shertson

I'm looking for a docking station for my frame.work laptop running Linux. The big ask is I want to be able to hook up to my big monitor with a 3840x2160 resolution (I think it is 8K?).

Has anyone found one that works with that combination of factors?

I've read a bunch of posts on the frame.work forums and looked at a bunch of docks on Amazon, but haven't found one that gives me confidence it'll work.

If you recently placed an order, check your email.

Good on them for coming clean so quick.

I have been using an old HP AIO for years. Two things have really been bothering me lately.

• I'm tired on having to install, uninstall, reinstall the hplip drivers. Sometimes if I unplug the cable and plug it back in the same port it requires a reinstall to work again. Other times I have no idea why.
• Sometimes scanning works, but it's only single sided. I have piles of paper to scan and I'm tired of flipping the paper and reordering the digital pages.

So, anyone have a MFP/AIO that works with default Linux drivers and has supported duplex scanning? I want specific models, not just brand names.

I am looking for self hosted blog/journal that is private by default. Not looking to host a public blog, rather something that I can write more personal entries on and is easy to read later. I want to be able to include multimedia in the entries.

Currently I'm thinking of a Mastodon server with posts set to private by default and turning off federation. It would be awesome to be able to post from my phone as events happen rather than having to find time later.

I've tried around with using IMAP and an email client, but not sold on it. Tried using a calendar, but too cludgy.

Open to other ideas!

Hey all!

A week and a half ago I received by new Framework 13 and posted a quick thought on it. Someone (@altasshet@lemmy.ca) asked that I give an update after a bit of use, so I figured a quick note now would be appropriate. I'm thinking I might give some updates again after a couple of months and then at six and twelve months.

I'll make mention of my old personal laptop (HP Envy x360 model 13-yO13-cl) for comparison sake, and my work laptop (Microsoft Surface Laptop 3) as well.

Specs

DIY Framework 13, 13th Gen, i5-1340, 16GB DDR4-3200 RAM, WD_BLACK SN770 NVMe M.2 2280 1TB SSD. Bought without OS and installed Fedora 38 Workstation. For whatever reason, the Live image wouldn't load with Secure Boot enabled. Once installed I was able to turn it back on.

Cooling/Fan

When ever I boot to the "BIOS" boot settings the fan goes crazy. I don't stay in the screen long enough to see if the system gets hot or not. During normal use, the fan doesn't come on, not that I have noticed anyway. It does get a bit warm on the bottom during browsing. I haven't watched a lot of video on it yet. I mostly use it for browsing the web, poking around Gemini space and writing.

Display

I had read a couple of reviews where they mentioned that the hinges were weak. While they are not as stiff as other laptops that I have used in the past, I wouldn't call them flimsy or weak. I can move around the laptop, pick it up and put it down without the screen moving. At the same time, I haven't intentionally tested them by moving quick or jerking it around. I just use it "normally", not taking any extra care that I wouldn't with any laptop.

The screen itself is decent. My last laptop had a glossy screen that was too dark at its brightest and reflected even the most ambient light. Having the keyboard back-light on reflected in the glossy screen. The Framework is matte, so the reflection is a non-issue. I have been using it at about 25% brightness, mostly because I use it at night when it is darker out. Even at that low of a level I am able to use it in normal lighting conditions. When my eyes are tired and the room I'm in is very bright, the Framework screen brightness can be turned up significantly, almost kind of blaring if I'm honest.

I run Fedora 38 with default Gnome at 100% resolution. I love the extra space and the ration is great for working on two documents side by side. I can have my editor open on one half and Firefox open on the other and work comfortably.

Keyboard

I'm putting this here because it made an impact on me. The keyboard backing is nice and firm, so when I bang away at the keys they feel nice and solid. I generally use mechanical keyboards on my desktop computers, so I am used to giving a bit more of a push. Compared to the my HP, they keys feel really nice. The texture of the key caps is not super smooth, giving a bit of resistance to the skin of my finger tips. I've used super smooth keyboard before that made my fingers feel like they were sliding all over the place. These just feel good, solid, responsive. Really nice to use.

I generally don't care about keyboards having back lighting, I'm a touch typist so I don't look at the keys normally. When I got the Framework and realized it had back lighting for the keyboard I tried it out. It has three levels of brightness! That was a surprise. I've used it a couple of times while laying in bed in the dark one-handed. No, stop it, not like that. I was on my side and was propping my head up with the other hand.

Chassis

Another complaint that I had read about was the cheap feeling of the chassis, keyboard cover, etc. People say it feels like plastic, when it is actually aluminum. I can see what they are talking about. While it certainly feels like metal, it doesn't feel as "firm" or "metally" as some other laptops. But I'm satisfied with it. I think that the Frameworks metal is just a bit thinner than others that make if feel cheaper. My old laptop and work laptop both feel "stronger", but also feel a bit heavier.

While I'm talking about the chassis, the Framework is narrower than both my HP and the Surface. Not by a huge margin. It is also "taller" (front to back) than them. It is certainly thicker. All the same, not such a difference to be of importance.

Performance

So far I haven't had any complaints about performance. I don't do a whole bunch of resource intensive stuff. Small database work, writing, and surfing the web.

Bluetooh and Speakers

I was able to connect my Pixel Buds Pro without issue and watch a couple of Youtube videos and listen to an audiobook just fine. I did play a couple of music videos over the Framework's speakers, and yeah, they're not great. Speakers and Bluetooth worked right out of the box with Fedora 38.

Wifi

I've had no issues with the wifi at all. Unlike my old laptop that constantly went into airplane mode if you closed the lid or turned it sideways when moving it, the Framework maintains its connection. Which is probably part of the battery drain, but we'll discuss that later.

Expansion Modules

Such a great idea. I purchased two USB-C, one USB-A, an HDMI, and a 1TB storage drive. Under normal usage I leave out the HDMI; I only got that so that I had the option. I can charge from either of the back slots (left/right), I haven't tried the front slots. (Update as I am writing this: I tried it, I can charge from the front slots as well!) Part of the beauty is the ability to hotswap the modules as I need them. Printer on the left and USB-A module is on the right? Just swap the module to the other side and I'm good to go!

The release button for the modules is on the bottom necessitating picking the laptop up, not a big deal, but I find it annoying for some reason. They can be tough to pull out, which odd when I have had them pop out when trying to remove a cable or thumb drive plugged into them.

Fingerprint Reader

It seems that the 13th generation chips for these require a firmware update that requires Windows (for now). I have interest in installing Windows, even in a VM, just to fix it. I don't miss the functionality since I have never had it on any of my computers, so i am willing to wait for now. We'll see how this plays out in time.

Trackpad

Works as expected. Can't think of anything more to say about it.

Battery

This is the one I see complained about the most. Without any tweaking, I get 5-6 hours on a charge. I don't find that to be a problem for me. My work laptop only gets about four hours, and my other laptop around five. The only laptop that I have ever owned that got better battery life was my Chromebook (Acer c720p, loved that thing, miss it every day). The only thing about the battery that concerns me is the hibernation. I haven't yet had a problem as I have been using it pretty consistently so I've been charging it regularly. But, there are times where I don't use it so much and I worry about how quickly it might run down.

Overall

I love it. I have been very happy with it as a whole. The downsides so far have been minor and don't take away from the overall joy of using it. Here is a little story. The other night I was chatting online in irc and needed to get dinner made. Someone in the chat suggested french fries and I thought, that is a great idea. So I brought my laptop to the kitchen and began making french fires (and other stuff). I got side tracked and let the oil get too hot so when I put in the raw potato slices it shot out a cloud of oil steam and sprayed oil everywhere, including on my laptop. I briefly panicked that the screen would be ruined, then thought to myself, the screen was so easy to install when I got it, it won't be an issue to replace!

I have a number of email accounts including free services like Gmail and yahoo, as well as private domains I own. I'm looking for a way to pull all of my mail into a local store that I can access using my mail client (Thunderbird). I want to keep the accounts separate from each other. Any recommendations?

I ordered two weeks ago making it into the July batch. Got the shipping notification on Monday and received my laptop today. I ordered the DIY i5 edition with 16GB RAM, two USB-C modules, 1 USB-A, an HDMi, and a 1TB storage.

I unpacked everything and assembled it. It really isn't what I would call a DIY experience, all I had to do was install the RAM, SSD, bezel, and input panel.

I booted to the BIOS and disabled secure boot, added the grub UEFI key from prepared USB drive of Fedora 38. My error was not realizing I re-enabled secure boot when I copied the key. Booting from the USB I kept getting the message that I needed to load the kernel first. After reformatting and re-imaging the USB drive a couple of times, I ended up writing the installer image to the 1TB storage module before I realized my error and disabled secure boot again.

Fedora proceeded to install without issue. I followed the install guide on the framework forums. The fingerprint reader did not work, but everything else seems to work out of the box. Took a few minutes to run dnf upgrade and install some software.

Initial thoughts: I like the keyboard, it feels good with a bit of resistance, the key texture isn't a smooth friction-less plastic, almost more like a velvet feeling, kind of rubbery. Rubbery isn't the right word, but I just can't think of a better way to describe it. The display is much more square than what I am use to, so I am going to reserve my judgement on that for now. The screen is matt, another change that will take time to decide whether or not I like it, but it was something I was looking for. Glossy screens reflect too much when working in the light and require looking at it at just the right angle. Chassis feels solid, a bit of heft but lighter than the HP Spectre 13 that I am coming from. The microphone and camera along the top of the screen have built-in slide covers; I don't remember seeing anything about that when I was looking at the Framework, so it was a pleasant surprise.

Looking forward to share more after I have a chance to really make use of it.

Surprised to find Bridgeport ranked as 41st best run.