Comments on: A Programmer’s Plea to Laptop Makers http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/ ASP.NET Developer. ALT.NET Supporter. Pragmatic Programmer. Published Writer. Wed, 01 Dec 2010 20:34:08 +0000 hourly 1 By: Xamuel http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-4520 Xamuel Wed, 20 Oct 2010 21:10:42 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-4520 I'm infuriated that my laptop keyboard has made the F1-F12 keys secondary. You have to hold a blue "FN" key while pressing them to get the desired function key functionality. Press them without holding that key and they do various nonstandard things. Some of those are useful, e.g. volume up, volume down, mute. But the default action of the F2 key? It toggles wifi on or off. That's right, a finger slip while trying to press 2, and your internet connection is down! Absolutely unforgivable. I’m infuriated that my laptop keyboard has made the F1-F12 keys secondary. You have to hold a blue “FN” key while pressing them to get the desired function key functionality. Press them without holding that key and they do various nonstandard things. Some of those are useful, e.g. volume up, volume down, mute. But the default action of the F2 key? It toggles wifi on or off. That’s right, a finger slip while trying to press 2, and your internet connection is down! Absolutely unforgivable.

]]> By: Yaro Kasear http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-3884 Yaro Kasear Tue, 14 Sep 2010 01:35:40 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-3884 All in all, I hate laptops. No matter what they do they sacrifice something to make them small enough. Just get me a nice desktop to work with. And, god help me, never get a Mac. It never fits any needs. And frankly, if you program on a laptop, especially with Visual Studio, your credibility as a programmer is already shit. VS sucks. Serious programmers use the GNU toolchain and to hell with proprietary tools you can't even make use of a cross-compiler with. VS guarantees you'll be developing for one thing: Windows. Say hello to basically one market: The Windows desktop. With the GNU toolchain, you can develop for anything, and I do mean anything. That and you'll get far more powerful tools to boot, like Autoconf and Automake. All in all, I hate laptops. No matter what they do they sacrifice something to make them small enough.

Just get me a nice desktop to work with.

And, god help me, never get a Mac. It never fits any needs.

And frankly, if you program on a laptop, especially with Visual Studio, your credibility as a programmer is already shit. VS sucks. Serious programmers use the GNU toolchain and to hell with proprietary tools you can’t even make use of a cross-compiler with.

VS guarantees you’ll be developing for one thing: Windows. Say hello to basically one market: The Windows desktop. With the GNU toolchain, you can develop for anything, and I do mean anything. That and you’ll get far more powerful tools to boot, like Autoconf and Automake.

]]> By: Knux Kitsune http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-3744 Knux Kitsune Thu, 02 Sep 2010 01:11:40 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-3744 Actually, my Home, End, Ins, Del, PgUp, PgDn on my DESKTOP keyboard aren't the normall 3x2...instead they're 2x3...which was a little disorienting at first, but I've gotten used to it. My arrangement is like this [Hm][Ed] [Ins][PU] [De][PD] (abbreviated, the actual buttons aren't abbreviations, they actually have the words written out "Insert", "Delete", "Page Down") Actually, my Home, End, Ins, Del, PgUp, PgDn on my DESKTOP keyboard aren’t the normall 3×2…instead they’re 2×3…which was a little disorienting at first, but I’ve gotten used to it. My arrangement is like this

[Hm][Ed]
[Ins][PU]
[De][PD]

(abbreviated, the actual buttons aren’t abbreviations, they actually have the words written out “Insert”, “Delete”, “Page Down”)

]]> By: Flakpanzer http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-2117 Flakpanzer Wed, 02 Jun 2010 00:21:00 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-2117 Im using a Dell Latitude 5400.. its page up/down ins/del/ Home end keys are nearly like the regular desktop keyboard.. you might wanna take a look at it.. unfortunately the drive is a 5400rpm. Im using a Dell Latitude 5400.. its page up/down ins/del/ Home end keys are nearly like the regular desktop keyboard.. you might wanna take a look at it.. unfortunately the drive is a 5400rpm.

]]> By: benkaka89 http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-2108 benkaka89 Tue, 01 Jun 2010 06:51:03 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-2108 I have an HP DV5 15,4" wide and i am very pleased with it. I actually like the additional white space because i use it to comment my code and is really nice to read without having to scroll sideways. ------------------------------------------------ <a href="http://www.laptopshop.vn/shop/index.php?target=categories&category_id=9" rel="nofollow">laptop apple</a> I have an HP DV5 15,4″ wide and i am very pleased with it. I actually like the additional white space because i use it to comment my code and is really nice to read without having to scroll sideways.
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laptop apple

]]> By: Jim http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-1818 Jim Wed, 12 May 2010 01:29:50 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-1818 I saw the first point on this list and immediately thought of my laptop's F keys. Rather than putting function stuff (volume, wireless nic, etc) on they F keys when I'm holding the FUNCTION key, they decide to put those on without the function key, and force me to press function-f1-12 whenever I need to use one of those. Also, no numpad, not even a function one on the regular letters. Dell Inspiron by the way (it was a gift). I saw the first point on this list and immediately thought of my laptop’s F keys. Rather than putting function stuff (volume, wireless nic, etc) on they F keys when I’m holding the FUNCTION key, they decide to put those on without the function key, and force me to press function-f1-12 whenever I need to use one of those. Also, no numpad, not even a function one on the regular letters.

Dell Inspiron by the way (it was a gift).

]]> By: Dmitry http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-1505 Dmitry Sat, 10 Apr 2010 00:19:32 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-1505 I F***** HATE 17" KEYBOARDS!!! Navigation keys are the MOST OFTEN used keys, why MAKE THEM F***** TINY, shift them DOWN, so CTRL+keys are a PAIN?? Why I have to stretch to reach HORIZONTAL PgUp/Dn on the OPPOSITE side? Here's how to do it: 1st: SAME SIZE ARROW KEYS to the right of Ctrl: Left,Down,Right with Up below Enter with Shift cut out (it's still the biggest key on keyboard - I can't believe some A-holes can't hit it if it's not flush with Enter). A column to the right of Enter starting from bottom: Right,PgDn,PgUp,Del,Ins and there on top just the room for HORIZONTAL Home,End - it's horizontal navigation in most documents for f*** sake. I don't know who's the idiot who decided Home and End should have PgUp/Dn stuck between them vertically on 15" laptops, he's an IDIOT. Long dead rest-in-peace Digital Note had the best keyboard layout ever as described above. Well and now they can stick their numeric keypad on the right for gamers and accountants. You can make those keys as small as possible (say as your lovely miniscule arrow keys now), I don't care. And on top we have just the room for system keys, instead of having to combine them with idiotically placed Home,End,PgDn,PgUp. "Elite" HP 17" notebooks are prime examples of this f***-up idiocy. CHINESE LAPTOP MAKERS TAKE NOTICE!!! Don't get me started on the new "FULL HD" trend bull s**t - Laptops are for watching BlueRay movies now, amazing!!! Squashed 10% less resolution screens - to make sure Hollywood drivel doesn't have black strips on top and bottom to take away the excitement of having a $2,500 BlueRay player with a small screen - it will ruin your frequent air trips! I F***** HATE 17″ KEYBOARDS!!! Navigation keys are the MOST OFTEN used keys, why MAKE THEM F***** TINY, shift them DOWN, so CTRL+keys are a PAIN?? Why I have to stretch to reach HORIZONTAL PgUp/Dn on the OPPOSITE side? Here’s how to do it:
1st: SAME SIZE ARROW KEYS to the right of Ctrl: Left,Down,Right with Up below Enter with Shift cut out (it’s still the biggest key on keyboard – I can’t believe some A-holes can’t hit it if it’s not flush with Enter). A column to the right of Enter starting from bottom: Right,PgDn,PgUp,Del,Ins and there on top just the room for HORIZONTAL Home,End – it’s horizontal navigation in most documents for f*** sake. I don’t know who’s the idiot who decided Home and End should have PgUp/Dn stuck between them vertically on 15″ laptops, he’s an IDIOT. Long dead rest-in-peace Digital Note had the best keyboard layout ever as described above. Well and now they can stick their numeric keypad on the right for gamers and accountants. You can make those keys as small as possible (say as your lovely miniscule arrow keys now), I don’t care. And on top we have just the room for system keys, instead of having to combine them with idiotically placed Home,End,PgDn,PgUp. “Elite” HP 17″ notebooks are prime examples of this f***-up idiocy. CHINESE LAPTOP MAKERS TAKE NOTICE!!!
Don’t get me started on the new “FULL HD” trend bull s**t – Laptops are for watching BlueRay movies now, amazing!!! Squashed 10% less resolution screens – to make sure Hollywood drivel doesn’t have black strips on top and bottom to take away the excitement of having a $2,500 BlueRay player with a small screen – it will ruin your frequent air trips!

]]> By: Enlightenment http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-1342 Enlightenment Tue, 16 Mar 2010 02:28:14 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-1342 I purchased a 17" laptop as a desktop replacement. Wider laptops have a full numeric keypad. I connect my laptop to a 27" LCD HD monitor at 1920x1200 via HDMI. I installed two 500GB 7200RPM SATA drives, yeah try to do that in a small laptop. I attach a small Dell USB keyboard so I'm not dumping a drink in my laptop, nor wearing down the key lettering. I don't use my laptop much with a battery, but I do use it for work and home use, thus everything I want and need comes with me. I purchased a 17″ laptop as a desktop replacement. Wider laptops have a full numeric keypad. I connect my laptop to a 27″ LCD HD monitor at 1920×1200 via HDMI. I installed two 500GB 7200RPM SATA drives, yeah try to do that in a small laptop. I attach a small Dell USB keyboard so I’m not dumping a drink in my laptop, nor wearing down the key lettering. I don’t use my laptop much with a battery, but I do use it for work and home use, thus everything I want and need comes with me.

]]> By: Amgad http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-864 Amgad Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:48:09 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-864 I'm thinking of buying a new laptop too. I agree with you totally. I even thought of buying a MacBook Pro and installing Windows in it but its screen is too damn glossy you cant use it indoors without adjusting it to a very precise angle, let alone using it outdoors. And I agree with Leonid Volnitsky's comments too. I’m thinking of buying a new laptop too. I agree with you totally. I even thought of buying a MacBook Pro and installing Windows in it but its screen is too damn glossy you cant use it indoors without adjusting it to a very precise angle, let alone using it outdoors. And I agree with Leonid Volnitsky’s comments too.

]]> By: Alex website monitoring http://www.kevinwilliampang.com/2009/03/12/a-programmers-plea-to-laptop-makers/#comment-863 Alex website monitoring Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:00:04 +0000 /post/A-Programmers-Plea-to-Laptop-Makers.aspx#comment-863 I have a 7200rpm hard drive on my 4-year-old IBM T42p, and I don't really understand why 7200rpm HDDs are still rare in laptops. I have a 7200rpm hard drive on my 4-year-old IBM T42p, and I don’t really understand why 7200rpm HDDs are still rare in laptops.

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