https://frame.work/blog/linux-on-the-framework-laptop wrote:
Our hardware is too new for the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS release. In the meantime, we recommend using Ubuntu 21.04. This is recent enough to be fully functional out of the box with the exception of the fingerprint reader.
...and so on for other distros, which seems to be a general problem with choosing the newest hardware. Whereas older wide-spread hardware enjoys general support from *nix, so why not build a hardware platform around "the tried and true"?
I am generally interested in this project as well. It is curious given the DIY *nix version is the most popular configuration ordered according to that blog post. In an ideal world of mass adoption maybe you bring your own hardware to a company and they just switch out the hard drive/OS? Or if your situation calls for it, they will pay to upgrade your components as well? Sort of like how mechanics shops have mechanics buy their own tools so they will take care of them?
I have a laptop provided for work, but my personal computer is a 8 GB Raspberry Pi 4 paired with an old keyboard and monitor. Not exactly portable like a laptop, but laptop sized USB/HDMI portable screens are more common now. I like that this RaspPi hardware is more easily repurposed for some Internet of Things project or similar afterwards. Less so with the frame.work individual components.
[edit] I have been thinking about this more and it makes little sense. If you have cloud based computing skills, the Pi is really all the hardware that you would need and then use the infrastructure that is maintained elsewhere to spin up more powerful computation if necessary. I still see the appeal of a repairable laptop for personal tinkering.
Is there somewhere same project for cars? Are there people who certify student projects (complexity I can understand) like Baja SAE and drive normal roads?
Closest thing I know of (and not actually a student project, etc) is the older jeep wranglers/ jeep CJs / Willys MBs. The engine is still somewhat complex, but basically everything else is a simple (for a car) system of more easily understood and modular parts. Couple this with the fact that there is a die hard DIY resto/mod community built around it, the internet will show you how to replace any part with any of the replacements, and that parts are plentiful because many people fully restore / mod old jeep wranglers to this day (I see willy MBs being driven around the mountain towns near me). The downside to this is that they are missing the safety features and convenience features of newer cars, they drive horribly, bad gas mileage, and are extremely loud for the passenger.
But theoretically you could keep a jeep-of-theseus going for basically a whole lifetime or two if you are so inclined (and I've met people who have).
@Slevin, thanks for the insight, I think it's worth creating new topic and collect other experiences. I'm mechanical engineer by education, but I prefer bikes
framework laptops are one of the few linux-compatible laptops out there and well worth supporting! The 13.5” 3:2 screen with 2256x1504 resolution seems like a great choice, high enough in resolution to keep most people happy.
I know some people that have bought one already and are satisfied. My tip is to avoid the vPro options as they're definitely not necessary. Honestly would pick the base i5 chip, the i7 is not as power efficient. Could also save some money by buying your own SSD and RAM instead of through their store. Also the power adapter is very standard/common and easily bought used for cheaper (just gotta buy the right voltage/amp range I suppose).
The most base price is $1,022.50. Then could pick up the ram, ssd, power adapter separately, and save a little. SSD is a bit tricky because power consumption might be something you want to optimize for. The Kingston SA2000 1GB SSD is pretty cheap (about $100 right now I think?) & power efficient, but it's definitely not maxing out the PCI bandwith, could get the newer generation of SSDs and make the laptop even more snappy. RAM, could potentially just grab the 1x stick option from the frame.work store, like 1x 16GB or 1x 32GB, and then upgrade with the other equivalent stick later (and gain the dual channel boost).
I think there's a strong argument for buying a frame.work laptop beyond just the repairability.. It's definitely worth it to support alternatives to the closed ecosystem of most laptops where there's no insight or control over the parts in a laptop. The customer has long been frittering away control over computer hardware and giving away their right to privacy and so on.
We should as a rule, beware supporting larger companies like Google, Apple, Facebook, Amazon, etc.. We should make an effort to use the underdog options. Instead of using Chrome, use Firefox or Safari. Instead of using Android, use iPhone, or better yet PinePhone (Linux phone).
I'm curious if anyone has gotten a Frame.work DIY laptop and what their experience has been. It all looks pretty good on their website and in the reviews I've read. Reminds me of a similar approach to this article from Low Tech Magazine (but works for users doing more than just basic web browsing): https://solar.lowtechmagazine.com/2020/ ... ptops.html
I've been researching laptop options because I'm now doing both live streaming and video editing on my 7+ year old Toshiba laptop and it's starting to show its age. I upgraded to 16gb RAM a few years ago when I was doing a lot of work on virtual machines, but I'm still on the original HDD which is obviously not ideal for these sorts of things. Fortunately, I can upgrade to an SSD for $75, so I think I will do that, clean the fan, and replace the thermal paste in hopes of getting another few years of utility out of the laptop. Unfortunately, the CPU can't be upgraded. I think if/when the laptop kicks the bucket, I might get a Frame.work machine. I like that everything is replaceable and customizable like a desktop but it is still in the laptop form factor.
Last edited by white belt on Fri Jan 06, 2023 3:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
My son has one of these. As far as I know the only issue he had was with a weak hinge. I think this was a common problem and has been resolved in later models. He was happy enough with it to convince his company to buy him one for work.
