[GTALUG] Do people have opinions about the Framework modular laptop

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Evan Leibovitch via talk <talk at gtalug.org>

| They've not taken sides on Linux vs Microsoft ... you pay the Windows tax
| as everything ships with it.

That sure sounds like "taking sides" to me.

I'm no insider, but the rumours about Microsoft contracts seem to make
this wise.  If all units ship with Windows, it is cheap.  Otherwise it
is expensive.  I'm not confident that these rumours are accurate these
days.  Certainly a retail license for Windows is expensive.  Unless
you buy it from recyclers.

Erica said that there is no Windows bundled with the DIY version.  Good.  
The videos make the DIY version sound really easy to assemble (antenna 
connections on the WiFi card are a little tricky).

| As some have said, a Ryzen-based motherboard will be welcome -- especially
| since nobody seems to like Intel integrated graphics for games -- but given
| the current Windows 11 problems with AMD the delay can be excused.

According to some reports, Intel's new notebook iGPUs (Xe) are faster than 
AMD's iGPUs.  I would guess that the Intel GPU drivers for Linux 
are better too. (I don't care too much since I don't game and I'm not 
planning on buying a new notebook.)

AMD's comparable processors seem a little faster and often have more
cores.  Neither of these is important to me.  What might be more
important is that AMD processors might use less power and need less
cooling.

I've had some problems with Ryzen mobile CPUs and Linux.

| I've added RAM and replaced batteries in "sealed" laptops and it wasn't too
| hard.

Not all laptops are the same.  The general trend is to get worse.

It takes some skill and research to find where a given laptop model
falls on this scale.

A lot more laptops have soldered memory now.

Most have replaceable NVMe SSDs (not M1 Macs; not Microsoft Surface).

Batteries are another matter.  Most can be replaced with third-party 
batteries; my limited experience with these suppliers has been bad.

| And the variety of dongles is such that any current laptop with a
| PD-capable USB-C port is able to have external Ethernet and video no matter
| what ports it ships with.

I think so.  I imagine that any Framework module is simply a USB C to 
something adapter.  Your solution makes several modules redundant.

It's a Good Thing that the industry is converging on USB C for everything.  
Unfortunately every USB C connector seems to have a different subset of 
possible features.