I love my GPD Micro PC
blog.danieljanus.pl
blog.danieljanus.pl
Not only did it work great for emergency situations (I ran Ubuntu MATE as well) when I needed to SSH into machines, check stuff on Datadog, edit code to make a quick fix, push code to our K8S environments and more, but I actually found myself frequently at coffee shops and bars coding away happily on it. It brought a certain amount of freedom and cool factor with it. It was a delightful little device with a very sharp and crisp screen, a surprisingly useful keyboard that combined well with my i3 environment, that I could actually be productive on (save for running our test suite which took around 30 minutes and sucked the life out of the battery). It also got a lot of onlookers asking questions about it, leading to those ever so fun random conversations that can lead to night long friendships over wine and coffee.
I genuinely miss it and will probably pick up another one now that I just got hired as a CTO for another project with equally demanding on-call schedules and uptime requirements. Although I don't drink anymore so none of those fun conversations. Ce la vie.
Hah. So true!
It's always interesting to see that even today with all the fancy miniature devices we have, how many people still see these UMPCs as almost magic. My Zaurus in the early 2000s used to get this kind of attention which was understandable. But I'm surprised that random people will still strike up conversations whenever I use modern UMPCs in public...
It's a "shut up and take my money" system for me; I've dream of a netbook/micropc with trackpoint and keyboard taking as much space as it can for about 12-13 years now. Thx!
The OneMix ones have a capacitive trackpoint that's not as good (-> it works like a tiny trackpad area), but they also have touchscreens.
IMO the newer GPD Win ones are probably the best implementation of mousing on a small devices. You have all the options: A touchscreen, A small trackpad, and A joystick that has a mouse mode which behaves like a trackpoint.
It turns out my years of ThinkPad training has given me permanent muscle memory that the button underneath the middle of the space bar is middle mouse and therefore paste :)
xcape -e "Control_R=Insert"1. Buy a used smartphone with postmarketOS support[1]. I suggest Poco F1 if you want to make phone calls with it right away (or) Oneplus 6/6T if you can wait a bit long for it to be fixed. I use Poco F1 as a daily driver and these are the most powerful, feature complete Linux smartphones right now.
If your work depends upon tool adamant on glibc and couldn't be compiled for musl then Mobian works on the aforementioned devices[2] too.
Use a foldable bluetooth keyboard, case with kickstand; you can get just as productive as a GPD albeit more portable and also feel good about taking away a device from potential e-waste.
2. Buy a 11" used Chromebook (Mainly used in schools) which is supported by Mr.Chromebox's UEFI firmware[3], You can use any Linux with it but I use PeppermintOS for its light weight and OOB support for Chromebook. Of course any portable laptop could run Linux, But they tend to cost 2x-3x the Chromebooks.
[1] https://wiki.postmarketos.org/wiki/Devices
[2] https://wiki.mobian-project.org/doku.php?id=install-android
having an attached keyboard is the whole point though
May be its a user preference, I just put out options as 'Choice' is the crux of Linux ecosystem.
I think what's best in this situation is display glasses, Like VR headset but only that it outputs our computer/phone display for stereoscopic vision. I've been tracking such glasses for a while[1] as I have limited freedom of movement with my neck as its held by rods.
[1] https://needgap.com/problems/16-wearable-low-latency-display...
And of course Android is always going to be more usable the mobile linux.
For me personally I just can't work on my phone, its too small, there is no place to work on anything!
Because Google with its Playstore API restrictions has stopped Termux from releasing in Playstore, It has robbed people in the similar circumstance as that Zambian gentleman of the opportunity. Now, One has to have enough knowledge about existence of third party app stores like F-Droid to make use of Termux like applications.
Even then, Android's enthusiast scene is highly dependent upon 'privilege escalation', To auto update Termux from F-Droid it needs root.
And that's exactly why I'm evangelizing Linux smartphone at every chance I get, I'm not telling those who couldn't afford a PC should move on to a Linux phone, I'm telling we need to break the duopoly in the mobile ecosystem to gain back the freedom in mobile computing. Linux phone, Especially aftermarket projects like pmos seems to be best bet for me since coincidentally developing economies are e-waste dumping grounds for the rest of the world.
Some recommendations from my subreddit:
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/uvjty1...
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/sqvrsg...
- https://www.reddit.com/r/ErgoMobileComputers/comments/uvjnhe...
Form factor, ports, and performance are all great. The firmware is very frustrating though. Mine shipped with a newer firmware (4.18) than was available to download, and it was miserable. The machine would power on to blank screens, and have random crashes. I was wary of downgrading because I couldn't put the "newer" firmware back on.
Finally gave in and stability was much improved on 4.13. Boot issues still happen though (less frequently). They seem possibly exasperated by Linux. It can require 3 or 4 attempts at holding the power button to force a reset. Unplug anything that could be back-feeding power so it will actually reset (not confirmed). Just all around annoying if you power it on and off a lot.
Other issues to consider. The hinge support is somewhat fragile. I try to be gentle opening and closing. I think I also put some epoxy around the plastic screwhole pillar. The battery has a permanent over-discharge cutoff that a number of users have hit so I've been careful to keep a charge on it.
the caveat is you stand a chance of soft bricking your device if you reboot after a failed write operation, or fully bricking your device if you didn't back up your firmware prior to a failed write.
One dead battery, replacement part from alibaba via GPD rep given link. Easy to disassemble via screwdriver and spudger. Works great now. Injection molded piece that held the threads where the hinge attached also failed. Drilled a little pinhole and added a small machine screw, nut and threadlocker. No more problems. Nut goes under the plastic hinge cover. The fix is literally better than original.
Other than that, the only issue I've had is getting grub to see the screen as landscape. Grub config options seem to get ignored. Oh well. Standard rotation is sorted with boot scripts and the OEM Windows 10 side works great.
I never thought I’d see a moving line of poetry on a HN article, least of all one about PC hardware, and yet here I am.
> I walk, I lift up, I lift up heart, eyes
I’ve discovered the pleasure of walking around my city since the pandemic started and when the weather is nice it’s a really wonderful thing to do. Even this morning it was lightly misting and still I enjoyed my walk.
> It dual-boots Windows and Linux and is my only x86-64 computer. I like many things about macOS and the Apple ecosystem, but the walled garden of Apple still irks me.
One of my favorite pieces of PC hardware was my 2015 MacBook. It was 12” and had a high resolution screen. It was extremely portable and beautiful to use. And yet, I feel like I agree with the author about the Apple walled garden. It’s not quite BSD and generally all of the software I write is for Linux.
I’m going to be a true heathen: I have been using Ubuntu on the desktop for years and I finally grew tired of it. The experience is just IMO pretty poor as of a couple years ago. But I recently got a Windows PC for work and I use Windows Subsystem for Linux and it’s a real joy to work on so far. Maybe a Micro PC with WSL would give me a bit of a physically portable reminder of what I first loved about programming.
I'm seriously considering not upgrading to Windows 11 and just move back to Linux.
They were testing it out. I hope it is now killed with fire now that the backlash has gotten pretty big.
It's an itch that's almost scratched by tablets, but not quite. I have an iPad Mini, but the prospect of using it as an ultra-portable is dashed by the fact that keyboard cases and the like are just not great experiences. iPadOS isn't as strong as a normal desktop OS, particularly when it comes to something like SSH.
The only thing that's stopping me from grabbing a GPD Micro is the fact that multiple people here have expressed doubts about the hinge's longevity. There's also a pretty prominent Amazon review where a user said that the hinge snapped after just 10 open/close cycles per day. Ouch.
Are there any other prominent small form factor laptops like this?
Plus it ran Linux like almost no other computer. It was a plain Intel machine, indistinguishable from other PCs.
With a slightly better screen and narrower bezels and M1 fanless CPUs it'd be amazing.
11 inch mba: Dimensions: .11-.68 x 11.8 x 7.56 (0.3 cm-1.7 cm, 30 cm, 19.2 cm) Avg. Weight: 2.38 lbs (1.08 kg)
M2 macbook air: Dimensions: 0.44 x 11.97 x 8.46 (1.13 cm x 30.41 cm x 21.5 cm) Avg. Weight: 2.7 lbs (1.24 kg)
A bit less IO than years prior, but still somewhat loaded.
I would advise not to let that stop you. For one, my hinge has yet to break after well over a year of constant daily use, and until this thread it not occur to me to worry about it; for another, I have every confidence that if it did break, I could fix it. The device is extremely hackable, being screwed together like a laptop instead of sealed like a phone. Indeed, a commenter in this very thread did a DIY fix on their hinge, and according to them it's better than the original.
Don't miss out on a unique computing experience!
Yes. This is how I feel. I love my Micro PC more than is probably healthy. It enables a qualitatively different relationship with computing. It's a special, special device.
I'm so glad someone put some of my feelings into words, and that it made it to the front page.
(also, it is sturdy as hell - I'm notoriously clumsy with my devices, and despite owning it for over a year and dropping it many times, the only sign of wear on it is a shiny touchpad)
Eventually the solid state drive stopped working. It had some non-standard connection and it was going to cost $100 to replace, so in the end I just upgraded to a ThinkPad like a normal person. I like my ThinkPad, but it never brought me the same joy as that $250 netbook.
I bought a Dell Inspiron 11" laptop for about $180 a few years back as my "commuter" laptop for this very same reason.
Drop it and it breaks? Who cares!
Lose it? Have the home dir encrypted aka Who cares!
OEMs ruined the form factor by stuffing the same specs into 11 and 12-inch screens, and jacking up the price.
To date, I still haven't owned a full computing device as satisfying as that. This was before tablets, and frankly even now, I find tablets cumbersome because you can't fold them shut like a netbook so it takes up a ton of space on a couch or bedside table.
Looking at Google Shopping results (location:Germany) right now and there seems to be no chance of getting it below ~450EUR, more like 500+EUR (when shipping is included).
Portability is nice, but I'm finding it hard to imagine a scenario where the small width/height would be the killer feature. For that kind of price I think there are much nicer options (ebay/used Thinkpad X for durability, or MS Surface for comparable portability). It's not quite as small, but still in the realm of "fits in my usual papers / notes folder" kind of portable. And with a reasonable CPU to boot...
Checking aliexpress pricing history it seems to have gone for as low as 320€ before covid hit. So assuming he got one of those checkout coupons he could've saved another 20€ easily, making it a flat 300€ as stated. This thing has been on the market for quite a while.
> I’m very vigilant and still a bit freaked out when I carry the Macbook around. Careful in tight spaces! Better not hop on a city bike with it in my backpack, ’cause what if I fall?
I've actually found MacBooks to be impressively sturdy. Perhaps I've been lucky. I've dropped my 2016 Intel MBP once while coming out of my car, it hit the pavement on its corner. There was a little dent in the corner, and the screen/lid was a couple millimeters askew from the body, but it worked fine and was my mainstay for a few years more.
A colleague had this beautiful star-streak pattern on the aluminum back of their screen from the time they knocked their Mabook down their driveway, in a botched attempt to catch it as it fell. They were even a bit sad when they had to upgrade, and actually asked if they could swap the case!
In contrast, I had an old Lenovo laptop just explode from falling on the pavement.
(On the other hand, I've had to get the macbook repaired twice due to the butterfly keyboard issue...)
With all that said, the MBP is obviously heavier than the GPD Micro, and the lightness of the latter makes it inherently less fragile.
The main body is amazingly sturdy. I've crushed mine behind a power seat with enough force to bend the aluminum but the machine kept on bar some faint stuck pixels in the imprint of the keyboard.
But drop it the wrong way and the aluminum lip will give way immediately, and it's no different than if you dropped a thin pane of glass with no protection right on its edge.
For what it is I say the Macbook is very study. It's never going to be a rugged book with the current design, but I haven't had many "ultrabook-style" machines that were as tough as a Macbook.
Not the OP, but saying you "owned 20 of them" certainly made it sound like you personally had gone through 20 Macbook Airs in 13 years and I too had questions why.
My old 2011 MBA is still chugging along just fine, despite lots harsh use and hot tub time.
Please expand.
The nearby air has extremely high moisture content, I didn't dream the MBA would be able to sustain the abuse for so many years without getting fatally corroded.
It's taken substantial splashes and even a partial dunk or three.
The MBA surviving that is quite impressive!
Small dent in one of the corners from hitting the pavement, but it’s still going strong today. Battle scars.
20220815 490 points, 571 comments https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=32474827
> It’s ultra-portable. It resides permanently in my waist bag (a.k.a. fanny pack for my American readers) alongside my wallet and phone, and I carry it around everywhere when I’m out and about. It’s super lightweight for a laptop (I hardly feel the extra grams), and reaching for it only takes a second or so, as does putting it away.
Though I'm pretty biased, this makes me excited for the future of VR computing.[1] Obviously headset form factors are larger than the GDP Micro right now, but there's a lot of appeal to being able to strap a device on virtually anywhere you are (in your background, on the couch, on your bed) and being able to make some incremental progress on some problem you're working on.
1. A chorded keyboard: some people are working on this.
2. A keyboard apron: I've built a prototype of one here: https://www.wolframcloud.com/obj/george.w.singer/business/pn...
Verbose mode, please.
Pair it with a cheap tablet of your choice and you have similar functionality and (from what I hear) superior reliability --- at lower overall cost.
It definitely could be though, and not having to have a display that’s physically as large as it looks virtually could be a big advantage. I hope there are FOSS options like Simula when that day comes and we’re not all stuck with the tech giants like we are with smartphones. :)
How are the legs on the Intercepters? Any taper at all?
[0] https://mntre.com/media/reform_md/2022-06-20-introducing-mnt...
[1] https://mobile.twitter.com/minut_e/status/155805356090603110...
It is one of those devices I could see always carrying with me but only using in emergencies. It has HDMI, Ethernet and serial ports. What more could you ask for?
If you can use a phone's virtual keyboard, which is even smaller and has no physical separation between the keys, you should be able to use a keyboard like that one. It feels strange at first, but you adjust quickly. (I don't have any experience with that GPD, but I have experience with an old EeePC, which is similar-sized but probably has smaller keys because it doesn't have any keys to the left and right of its trackpad.)
I am proficient with phone keyboards, but part of that proficiency is almost never using any punctuation, numbers, or symbols that aren't on the primary screen. Once I need anything more specialized (say if I wanted to do any coding) my speed drops by a huge factor.
But also I don't type much - in fact as little as possible - on my phone, and certainly not code. I will switch to my laptop for anything more than a few words if it's possible.
Google, amazon, aliexpress... and 666eur was the cheapest I could find :/
Yeah... no.
Yes, a thousand times, yes!
Our personal devices used to have soul and personality, because they weren't capable of doing everything. The personality shone through the fact that they had unique interfaces, sometimes limited use cases and hard tradeoffs.
There was a culture of enthusiasts and hackers that gravitated to the Palm Pilot, the Blackberry and the iPod. Modern devices stick everything into a generic black slab of glass running a locked-down OS, so these cultures have long since splintered.
These Micro PCs are expensive, but they're the closest we have to the Cyberdecks promised in '80s sci fi novels and are customizable to an extent that the average Android/iOS device can't be.
In fact, noodling around as a result of this thread has revealed a more recent model from the same people: https://www.techadvisor.com/article/797640/planet-computers-...
That looks interesting enough to take a punt on.
When using the Mini 9, my wrists are not on the palmrest: the keyboard is so small that my palms extend above its edge. So, the wrists are not relying on anything, I keep them "in the air" while typing. This appears to give the wrists constant movement and flexibility, thus resulting in less tension.
I suppose this wrist position must be closer to "correct ergonomics" as shown on e.g. this photo: https://www.daskeyboard.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/...
The Mini is 8.9". Interestingly, with any bigger machine (even a 10" netbook), I cannot constantly keep palms "in the air" the same way. When the palmrest is bigger, I'm leaning on it, and can't help it.
I emphasize that this is anecdotal, though. I'm an end user; do not make ergonomics decisions based on what I say. It just seems to work for my body.
GPD's newer Win models are all more powerful, but they're also bigger and the Win 3 has a completely different form factor. They're good in their own ways, but I still miss the pocket-ability of the Win 2, and occasionally wish I hadn't sold mine.
There's a small group on the gpd_devices discord that throws around ideas for a "Win Min" - something in a similar size and form factor, but with upgraded specs. I'm not holding my breath, but I would love to see that.
OpenPandora vibes. One day the Pyra will come out. One day.
On another note, I use UbuntuMATE for all my (big) devices. It's a great rock-solid distro.
https://mntre.com/media/reform_md/2022-06-20-introducing-mnt...
1. The keyboard is really good, you can type with both hands 2. High resolution, comfortable in 200% mode 3. I can put the win max2 on your lap to share the weight while playing games in bed.
Lovely little device, but not as durable as it might appear.
- Hinge snapping -- a little screw in the front that holds the screen in angle pretty much broke out from the chassis, breaking the part of front panel in process, too. Now I can't hold the panel in angles. Either I have to open it all the way or close.
- Battery stopped charging -- ended up removing it.
Now I just have it plugged in to do trivial things once in a while...
The new devices do seem more refined, and people here in this thread seem happy with their newer devices, and while I'm curious about trying the latest gen, my trust is low.
I remember the Gen 1 pocket as having these problems:
- The display was actually taken from a tablet display so it was oriented as portrait in hardware and flipped to landscape in software. So you often got cases where Windows updates, entering the bios, or installing Linux would start off with the wrong UI orientation.
- The screen hinge cover was plastic and the fitment of it against the aluminum unibody shell was not perfect. It would kind of obscure the vent and sometimes squeaked.
- The PD charging was ... poorly implemented. It would only try to negotiate 12V PD, which most chargers and power banks did not support. There were also issues with passthrough charging via docks and just UBS-C dock compatibility issues everywhere (though USB-C docks are not perfect with even proper computers from mainstream OEMs even today).
- The cooling design was very beta and you often had throttling issues and the CPU not boosting up (0.9 GHz is not a fun place to be at). Again community fixes existed but definitely an experimental device.
This space has gotten considerably more mature over the years. By the time I moved to the OneMix 2S Yoga, I essentially didn't have any negative experiences with the device at all (my only gripe is that the active pen tech requires AAAA batteries and unless you take them out they'll just run out every month with or without use). In fact the new GPD Win Max 2 seems exceedingly attractive since they apparently still listen to enthusiast community feedback unlike regular laptop OEMs... Ryzen 6800U, 16:10 display, 16-32G RAM, dual M.2 slots for 2 NVME ssds, 4G LTE modem, thunderbolt support... the list goes on.
If I had to say, the slightly rough part with enthusiast UMPCs is that they end up being a "committee designed" device that crams in a bunch of features to maximize the audience they appeal to , so they don't have any consistent design language. Things will change drastically across each generation, unlike traditional OEMs.
Macs aren't walled gardens, you're free to install whatever you want, the default security requires that software be signed but does not require the use of the app store, and apple put a _lot_ of work into ensuring that Macs remained secure but could also have whatever non-tacos OS you might want.
I am not sure what more could be done to make a Mac not be a "walled garden".
However, it came with a somewhat shady version of Windows 10 installed. Automatic downloads were disabled and other policies were set by “my organization”. So, I wiped it and installed Pop!_OS with an encrypted drive.
How worried should I be about key loggers/spyware after a full reinstall? I’m debating whether it would be risky to log into my password manager/financial accounts.
I bought a Lenovo Duet Chromebook last year, and for a cheap device I really like it: very small, useable Linux containers for some Common Lisp and Python dev work. Otherwise I have a bunch of expensive Apple gear.
If I had to, I could get by with just my phone and the Duet.
A new meaning for the word defenestration, when you chuck the Windows out.
Your wishes have come true.
[0] https://www.onmsft.com/news/windows-10-9-remains-free-oems-a...
Updated: spelling
I have to do my programming remotely, but blink is f/oss and supports mosh.
It also has a secure enclave for keys which is not that common on laptops (and why all of mine have to have Yubikey nanos living permanently in one of their ports).
The only problem is Google slowly locking down and squeezing the life out of termux.
I've also used my phone connected to a screen/keyboard/mouse through Samsung Dex and it was a very desktop like experience for my use case. Although it's rare that I'd have the required equipment and not be carrying a full sized laptop.
Stuff like this was why I keep buying Asus. I was once watching an engrossing video and put my zenbook ontop of a washing machine. The top was slanted, so it slid off and kerb stomped the concrete floor face first.
Zero all effects except for some scratches. I still use it.
That's the gem here. I'm looking for ways to stop reaching for my phone. Looking at many people around me I definitely do pretty well but I want even more.
That's why I was looking at various small machines, even some modern reimplementations of LISP machines but nothing caught my eye.
Maybe the GPD machines are it.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OQO
wonder how this form factor w/ some arm iron in it would perform...
I tend to use my lappy plugged in to a real keyboard/monitor to get anything done, so the small size is very attractive.
The downsides here like the tiny awkward keyboard and small screen real estate must be pretty noticeable, and you still need a backpack or a carry bag for it, like the one shown at the AliExpress page: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/2251832839616359.html?gatewa...
If I'm going to carry that thing around I might as well have a slim backpack.
It isn't that cheap at 300 Euros (Currently selling at over $400).
How well does this compare to a regular computer? IMO, not that well:
HP Laptop - 14-fq200 ($429):
AMD Ryzen™ 5 5625U (up to 4.3 GHz, 16 MB L3 cache, 6 cores, 12 threads) + AMD Radeon™ Graphics
8 GB DDR4-3200 SDRAM (2 X 4 GB)
14" diagonal, HD, micro-edge, BrightView, 250 nits (1366 x 768)
128 GB PCIe® NVMe™ TLC M.2 SSD
> Granted, I’ve only had it for a month, so it may be a novelty effect that’ll wane over time
sounds about right...
my 2 fears:
* despite feature phones normally having very long battery time, this is probably not the case when using personal hotspot - this problem could be eliminated by getting a micro PC with sim card slot, but those are much less common and I would not have as much choice.
* these handheld PCs are really small, but not really as pocket sized as a smartphone (well, modern smartphones have become pretty big! But still, there seems to be a size difference) Regarding size: I would like to have a keyboard but I could also live with something more similar to a Steam Deck, if that means having a smaller device that I can keep in my pocket.
So, has anyone tried this?
That said - yes. Folded, it's almost exactly the same size as my Unihertz Titan smartphone. Open, it is an extremely capable machine for googling things, buying tickets to events, checking train times, chatting on WhatsApp, watching YouTube, and wasting time on Reddit.
if you don't mind USB tethering, i'll bet that's a lot more power friendly (and if the feature phone still drains fast, lets you keep it powered for as long as you need the hotspot). i think most "feature phones" nowadays run Android -- which should support USB tethering though possibly conditional on your carrier if you don't root it first.
The "feature phones" I have in mind, don't run Android. For example these ones https://www.nokia.com/phones/en_int/feature-phones
some of those may have USB tethering nonetheless
This was a pretty popular setup in some circles with ipads plus dumb phones for some time. If you google it you can find a lot of stories about it.
If they made a sim card slot version, I would buy another.
(this comment typed on a GPD Micro PC :)
This reminds me of a quote from, I believe, the founder of Aikido:
"When asked why he carried no weapons, he replied 'The Earth is my weapon and it is always with me' "
Having bought one two years ago I have used it twice. I think I was clouded by rosy memories of Toshiba Libretto from a long time ago.
GPD Micro PC is a lovely device but it is really not practical to type any serious amount of text. And my eyes are not getting any better so the tiny screen is only suited for emergencies not for daily use.
Unless you are in a profession where the serial port is actually needed on a daily basis you are better off using something like XPS13 (or Mac Air or whatever 13 incher).
I still think there is a room for nice light 9-11 inch device with decent keyboard.
How often do people fall on bikes? I biked for years in SF with my work laptop and never had an issue.
Still think they are a neat concept and will problably consider it as a second notebook.
If the nano had the battery life of the m1, and didn't sell for 50% more than the m1 was worth, I would have kept it. It just felt like an inviting machine, like a well worn paper notebook. More at home in my actual lap than any desk, no matter what position I was contorted in. And felt fine to toss around and treat rough, with the slightly cramped space only enhancing the experience of a light, portable machine. All making it something I carried around, just in case. Helped that it barely weighed anything at all.
The air isn't too bad, but there's something sterile about it, and it doesn't fade in the background, or even a backpack, quite as well.
the battery died after about 2 years of use. and i could not find a replacement battery, so i got a onemix 1s whose battery died less than a year later. ironically i was then able to replace the gpd pocket battery, but not the onemix battery.
my next device though is going to be the pinephone with its keyboard extension. i found that i only use the pocket when outside when i don't want to carry a real laptop, and that happens rarely enough that an even smaller and much cheaper device should be enough. i still want a device with a keyboard because typing shell commands on a touchscreen is just painful.
Text size and desktop size need to be very small to get a bug workspace.
> Intel Celeron N4100 (4 cores @ 1.1 GHz)
Well, if you're into Solitaire.
I don't have to worry too much about it getting broken or stolen (I would just immediately buy another), it has a keyboard that's basically full sized, it has great battery life, it charges well enough from even a 20w usb c charger in a pinch, and the android integration that allows initiating wifi tethering from the chromebook rather than having to turn it out from the phone makes it very fast to get stuff done on the go in a pinch.
I would never want to bring my expensive/bigger laptop around if I didn't know I need it but the chromebook is great to take just in case.
Chrome os itself is limited but thanks to crostini it can do anything.
Amazing device. Bad battery life. Battery died wayyy before its time too. Eventually took to random crashing.
When I travel for work again, I will be looking at whatever the latest one of these is.
I just use a tablet --- supplemented by a compact foldable bluetooth keyboard with touchpad as needed ($30 on Amazon).
If you have a solution, I'm all ears. Otherwise, the dream of running my full work stack on a mobile device other than a desktop OS remains a pipe dream.
https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/lenovo/lenovo-edu-chr...
RDP/VNC?
The OP says it was 300 eur used. What else is available in this form factor but more towards this one's used price?
Millions of people use one, including myself. Is that not enough?
Desktop Linux is another attempt to ape monolithic corporate desktops. And most of the people using Desktop Linux just have a web browser (and maybe an xterm) maximized on it all day anyway.
few browsers, graphical file managers, email client, text editor, terminal.
AKA the exact same kind of shit I have open when I use windows.
PS: Chromebook's terminal emulator is top notch, even supports animated gifs and wallpapers.
> even supports animated gifs and wallpapers
I like that HN has a particular type of high brow comedy that flies under the radar for most. I owe you one, wikitopian. Have a good weekend!
Crouton is nice, but it's not ChromeOS.
> It dual-boots Windows and Linux and is my only x86-64 computer.
Isn't the Mac mini an x86-64 computer, or am I missing something?
> a screen that you have to squint to notice anything on
This one can be solved easily though in display preferences and selecting larger text.
Now a quick search on Amazon and EBay in the US yields prices 1.5x to 2x as much.
Please share a link to the image if possible as well
I have 10 years' of muscle memory for on-screen keyboards, and I still find them absolutely painful to use for anything other than a few words. When sending text messages, I use voice transcription (with the awkward "exclamation point", "newline", etc.).
If I were to use this, I'd set it up on some surface and just 2-finger type it like old-timey authors did on their typewriters.
And, FWIW, 20 years ago I jerry-rigged together a few gender benders and a null modem adapter so I could use my Palm Pilot to interface with VT100 terminals. Using Grafiti to send control characters and navigate TUIs was... interesting.
Tactile keys allow me to build a stronger muscle memory than zero-feedback touchscreens will ever let me.
It was not that I could type faster (a swipe style onscreen keyboard is faster than all non full QWERTY keyboards IMHO) but that when I was writing a lot, long text or terminal command it was much more comfortable.
It's a super versatile and ingenious little machine. I love it to bits.
A man walks out of the bathroom and over to the brunette woman. Honey are you ready to go?
a devil appears. only in your dreams will this laptop do anything worth writing home to mom about plus shes with me now. the keyboard is cramped and the screen is so tiny. it's cool for about a day but welcome to hell. if you want to feel trapped then stay here forever. your fingers can try to shift windows around navigate your home space.
as the dream turns into a nightmare i wake up from my deep slumber. how did I get here?