Second on Niagara. Great integration and flow, I paid for the lifetime version. Moved back to regular android for now but it’s waiting in my app drawer for my inevitable return

From a Linux beginner: I switched from mac with 0 knowledge of Linux. Did some searching, found Ubuntu Budgie, haven’t switched since. I bring it up cuz I was specifically looking for something that looked Mac similar, and it came up. It’s not as Mac as I originally thought, but I find it pretty approachable so I figured I’d share.

I think some more advanced users have issues with Ubuntu, I’ll leave them to comment. There may also be better options for Mac feel, perhaps those mentioned. For me, this was Mac enough I haven’t switched away and I haven’t gone back. Happy searching! :)

Year after:

Breaking: Android will now release you twice a year.

Two things: I have an S25 ultra and the bloatware can mostly be deleted or deactivated. Up to you if that is sufficient, I find it hasn’t been at all problematic.

I saw a passing post about some kind of potential battery degradation issue after 200 cycles with the pixel 10, something to do with a feature that can’t be turned off? Didn’t pay attention at the time, might have been click bait, but worth looking into for yourself maybe.

Ultimately, the only reason I didn’t get an s25 was because of an insane discount on the ultra, so I went with that. Huge fan of this phone, my first Samsung in about 7 years.

I have a first gen, and it does. There was some coding stickiness, and (i haven’t been able to solve) a key that the fingerprint reader doesn’t get access too. The effect is that it logs you in and then you get a pop-up that asks for your system password (though you can start using right away). I’m only a junior level coder though, ans just haven’t solved it- others might have.

Imo, the framework might mostly meet your spec. I came from a 2012 mac and the build quality and feel are the best I’ve seen in a non-apple laptop.

One comment on audio, I find mine can be tinny, verging in crappy. This may have been upgraded in more recent models.

Finally, I know you don’t want AMD, but they have an AMD AI motherboard that I thought looked very interesting, at least for complex processing. Perhaps it will be of value to explore further? Just a thought.

Happy shopping! :)

I am wary about invoking Apple here, but say what you will about the company, there’s a lot of value in a braindead setup process. Many, many users just want something that just works - it was literally something I asked for when Linux was recommended to me (knowing some hate Ubuntu, I’ll out myself: using Ubuntu Budgie - setup was super simple. I guess there must be demand for that niche in the broader Linux community, so that’s a very smart move by Bazzite.

Can do, thx!!

Awesome, thx! I might have to try one out for my next phone cuz I love the ethos. Enjoy! 😊

Which provider? I’ve avoided FP because I wasn’t sure the big three would support

Oh dude no, it’s a headache! I wrote to them once and they said it was an issue with the balance plate/sensor.

Apparently the quick fix is to click the bottom center of the trackpad 5x, then test it (I do so by clicking top corners). I find it hit and miss haha. Going inside, you can adjust the placement of that plate, but I never found that useful.

Did you notice if it seemed to improve a bit with time?

Secret good guy MS - get everyone onto Linux and tank their stock price 😂

I can speak to longevity - I have a gen 1, batch 2 (humble brag?) - and absolutely love it. Got me to switch over to linux, and the quality is there. Minor gripe about the trackpad sticking intermittently, and had to have the hinges replaced (both known issues, resolved). 10/10 great laptop

In a similar vein, I went with a Framework laptop. Expensive, but 100% modular and repairable, with an in-house secondhand marketplace. I have a gen 1, batch 2, and the thing is stunningly manufactured for a startup. Can’t say enough good things. Happy hunting!

Well now I have to go look into this kvaesisto!

Edit: how do you find the interface? I looked at the photos and it looks very interesting, kind of has some Sesame type system wide search functionality?

For those interested: https://kvaesitso.mm20.de/

I came back to this several days later and was not disappointed 😍

Shoutout for Niagara. High quality reliable launcher. Only switched away after 2+ years cuz I got a little bored of the interface