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   SIN001-SINEWAVE (sinewave@mastodon.dragoncave.dev)'s status on Saturday, 12-Apr-2025 02:00:47 JST SIN001-SINEWAVE

   • Amber

   @puppygirlhornypost2 the tradeoff with Framework is very visible actually, sure it has open standard modules, but also as a consequence the thing actually has less connectivity than, say, a T480

   a T480, which has basically all the connectivity one might need outside very niche applications, more so than a Framework

   of course you could make the argument that you can just swap the connectors by need or carry around extra modules, but at that point you've just reinvented Apple's dongle hell with an open source coat of paint

   --

   now, i do think a modular laptop is doable though, hell, a lot are technically modular already, something like a T485 is probably identical to a T480 other than for the CPU section of the mainboard; and i wouldn't be surprised if even the T580 uses a very similar board

   and to Framework's credit they did go in the right direction, the core of a Framework machine is a standardised mainboard

   but like i don't think Framework's way is the one to go with, simply because they sacrifice too much of the tech that makes something like a T480 or older Probook or whatever as good as it is

   personally i think the correct way would be either fixed connectivity with one or two module bays, like how you could replace the optical drive on some laptops back in the day with something else

   or alternatively splitting the PCB into sections and letting you buy the sections, with a much narrower slot size than what Framework is using and no cases on the modules

   --

   a phone meanwhile i think is just a lost cause

   tablet maybe, but a phone is too specifically shaped to make it modular beyond some very basic stuff like a bigger battery or a higher res screen

   • Embed this notice
     anna (navi@social.vlhl.dev)'s status on Saturday, 12-Apr-2025 02:00:46 JST anna

     in reply to

     • Amber
     @sinewave @puppygirlhornypost2
     
     > of course you could make the argument that you can just swap the connectors by need or carry around extra modules, but at that point you've just reinvented Apple's dongle hell with an open source coat of paint
     
     i disagree here, apple's laptops have like one or two ports, and dongles are big, unwieldy, and you basically need to settle at a desk and set them up every time
     
     and while yes framework's square thingies are just funky usb-c adapters, they fit well in the machine
     
     i rarely need hdmi or ethernet on my laptop, so i carry those little boxes on my bag for only when i need. but someone that does need hdmi every day (say a professor in a school, who needs to do slide presentations daily), can keep the hdmi in and it feels just as nice, no plugging and unplugging dongles every time they move to a different classroom
     
     apple's take is "you'll rarely need those connections so do this unwieldy thing, orr--- use our proprietary wireless protocols (like airdrop)!"
     
     while for a framework, it's "okay, you pick what connectors you use frequently and have them fit nicely in the chassis. but not everyone's selection of 'must have' connectors are the same"
     
     imo the point of the modules is not to hot-swap them like dongles, but to build your core set without needing a different machine, and without needing to allocate space for connectors you never use
     Johnny Peligro likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     anna (navi@social.vlhl.dev)'s status on Saturday, 12-Apr-2025 02:05:04 JST anna

     in reply to

     • Amber
     @sinewave @puppygirlhornypost2
     
     if i had a framework while i was going to school, i would take the hdmi one to hotswap if i needed to, but it's just not the best usecase imo, it's more an emergency
     
     if you *do* need most-if-not-all of the ports in your t480, then the t480 is for you, not a framework. different people have different needs, and for me the framework's "chose your ports, but should you need more here's a smol square to carry" thing is way better than whatever apple's doing
     Johnny Peligro likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     SIN001-SINEWAVE (sinewave@mastodon.dragoncave.dev)'s status on Saturday, 12-Apr-2025 02:05:05 JST SIN001-SINEWAVE

     in reply to

     • anna
     • Amber

     @navi @puppygirlhornypost2 the thing is, at least in my use you can't achieve that core set without swapping them out and needing to carry around different cards wherever you go

     especially if you aren't sure if you'll need something, which for example back when i was in school still would've been a regular occurrence if my laptop didn't already have everything

     something that is a non-issue on a T480 because it just has everything anyone could need outside really niche stuff built in

   • Embed this notice
     anna (navi@social.vlhl.dev)'s status on Saturday, 12-Apr-2025 02:18:36 JST anna

     in reply to

     • Amber
     • wyatt
     @wyatt @sinewave @puppygirlhornypost2
     
     > The point about not having as many ports may be true but that's not why people call the mac a donglebook, they call it a donglebook because all I/O is just USB C ports.
     
     most users just care that they need to carry the thing and and have it "dongle" (heh) from the laptops tbh
     
     the usual normie only sees usb-c as "oh the small one that can go both-ways"
     
     > is the usual normie the intended market for the framework?
     
     as i see, their target market is somewhere between macos user, and a "diy gaming pc" user, with a sprinkle of FOSS
     
     > Also there's quite often enough room on the face of these ""cards"" (flush mounted dongles) that more I/O could have been provided than actually was.
     
     > The headphone adapter for instance could easily have also fit a pass-through USB connector/hubbed connector as well, or much more simply just a line input TRS connector
     
     i do agree, the "modules" are big probably so they could fit wider ports like hdmi/dp, and also having one module just for trrs on the fw16 is a waste
     
     nothing really stops a single module from having two (small) ports, and i feel like the fw13 could have 3 "slots" on either side but it doesn't, so i'm not denying that only 4 ports + trrs (fw13) or 6 ports (fw16) is weirdly few
     Haelwenn /элвэн/ :triskell: likes this.
   • Embed this notice
     wyatt (wyatt@soc.megatokyo.moe)'s status on Saturday, 12-Apr-2025 02:18:38 JST wyatt

     in reply to

     • anna
     • Amber
     @navi @sinewave @puppygirlhornypost2
     
     > i disagree here, apple's laptops have like one or two ports, and dongles are big, unwieldy, and you basically need to settle at a desk and set them up every time
     
     I disagree with your disagreement because USB-C-to-<x> adapters are still USB-C-to-<x> adapters whether they are flush with the case or not. Also there's quite often enough room on the face of these ""cards"" (flush mounted dongles) that more I/O could have been provided than actually was.
     The headphone adapter for instance could easily have also fit a pass-through USB connector/hubbed connector as well, or much more simply just a line input TRS connector
     
     The point about not having as many ports may be true but that's not why people call the mac a donglebook, they call it a donglebook because all I/O is just USB C ports.