Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (Linux) Review(arstechnica.co.uk)
arstechnica.co.uk
Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition (Linux) Review
http://arstechnica.co.uk/gadgets/2017/01/dell-xps-13-ubuntu-review-2017/
67 comments
After having actually read the EULA/TOS shipped with Dell ubuntu versions, I would rather order the hardware with no OS and install my own if possible.
Can you elaborate a bit for those of us that haven't read it? What stood out as particularly bad for you? I am asking since I am considering one of these machines.
Here it is or at least a variation in the past: http://sprunge.us/DQhC
"By placing your order for Product, you accept and are bound to the terms of this Agreement."
"12. Governing Law. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT, ANY SALES THERE UNDER, OR ANY CLAIM, DISPUTE OR CONTROVERSY (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, WHETHER PRE-EXISTING, PRESENT OR FUTURE, AND INCLUDING STATUTORY, CONSUMER PROTECTION, COMMON LAW, AND EQUITABLE CLAIMS) BETWEEN CUSTOMER AND DELL arising from or relating to this Agreement, its interpretation, or the breach, termination or validity thereof, the relationships which result from this agreement, Dell's advertising, or any related purchase SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAW. 13. Dispute Resolution and Binding Arbitration. YOU AND DELL ARE AGREEING TO GIVE UP ANY RIGHTS TO LITIGATE CLAIMS IN A COURT OR BEFORE A JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION WITH RESPECT TO A CLAIM. OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WENT TO COURT MAY ALSO BE UNAVAILABLE OR MAY BE LIMITED IN ARBITRATION. ANY CLAIM, DISPUTE, OR CONTROVERSY (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, WHETHER PRE-EXISTING, PRESENT OR FUTURE, AND INCLUDING STATUTORY, CONSUMER PROTECTION, COMMON LAW, INTENTIONAL TORT, INJUNCTIVE AND EQUITABLE CLAIMS) BETWEEN CUSTOMER AND DELL, its agents, employees, principals, successors, assigns, affiliates, subsidiaries (collectively "Dell") arising from or relating in any way to your purchase of Product, this Agreement, its interpretation, or the breach, termination or validity thereof, the relationships which result from this Agreement (including relationships with third parties who are not signatories to this Agreement), Dell's advertising, or any related purchase SHALL BE RESOLVED EXCLUSIVELY AND FINALLY BY BINDING ARBITRATION.The arbitrator shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to arbitrability and/or the enforceability of this arbitration provision including any unconscionability challenge or any other challenge that the arbitration provision or the Agreement is void, voidable, or otherwise invalid."
"This Retail Purchaser End User Agreement ("Agreement") governs your retail purchase and use of products and/or services and support ("Product") sold in the United States by Dell, including its affiliates or subsidiaries. BY PURCHASING AND USING THE PRODUCT, YOU ("CUSTOMER") AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THE PRODUCT, AND RETURN THE PRODUCT TO YOUR PLACE OF PURCHASE (subject to its return policy)."
This is a legal agreement ("Agreement") between you, the user, and Dell Products L.P., a Texas limited partnership, or Dell Global B.V. (Singapore Branch), a Singapore branch of a company incorporated in The Netherlands with limited liability, on behalf of itself, Dell Inc., and Dell Inc.'s other subsidiaries and affiliates (together "Dell"). This Agreement covers all software (“Software”) and any upgrades, updates, patches, hotfixes, modules, routines, feature enhancements and additional versions of the Software that replace or supplement the original Software (collectively “Updates”) distributed by Dell unless there is a separate license agreement between you and the manufacturer or owner of the Software or Update."
Pretty standard overzealous boilerplate that companies get away with these days, but I don't like it so I don't agree to it.
"By placing your order for Product, you accept and are bound to the terms of this Agreement."
"12. Governing Law. THE PARTIES AGREE THAT THIS AGREEMENT, ANY SALES THERE UNDER, OR ANY CLAIM, DISPUTE OR CONTROVERSY (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, WHETHER PRE-EXISTING, PRESENT OR FUTURE, AND INCLUDING STATUTORY, CONSUMER PROTECTION, COMMON LAW, AND EQUITABLE CLAIMS) BETWEEN CUSTOMER AND DELL arising from or relating to this Agreement, its interpretation, or the breach, termination or validity thereof, the relationships which result from this agreement, Dell's advertising, or any related purchase SHALL BE GOVERNED BY THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF TEXAS, WITHOUT REGARD TO CONFLICTS OF LAW. 13. Dispute Resolution and Binding Arbitration. YOU AND DELL ARE AGREEING TO GIVE UP ANY RIGHTS TO LITIGATE CLAIMS IN A COURT OR BEFORE A JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION WITH RESPECT TO A CLAIM. OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WENT TO COURT MAY ALSO BE UNAVAILABLE OR MAY BE LIMITED IN ARBITRATION. ANY CLAIM, DISPUTE, OR CONTROVERSY (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, WHETHER PRE-EXISTING, PRESENT OR FUTURE, AND INCLUDING STATUTORY, CONSUMER PROTECTION, COMMON LAW, INTENTIONAL TORT, INJUNCTIVE AND EQUITABLE CLAIMS) BETWEEN CUSTOMER AND DELL, its agents, employees, principals, successors, assigns, affiliates, subsidiaries (collectively "Dell") arising from or relating in any way to your purchase of Product, this Agreement, its interpretation, or the breach, termination or validity thereof, the relationships which result from this Agreement (including relationships with third parties who are not signatories to this Agreement), Dell's advertising, or any related purchase SHALL BE RESOLVED EXCLUSIVELY AND FINALLY BY BINDING ARBITRATION.The arbitrator shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to arbitrability and/or the enforceability of this arbitration provision including any unconscionability challenge or any other challenge that the arbitration provision or the Agreement is void, voidable, or otherwise invalid."
"This Retail Purchaser End User Agreement ("Agreement") governs your retail purchase and use of products and/or services and support ("Product") sold in the United States by Dell, including its affiliates or subsidiaries. BY PURCHASING AND USING THE PRODUCT, YOU ("CUSTOMER") AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THE PRODUCT, AND RETURN THE PRODUCT TO YOUR PLACE OF PURCHASE (subject to its return policy)."
This is a legal agreement ("Agreement") between you, the user, and Dell Products L.P., a Texas limited partnership, or Dell Global B.V. (Singapore Branch), a Singapore branch of a company incorporated in The Netherlands with limited liability, on behalf of itself, Dell Inc., and Dell Inc.'s other subsidiaries and affiliates (together "Dell"). This Agreement covers all software (“Software”) and any upgrades, updates, patches, hotfixes, modules, routines, feature enhancements and additional versions of the Software that replace or supplement the original Software (collectively “Updates”) distributed by Dell unless there is a separate license agreement between you and the manufacturer or owner of the Software or Update."
Pretty standard overzealous boilerplate that companies get away with these days, but I don't like it so I don't agree to it.
What was wrong with it?
These are definitely the awesome laptops Apple should have made. I just really don't want to give up macOS. I've literally put this thing back and forth into my cart, twenty times by now. But there is just too much I'm giving up environment wise. Either I go with Windows, and lose unix, or I go Linux, and lose everything but unix. That's why MacOS works for me, and I'm sure others. It's what Linux should have been by now, a hybrid Windows/Unix experience. Apple is really pissing me off, forcing me even to contemplate this.
I KNOW Linux isn't Unix.
I KNOW Linux isn't Unix.
> Either I go with Windows, and lose unix
The Linux layer on Windows 10 is quite functional. Of course, this suggestion presumes both that you're OK with Windows as a replacement for macOS for non-dev stuff and that you don't have an immediate need for the handful of things not yet supported by the WSL, but if both of those are true, it might be worth looking into.
The Linux layer on Windows 10 is quite functional. Of course, this suggestion presumes both that you're OK with Windows as a replacement for macOS for non-dev stuff and that you don't have an immediate need for the handful of things not yet supported by the WSL, but if both of those are true, it might be worth looking into.
Eh. The first thing I tried to do was run a Webpack build for my pet project, ran into the uv_interface bug [1], got annoyed fast by the lack of terminal features cmd.exe has always been infamous for, and quickly lost interest.
[1] https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues/468
[1] https://github.com/Microsoft/BashOnWindows/issues/468
I can vouch for WSL being great. You can even get GUI apps to work perfectly using VcXsrv.
And tbh: money is not the issue. I don't like the 'apple tax' but they are comfortable wayyyyyy up in their trees... and macOS / iOS dev env is leverage.
I'm on the same boat. Except I have a chromebox as guinea pig.
I've seen people reporting this transition as a 'surprisingly good experience'. So here's my 2 cents on a 30 minute run (amount of time it takes me to setup a new macbook):
1password: there are options, but omg it just works...
xrandr: I knew things would get hairy when I found myself looking up how to dual monitor + rotate on i3wm
fonts: I don't know what it is, but seems different
I know your experience will vary from distro to distro, but that is exactly the point: it's hard to find that happy place.
I'm sure that sticking to certain distro, under certain hardware, things will go fine. But that at point I ask myself: Sooo... this seems similar to mac ecosystem, why not pay the apple tax and move on?
I don't think 2017 will be the year of linux on the desktop (or any other prophecy along those lines), but for sure it will be 'the year I reconsidered linux on the desktop'.
The Linux experience I saw so far would be enough for me to be productive with some known rough edges that I can either help fix or report.
Worst case scenario I get a macbook pro during the fall update ;)
I'm on the same boat. Except I have a chromebox as guinea pig.
I've seen people reporting this transition as a 'surprisingly good experience'. So here's my 2 cents on a 30 minute run (amount of time it takes me to setup a new macbook):
1password: there are options, but omg it just works...
xrandr: I knew things would get hairy when I found myself looking up how to dual monitor + rotate on i3wm
fonts: I don't know what it is, but seems different
I know your experience will vary from distro to distro, but that is exactly the point: it's hard to find that happy place.
I'm sure that sticking to certain distro, under certain hardware, things will go fine. But that at point I ask myself: Sooo... this seems similar to mac ecosystem, why not pay the apple tax and move on?
I don't think 2017 will be the year of linux on the desktop (or any other prophecy along those lines), but for sure it will be 'the year I reconsidered linux on the desktop'.
The Linux experience I saw so far would be enough for me to be productive with some known rough edges that I can either help fix or report.
Worst case scenario I get a macbook pro during the fall update ;)
> xrandr: I knew things would get hairy when I found myself looking up how to dual monitor + rotate on i3wm
I had a Dell XPS 13 connected to a Dell monitor running the stock Dell Ubuntu distro and still had to use arandr with config files when I switched from desk monitor to laptop to conference room.
This was a known issue a couple years ago. Maybe it's resolved now.
I had a Dell XPS 13 connected to a Dell monitor running the stock Dell Ubuntu distro and still had to use arandr with config files when I switched from desk monitor to laptop to conference room.
This was a known issue a couple years ago. Maybe it's resolved now.
> But there is just too much I'm giving up environment wise.
I was a few years Linux, few years MacOS and now back to Arch Linux and loving it. The only thing that really does not have good Linux alternative is adobe illustrator.
I was a few years Linux, few years MacOS and now back to Arch Linux and loving it. The only thing that really does not have good Linux alternative is adobe illustrator.
I NEED Unibox App, and Capture One, and Arq, and 1password, and XCode and and and. Too much software I use on Mac. Linux just isn't a desktop OS in my opinion.
Runs fine under wine I think.
Running fine under WINE actually means moderately stable with many issues.
What do you mean by "lose everything"? You don't need to use pre-installed Ubuntu. Any distro should work OK, choose the one that works better for you. I wouldn't trade experience of something like KDE Plasma 5 to MacOS or Windows. If you mean some applications that are available on MacOS only - that can be a different story.
Windows 10 offers a linux subsystem based on ubuntu. I'm not sure if it's still in beta at this point.
I tried this recently with some success. However, there were some things that I didn't manage to get working (ghq for example). I look forward to seeing improvements as it matures.
I can't speak for this generation, but I have a previous-gen XPS 15 (or a current-gen, depending on how you look at it, since the Kaby Lake stuff isn't entirely out yet) and Linux runs on the normal Windows edition just fine, with the exception that I swapped out the wireless for an Intel card on the advice of a coworker. I'm not sure if that will still apply to this gen since ISTR they come with an Intel wireless either way, though if that matters to you, check first. (Still, new wireless cards are quite cheap on Amazon ~$20, and easy to replace, if it suits you.)
Of course, dual booting comes with its own issues. But I pretty much just game in Windows.
Of course, dual booting comes with its own issues. But I pretty much just game in Windows.
Elaborate. What do you think you'll miss switching from OS X to Linux?
Ease of use... stability, passing 6 months w/o having to deeply debug some system issue...
1. Ease of use I can give you. That being said, Linux for me is way easier to use than OS X or Windows so I think that's relative.
2. I'm sorry but I really can't agree with you at all about stability. Linux is incredibly stable, especially on a laptop designed for Linux. Linux on a MacBook, sure, it's awful. A Network manager update completely stopped my ability to connect to the internet and I had to downgrade it and prevent it from updating for a bit.
On my XPS? Not a single issue, and I'm on an "unstable" distribution.
I think that if there isn't some software that you absolutely need that has no Linux alternative then you should really give it a shot.
2. I'm sorry but I really can't agree with you at all about stability. Linux is incredibly stable, especially on a laptop designed for Linux. Linux on a MacBook, sure, it's awful. A Network manager update completely stopped my ability to connect to the internet and I had to downgrade it and prevent it from updating for a bit.
On my XPS? Not a single issue, and I'm on an "unstable" distribution.
I think that if there isn't some software that you absolutely need that has no Linux alternative then you should really give it a shot.
Stability is a concern but it's notable that this machine is running a recent long-term support version of Ubuntu so shouldn't need any TLC in the short term.
Ease of use is very subjective and can't really argue with what people are used to. I do know that from a physical point of view that Linux lets me configure a mouse to not give me RSI.
Ease of use is very subjective and can't really argue with what people are used to. I do know that from a physical point of view that Linux lets me configure a mouse to not give me RSI.
It's not like that anymore. What stability? What have you had to deeply debug lately with a laptop that has known or supported linux.
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What am I missing? It looks like it is priced much higher than the MBP, and aside from a more appropriately priced TB SSD and ports (yes, Apple f'd this up short term), I'm not seeing what makes it better.
I priced an XPS 15 against a MBP 2016 recently, both pretty maxed out (fastest CPU, 1TB SSD, 32GB RAM on the Dell + 4K touch screen), and the Dell came to $2,500 compared to $3,400 for the MBP. Seems pretty competitive.
What's getting in the way of buying the XPS 13 and dual-booting it in order to have it both ways?
Sure, you couldn't use both at the same time, but that seems like it'd take care of most (of at least my) use cases.
Sure, you couldn't use both at the same time, but that seems like it'd take care of most (of at least my) use cases.
You'll probably need a larger hard disk to accommodate both operating systems if you dual boot. I prefer to run virtualbox/vmware and have both running side by side while using the best tools/software on each platform.
Neither of those are MacOS, and honestly if I'm not going to use it, I'm going to use Windows 10. Then at least I'm not software limited, and it's multi-use.
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Can anybody say whether the ANSI-style keyboard shown is the "Internal US/International Qwerty Backlit Keyboard" option that's available on Dell's shop on the website, or whether this place just got sent a US-spec laptop for whatever reason?
The word "international" is rather worrying, suggesting it might have one of those upside down L return keys...
The word "international" is rather worrying, suggesting it might have one of those upside down L return keys...
US International keyboards have a AltGr key instead of right Alt and a € symbol on the 5 key. Afaik there are no other differences.
Anyone know how the XPS 13 2 in 1 is w/ Linux support? I don't think they have a DE for the 2 in 1, but thinking about snagging one for a light work/entertainment laptop.
The main difference in hardware between the DE and the non-DE is the wireless card, which isn't impossible to get working but definitely a pain in the ass. I can only imagine with the touch screen and tablet-mode combined it would be a tall order for out-of-the-box Linux compatibility.
For the previous version, DE used a different wifi card (intel for DE, otherwise Broadcomm), but I don't think that's true for this latest version. I think DE and non-DE both ship with the same Qualcomm "Killer 1535"
An interesting review would be to compare this XPS13 with the upcoming Lenovo Carbon X1 as a Linux laptop.
Does anyone know if the XPS 13 with linux suffers the issue where you can't rest your thumb on the bottom of the touchpad like a button https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xserver-xorg-input... ?
This issue has been my bane, and the biggest reason I haven't upgraded from my old thinkpad (has dedicated mechanical buttons). I would have thought there would be a resolution by now since more and more laptops do away with the dedicated buttons, but I've never found one.
This issue has been my bane, and the biggest reason I haven't upgraded from my old thinkpad (has dedicated mechanical buttons). I would have thought there would be a resolution by now since more and more laptops do away with the dedicated buttons, but I've never found one.
I'm on my XPS 13 right now, on Arch Linux using xf86-libinput, thumb rested on the bottom left of the trackpad ready to click. Moving my finger on the trackpad towards the top moves the cursor. Using two fingers (with my thumb rested) scrolls the page.
However, if I use my thumb to move the cursor first, this doesn't work and instead scrolls the page.
Hope that answers your question.
However, if I use my thumb to move the cursor first, this doesn't work and instead scrolls the page.
Hope that answers your question.
Try the following in /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf:
blacklist i2c_hid
This sounds like a great replacement for my aging MacBook Air, but, having been bitten by its non-upgradeable 4 GB of RAM, I'm wondering whether I should just get a 32 GB laptop.
I think I'll spring for the XPS 15 in the end, since it has a better graphics card as well, and I could do some light gaming on it.
I think I'll spring for the XPS 15 in the end, since it has a better graphics card as well, and I could do some light gaming on it.
I'll be going for the XPS 15 too. I've been using an XPS 13 9333 from 2014 with 8GB RAM and recently I've struggling to keep things under that limit.
The XPS 15 has the advantage that the RAM is user replaceable, and as I understand it, the 16GB model comes with a single 16GB module, so should be fairly cheap to upgrade to 32GB yourself if you'd like to save a few $ initially.
The XPS 15 has the advantage that the RAM is user replaceable, and as I understand it, the 16GB model comes with a single 16GB module, so should be fairly cheap to upgrade to 32GB yourself if you'd like to save a few $ initially.
I'll bite the bullet and be that guy. What about dual monitor support? What about suspend/resume? Do WiFi and Bluetooth work without issues?
I've run it with one monitor, two would be hard since it only has a single USB C and I don't have any monitors that can daisy chain.. if that's even a thing. The issue is that Linux doesn't play nicely with having different pixel densities on each monitor. You can try to make it scale, but then apps appear in different sizes depending on which screen you open them on. It's pretty horrible, so I run the laptop at half-res (1600x900) so that it matches the monitor and everything is the same size.
Suspend/resume works fine.
I've had to restart the network-manager service just once to get WiFi to refresh. Otherwise it's fine reconnecting when you come in/out of suspend.
Other things: battery isn't great but I don't use it away from a desk. On the first couple of days the Ubuntu Software Centre kept crashing; I think it's fine now but I don't tend to use it anyway. I disabled the Dell apt source because it was failing - I don't know if that was a one-off problem or it's just broken.
But, I'm running Linux as my primary development environment again and it just feels _so good_ after a few painful months on OS X.
Suspend/resume works fine.
I've had to restart the network-manager service just once to get WiFi to refresh. Otherwise it's fine reconnecting when you come in/out of suspend.
Other things: battery isn't great but I don't use it away from a desk. On the first couple of days the Ubuntu Software Centre kept crashing; I think it's fine now but I don't tend to use it anyway. I disabled the Dell apt source because it was failing - I don't know if that was a one-off problem or it's just broken.
But, I'm running Linux as my primary development environment again and it just feels _so good_ after a few painful months on OS X.
> I've run it with one monitor, two would be hard since it only has a single USB C and I don't have any monitors that can daisy chain.. if that's even a thing.
Most of Dells Ultrasharp monitors from the past couple of years have supported Daisychaining through Displayport. I have an older XPS 9333 DE from 2014 and use it with Dell's U2715H and U2415H monitors through a single displayport connection.
Most of Dells Ultrasharp monitors from the past couple of years have supported Daisychaining through Displayport. I have an older XPS 9333 DE from 2014 and use it with Dell's U2715H and U2415H monitors through a single displayport connection.
> But, I'm running Linux as my primary development environment again and it just feels _so good_ after a few painful months on OS X.
Can you expand on that, please. Why were you months on OS X painful? Just curious to hear the use case that caused this.
Can you expand on that, please. Why were you months on OS X painful? Just curious to hear the use case that caused this.
I've been using Linux of some flavour at home for the last 15 years, only straying onto Windows for gaming. I've been lucky to use Ubuntu at work for most of my professional career too (6-7 years?) - so it's what I know and what I'm used to.
I started a new role a few months ago that forced me onto OS X and found physical and software issues. Physically OS X does not let you configure mice properly without installing third party drivers. Of course I ditched the "magic" mouse pretty quickly after my hand started hurting after a couple of days, but even with a normal mouse you simply cannot configure mouse sensitivity and acceleration properly - it cannot treat a mouse on par with what Linux or Windows will. You need extra drivers to even enable mouse buttons 3,4 and 5.
The keyboard shortcuts hurt too, sometimes using Ctrl, sometimes using Cmd, but that could be just fighting 15 years of muscle memory - so take that with a grain of salt (but it indirectly caused more physical finger pain).
Software-wise I don't know how objective I can be, but it feels faster/simpler to install software and things like the terminal are much better integrated - I can auto-complete git branch names on the command line for instance. Maybe OS X can do that kind of thing, but certainly not out of the box. To me, OS X feels like a 95% emulation of Linux, just that slightly bit lacking.
Then there are the embarrassing things like I couldn't find the shortcut to go to the end of the current line. On Linux it's the End key - on Mac I assume it's some combination somewhere.
I started a new role a few months ago that forced me onto OS X and found physical and software issues. Physically OS X does not let you configure mice properly without installing third party drivers. Of course I ditched the "magic" mouse pretty quickly after my hand started hurting after a couple of days, but even with a normal mouse you simply cannot configure mouse sensitivity and acceleration properly - it cannot treat a mouse on par with what Linux or Windows will. You need extra drivers to even enable mouse buttons 3,4 and 5.
The keyboard shortcuts hurt too, sometimes using Ctrl, sometimes using Cmd, but that could be just fighting 15 years of muscle memory - so take that with a grain of salt (but it indirectly caused more physical finger pain).
Software-wise I don't know how objective I can be, but it feels faster/simpler to install software and things like the terminal are much better integrated - I can auto-complete git branch names on the command line for instance. Maybe OS X can do that kind of thing, but certainly not out of the box. To me, OS X feels like a 95% emulation of Linux, just that slightly bit lacking.
Then there are the embarrassing things like I couldn't find the shortcut to go to the end of the current line. On Linux it's the End key - on Mac I assume it's some combination somewhere.
> Of course I ditched the "magic" mouse pretty quickly
I'm now questioning myself on this comment. I have med-large hands and the magic mouse, even though not intuitive at first, became my favorite mouse. I've tried many difference mouses (I believe that's the plural of the computer kind) since swiping to go back/forth on web pages is so much easier.
I guess its dogmatic; I freely use shortcuts on web browsers to switch to specific tabs or going back/forth when doing research/googling/SO but when I'm browsing/reading/wasting time, and only using the mouse, the swipe is quite intuitive.
Now I have to see if: it's easier to swipe between pages or use a 3rd/4th button to perform similar tasks...i'm sure it's nerdy/geeky but its an interesting question nonetheless, from the daily routine standpoint.
I'm now questioning myself on this comment. I have med-large hands and the magic mouse, even though not intuitive at first, became my favorite mouse. I've tried many difference mouses (I believe that's the plural of the computer kind) since swiping to go back/forth on web pages is so much easier.
I guess its dogmatic; I freely use shortcuts on web browsers to switch to specific tabs or going back/forth when doing research/googling/SO but when I'm browsing/reading/wasting time, and only using the mouse, the swipe is quite intuitive.
Now I have to see if: it's easier to swipe between pages or use a 3rd/4th button to perform similar tasks...i'm sure it's nerdy/geeky but its an interesting question nonetheless, from the daily routine standpoint.
I find your problems are mostly fighting your own muscle memory. The Cmd key is much more consistent for the entire OS. You can do Cmd + C, Cmd + V, Cmd + R, Cmd + Q pretty much anywhere (including the terminal), whereas in Linux you have to use Ctrl + shift + c/v. And the ergonomics of the Cmd key is way better than ctrl key.
For installing development software, there's `brew`, and the terminal is exactly same. I don't know any feature that is Linux-only to feel the `better integrated`
To go to the end of line, just use Cmd + right/left.
> Then there are the embarrassing things like I couldn't find the shortcut to go to the end of the current line. On Linux it's the End key - on Mac I assume it's some combination somewhere.
Crt+a. Every emacs shortcuts work everywhere in MacOS.
Crt+a. Every emacs shortcuts work everywhere in MacOS.
The canonical way for the End key is fn + right arrow, fn + left arrow for Home, and fn + up/down arrow for Page Up/Down. And you can even use Del with fn + Backspace! But me too, I prefer the emacs shortcuts.
Either emacs shortcuts do not work in MacOS, or you mean Ctrl+e to go to the end of current line :)
I purchased an XPS 13 in December last year. More specifically I have the 2016 - 9360 model.
The laptop came with Windows 10 preinstalled (Dell did not offer Linux preinstalled in Australia).
I installed Fedora 25 on it. I hit a major issues with the Linux installer failing to recognize the Laptop's built in SSD. I was able to fix this by entering the BIOS and changing the SATA controller to AHCI mode and disabling Secure boot (apparently intel is to blame because bios default SATA "RAID mode" only works under Windows). After I made bios changes Windows partition would no longer boot (not a huge deal for me as I nuked this partition during Linux install).
The first time I closed the lid it failed to wake from suspend and I had to power cycle it. However since then I've updated the system packages quite a few times and it has successfully woken each time I have closed the lid subsequently. So suspect newer kernel fixed this.
For dual monitor support I haven't noticed any issues. But rarely run with an external monitor attached. WiFi worked out of the box. Never used bluetooth on it.
Trackpad is probably biggest issue it feels very poor to use and often does not register clicks. When I mentioned this on LWN some people mentioned changing from synaptics driver to using libinput driver for touchpad - for time being though I have been using an external mouse.
Overall I'm mostly satisfied. For hardware as new as what I purchased everything has worked remarkably well.
The laptop came with Windows 10 preinstalled (Dell did not offer Linux preinstalled in Australia).
I installed Fedora 25 on it. I hit a major issues with the Linux installer failing to recognize the Laptop's built in SSD. I was able to fix this by entering the BIOS and changing the SATA controller to AHCI mode and disabling Secure boot (apparently intel is to blame because bios default SATA "RAID mode" only works under Windows). After I made bios changes Windows partition would no longer boot (not a huge deal for me as I nuked this partition during Linux install).
The first time I closed the lid it failed to wake from suspend and I had to power cycle it. However since then I've updated the system packages quite a few times and it has successfully woken each time I have closed the lid subsequently. So suspect newer kernel fixed this.
For dual monitor support I haven't noticed any issues. But rarely run with an external monitor attached. WiFi worked out of the box. Never used bluetooth on it.
Trackpad is probably biggest issue it feels very poor to use and often does not register clicks. When I mentioned this on LWN some people mentioned changing from synaptics driver to using libinput driver for touchpad - for time being though I have been using an external mouse.
Overall I'm mostly satisfied. For hardware as new as what I purchased everything has worked remarkably well.
I use this laptop. Suspend and resume work just fine, and resuming from hibernation, if you go the Windows route, is still <5s, thanks to the NVMe drive.
Wifi and Bluetooth work just fine. Yet to have an issue.
I drive a 4K Dell screen via a Kensington dock - this is a nice solution, one USB-C connector into the laptop, supplies power, and gives me Ethernet, 4k60 DP (which also allows chaining, but I haven't tried that, yet).
Wifi and Bluetooth work just fine. Yet to have an issue.
I drive a 4K Dell screen via a Kensington dock - this is a nice solution, one USB-C connector into the laptop, supplies power, and gives me Ethernet, 4k60 DP (which also allows chaining, but I haven't tried that, yet).
Note sure why you would be "that guy", unless you mean you're asking questions without reading the article...
However, I skimmed the article and searched for terms like resume/sleep/wake/suspend without a hit - which I assume means they're working fine.
The article did quote that everything is running out of the box, so, again, the presumption is that those features work.
Bluetooth and Wifi work but who knows in Real World experience since the more you tinker with Linux the more issues you run into (unless you're seasoned).
Dual monitors I have no idea.
Also, those are all valid questions which I think most intro-level folks to Linux ask.
My personal issue with Linux has always been printing. At times, the drivers just stop working or crash a network company printer for no good reason. Not sure if its the novice in me or a SOP for most Linux users.
However, I skimmed the article and searched for terms like resume/sleep/wake/suspend without a hit - which I assume means they're working fine.
The article did quote that everything is running out of the box, so, again, the presumption is that those features work.
Bluetooth and Wifi work but who knows in Real World experience since the more you tinker with Linux the more issues you run into (unless you're seasoned).
Dual monitors I have no idea.
Also, those are all valid questions which I think most intro-level folks to Linux ask.
My personal issue with Linux has always been printing. At times, the drivers just stop working or crash a network company printer for no good reason. Not sure if its the novice in me or a SOP for most Linux users.
Crashing a printer sounds strange to me because linux has always had strong printer support. It became the default printer server software in a lot of large companies (Cisco where I was an intern) and has supported printers that were orphaned by windows. In fact on some printers, there is more than one driver available, and some of them work better than others. There are some proprietary printers that don't have good support from linux and that might be the issue here.
On KonicaMonilta Bizahub series, anytime a Linux computer prints a large PDF, the printer basically memory leaks to hell. This is PCL and PS drivers.
The two models we have are 283 and 284e; both have similar issues.
I spoke with a tech thinking it was my ignorance when downloading drivers but they told me "I've never seen this issue before". I chalked it up to doing something wrong and quit trying.
The Linux machines at work don't really need to print and I've attempted several times from different distros with similar results.
Again, can totally be my ignorance and lack of time to tinker with so YMMV.
The two models we have are 283 and 284e; both have similar issues.
I spoke with a tech thinking it was my ignorance when downloading drivers but they told me "I've never seen this issue before". I chalked it up to doing something wrong and quit trying.
The Linux machines at work don't really need to print and I've attempted several times from different distros with similar results.
Again, can totally be my ignorance and lack of time to tinker with so YMMV.
I actually have Ubuntu 16.4 on the previous (non Dev Edition) generation of this laptop (HW almost identical), and it works almost out of the box for the things you mentioned (needed to solve a problem with touchpad palm detection, and touchscreen bug after resuming from sleep).
Of course, mind you, dual monitor support on Ubuntu (or any other linux distro) sucks (I guess it's because X is crap). It is, however, functional. You get some annoying glitches when hot-plugging monitors, etc. Sometimes apps crash when both monitors "disappear" (laptop is closed an you disconnect the external monitor). But it works WAY better than I expected.
Of course, mind you, dual monitor support on Ubuntu (or any other linux distro) sucks (I guess it's because X is crap). It is, however, functional. You get some annoying glitches when hot-plugging monitors, etc. Sometimes apps crash when both monitors "disappear" (laptop is closed an you disconnect the external monitor). But it works WAY better than I expected.
Dell make sure all of the hardware works with Linux out of the box before releasing new versions of the Developer Edition laptops. Everything you mentioned works fine, that's the whole point of the Developer Edition laptops.
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As usual "battery" is repeated multiple times in the article but without any number. When will reviewers understand that "battery life is not great" means absolutely nothing and replace it with something like "battery lasts 3 hours and 4 minutes while repeatedly streaming a youtube video in 4K on Chrome 52"? Notebookcheck is the only consumer tech website worth reading for the reviews (if you know others please share them) because of their precise, standardized tests from the display to the noise and heat produced by the chassis.
From the article: "After the Kaby Lake upgrade, the other major improvement is the move from a 56wHR 4-cell battery to a slightly greater capacity 60wHR model. That doesn't sound like much, but Dell now claims an astounding 21 hour battery life for the 1080p version of the XPS 13. That claim was largely borne out in Ars testing of that model, which managed to last for over 18 hours in Ars' standard Wi-Fi browsing test."
For what it's worth, my XPS 13 (with the 3200x1800 screen) lasts a good six hours on battery. I typically don't bother bringing the charger with me. The power brick on the charger is also very small and lightweight, making bring it with you not a big deal either.
Despite the 22 hour number, dell only promises 12 on the 3200x1800 screen. Rather frustrating that they limit the good cpu/ram configurations to the 3200x1800 touch screen. So if you want more ram you are forced to switch from a matte screen that gives you 22 hours on battery to a shiny screeen that lasts 12 hours.
> What's more disappointing for some Linux fans is the fact Dell still uses the Windows logo on the super key.
It's the first thing I look for and most often the first source of disappointment.
It's the first thing I look for and most often the first source of disappointment.
The keyboard is shit according to the reviews. Every developer needs a good keyboard. This is why I exclusively use ThinkPads, even if they aren't as good under Lenovo as they were before.