of the pack on this point. No (?)
| trad PC laptop is on the same level so it seems like kinda
| a high bar to clear.
| atribecalledqst wrote:
| I'm definitely thinking about getting a Framework, I could use a
| decent Windows / Linux laptop for random hacking (and some light
| gaming). Might wait until the next model comes out though since I
| don't have any immediate need.
|
| Being able to replace components in my 2012-era Macbook Pro has
| saved me a number of times and a laptop that's built around that
| ideal sounds great to me.
|
| Are Frameworks generally in pretty high demand and hard to get?
| Like when the next model comes out, can I basically expect that
| it will be impossible to get for a while?
| mkozlows wrote:
| They're a small company, so at launch they meter them out
| through pre-orders. If you order now, you have to wait for
| later "waves."
|
| Once they're out for a while, though, they're just normal "pick
| one up and buy it" things.
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2023-05-16 23:01 UTC)