back to article Linux laptop vendor Slimbook updates its ranges

Another vendor has refreshed its Linux laptop lineup for the summer, and some of the new models look strangely familiar. Last week we covered the new Pulse G2 laptop from Germany's Tuxedo Computers. Close behind it are new models from several other vendors of Linux laptops with very similar specs. In an unusual move that …

  1. Swarthy
    Unhappy

    Keyboard choices

    This is almost half-way tempting. ..Almost. The inability to charge and run a second display at the same time, and the lack of a 10-key (why would you make a 15.6" without a number pad‽) makes it unsuitable for my needs.

    And that makes me sad.

    1. nautica Silver badge
      FAIL

      Re: Keyboard choices

      I simply do not understand the current trend of not providing a keypad (embedded and/or otherwise) on keyboards.

      Wait...yes, I do: most all electronics these days are NOT bought for the purposes of doing useful, productive work, but are bought for the same reason as $1500-$2000 "smart"phones---so that one can be seen with the device---and that's IT.

      If I can't easily use a keyboard for doing spreadsheet work, or even simple repetitive calculator work, it is worse than useless.

      Since I can't do it any other way, here are your ten up-votes:

      +10.

      1. VTAMguy

        Re: Keyboard choices

        Many of us have had long careers doing useful productive work without ever once needing to use a spreadsheet nor do repetitive calculator work nor do anything at all with a number pad. For me, number pads on a keyboard are dust collection devices and a waste of desk space. I view the presence of one as a negative feature to be avoided.

        -10 for telling me your personal preference is required for me to be productive in this industry. I'm happy for you if you want the Queen Mary with keys on your desk in front of you and it helps your work, but, horses for courses, kay?

        1. Liam Proven (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

          Re: Keyboard choices

          [Author here]

          I think you are missing a very obvious, very common use-case.

          2FA is everywhere now. With two-factor authentication, you need to enter a numeric login code from a text message or a separate Authenticator app (I have both Google and Microsoft ones myself, unfortunately for me).

          These codes are generally purely numeric. So I need to hold a device in one hand and enter the code with another. Numeric keypads are _perfect_ for this and I have to enter such codes multiple times a day. Phone in dominant hand (for me, my left) and tap in the code with my right hand.

          It's quicker and easier and simpler than finding somewhere to prop the phone where I can read it and then enter the code.

          It's much quicker to enter the code on the keypad than using the numbers row.

          If you look at the numbers these apps produce, the patterns in them make me suspect that they are specifically intended for keypad entry. Groupings like 141 252 are common and seem intentional to me, but I have no evidence for that.

          Also sometimes I must use Czech keyboards because of living there. The Czech keyboard doesn't *HAVE* a numbers row: it's given over to the extra Czech letters, such as č, š, ř, ě, etc. So you must use Shift for numbers, making it even more inconvenient.

          Remember Chesterton's Fence:

          https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Chesterton%27s_fence

          Just because *you* do not see a need for something doesn't mean that there isn't a need for it.

          1. nautica Silver badge
            Happy

            Re: Keyboard choices

            It appears, from photographs of the original Slimbook (from approximately four years ago), that the original device's keyboard contained an embedded numeric keypad, with the requisite 'NumLock' key, of course.

            The auto industry refers to this practice of removing features as "de-content-ing".

            I suppose Slimbook is "de-content-ing" its offerings, for our benefit.

        2. dajames

          Re: Keyboard choices

          Many of us have had long careers doing useful productive work without ever once needing to use a spreadsheet nor do repetitive calculator work nor do anything at all with a number pad. For me, number pads on a keyboard are dust collection devices and a waste of desk space. I view the presence of one as a negative feature to be avoided.

          I'm with you on that, and use a tenkeyless keyboard on my ever-more-cluttered desktop. The saving of ~15 square inches of desk space makes the smaller keyboard a must, for me.

          However, a 15.6" laptop has room for a numeric keypad (and any laptop has room for an overlaid keypad) and some users like them.

      2. werdsmith Silver badge

        Re: Keyboard choices

        If I can't easily use a keyboard for doing spreadsheet work, or even simple repetitive calculator work, it is worse than useless.

        Worse than useless to you.

        But it's not all about you.

        1. nautica Silver badge
          Boffin

          Re: Keyboard choices

          "Worse than useless to you."

          From Liam Proven:

          "...Just because *you* do not see a need for something doesn't mean that there isn't a need for it."

    2. Liam Proven (Written by Reg staff) Silver badge

      Re: Keyboard choices

      [Author here]

      That is not the case at all.

      I mentioned 4 different models, I think. Plus the Tuxedo, which only comes in 1 screen size. Call it 5.

      [1] The machines all have a dedicated power socket *as well as* at least 1 USB-C port.

      They come with a normal PSU brick meaning that you can use power *and* USB-C at the same time.

      The idea of being able to power them over USB-C is that if you're on the move and have access to a USB-C power supply, you can use it.

      But if you're somewhere else and you don't have the power brick, you can use any old USB-C PSU as long as it's beefy enough.

      [2] All the models I mentioned have _both_ USB-C Displayport _and_ HDMI.

      So you can run a 2nd display and charge over USB-C *at the same time*.

      Or, use the PSU brick, and have _both_ HDMI _and_ DisplayPort adaptors for 2 external screens. And optionally daisychain another DP monitor off the 1st one.

      For 4 displays, 1 internal + 3 external, which I spelled out:

      > With an onboard HDMI 2.0 port as well, you can have four displays: built-in plus three external.

      1. Swarthy
        Thumb Up

        Re: Keyboard choices

        Ah, I did not read that correctly then. Thank you for the clarification.

    3. theOtherJT Silver badge

      Re: Keyboard choices

      I hate laptops with a ten-key almost as much as I hate keyboards without one.

      I'm so used to the idea that my keyboard is aligned centrally on the laptop screen I just can't type reliably on something with a tenkey because it shifts the whole keyboard over to the left.

      I have the converse problem on mechanical keyboards without a tenkey where I end up subconsciously shifting my hands a bit every time I use a keyboard without one because I can sort of see the extents of the keyboard in my peripheral vision and it makes me screw up my hand positioning.

  2. Martin an gof Silver badge

    Is there anything out there under, say, £500?

    Probably looking for a laptop in a couple of months. It will not be required to do Blender or Photoshop or video editing, but it will need to run office apps and be sufficiently sprightly with a web browser so that online Office isn't tedious. I'd love to support one of the niche vendors, particularly if that means getting a machine where I can upgrade the RAM and the SSD easily, and where the battery is easy to swap out, but I'm afraid £1,000 is a bit much and a Ryzen 7 is probably overkill.

    On a related subject, what's happened to all the "good enough" cheap processors (particularly AMD ones) under £100 with graphics? It isn't so long ago that I was putting together budget desktop machines suitable for general use and light gaming for under £300 all-in. A large part of that was being able to buy the processor with inbuilt graphics together with a motherboard for not much more than £100. These days, very few processors seem to have onboard graphics (and they are Celerons with UHD) and the graphics card alone is likely to cost £100+ - though at least it's possible to find one in stock now!

    M.

    1. NATTtrash

      Re: Is there anything out there under, say, £500?

      On a related subject, what's happened to all the "good enough" cheap processors...

      I agree fully, but we seem to be old remnants from a time and thought long gone.

      However, initiatives like this (https://frame.work) might bring that possibility back... sort of. I mean, if we go to a sensible period again where things aren't soldered and/ or glued together because that is good for somebody elses bottom line, and stuff is constructed from parts that are/ can be put together, when that all heralded free choice comes (back), then you can put it together as you desire.

      Not holding my breath though. Shook my head when I read that even the seat heating in BMWs now seem to be an "on subscription" item. Yes, I know... I'm a grumpy old person... still wondering why DMs cost me a kidney these days. And then last me as long as Louboutins...

    2. Roger Greenwood

      Re: Is there anything out there under, say, £500?

      Cheapo UK starter £258 (without OS) https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/notebooks/gemini-IV/

      Build up from there. Also from Clevo I believe.

      Full disclaimer:- I have bought a couple of machines from them in the past.

  3. nautica Silver badge
    Boffin

    "He has the ability to speak, but not to have a conversation..."

    From "VTAMguy", above---

    "-10 for telling me your personal preference is required for me to be productive in this industry..."

    I, in no way nor manner TOLD YOU that a personal preference of mine is required in order for you to be productive. I would never presume that you are productive, nor presume to tell you how to be productive---particularly in light of this post of yours.

    I suggest you read the following article on reading comprehension; it cannot do anything except serve you well:

    Reading comprehension is a big problem in open-source

    Updated: February 24, 2016

    https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/linux-reading-comprehension.html

POST COMMENT House rules

Not a member of The Register? Create a new account here.

  • Enter your comment

  • Add an icon

Anonymous cowards cannot choose their icon

Other stories you might like