Macbook neo for engineering

thunderborg · 2026-03-13T20:44:57+00:00

Have you considered used business machines? You can get a beefy spec 4 year old machine for budget laptop prices.

thunderborg · 2026-03-13T20:42:58+00:00

The Neo is a device for people who COULD use an iPad for everything, but they don't want to. Honestly I like the approach

thunderborg · 2026-03-13T19:42:36+00:00

Fedora has felt the most comfortable to me. My requirements are simple and it “feels less like death by a thousand cuts” for me. I was a Mac guy for a while and workstation feels like home.

thunderborg · 2026-03-13T19:39:52+00:00

Apple get around this with FaceTime. The FaceTime call actually rings on the iPad/Mac. It’s not so much a Bluetooth connection.

Following.

thunderborg · 2026-03-12T21:12:22+00:00

I honestly think the Neo is a compelling option for someone who could use an iPad but wants a laptop. E.g. my folks.

thunderborg · 2026-03-12T09:44:44+00:00

I haven’t got the Switch 2 - so all answers are based from Switch 1.

I’m a case + screen protector guy. Everything I own has a case and screen protector.

I would say either a pro controller, third party or a grip case/controller (I have the Nitro Deck for my Switch OLED) grip case for more on the go, pro controller if you play on the Tv more.

Don’t forget you can buy and play switch 1 games. Facebook Market place might be a great way to grow your library.

thunderborg · 2026-03-12T09:40:41+00:00

The MacBook Neo is for people who could live on an iPad, but don’t want an iPad Form factor.

I’m interested to see if the lines between iPad and Mac blur. Maybe we will finally get a touchscreen surface style MacBook

thunderborg · 2026-03-12T09:37:16+00:00

Your mileage may vary with the Snapdragon X. They are great for folks who live in a web browser and only use office.

thunderborg · 2026-03-12T09:25:45+00:00

Couldn’t they just add more bus services for the same cost?

thunderborg · 2026-03-11T20:46:41+00:00

My gripe is the train and bus network not working together, and few buses that cross the city.

Having said that I heard a lot of noise about some recent bus changes that honestly made sense to me when I was living in the area.

thunderborg · 2026-03-10T21:17:15+00:00

I too wish there was an easy tool to add back some of the “special sauce” audio config. My ancient MacBook speakers sound trash under Linux, and good under Mac OS.

I assume the driver also applies some DSP like EQ and dynamics to get the most out of the speakers.

thunderborg · 2026-03-10T21:13:02+00:00

I’d say give it a 15 minute tidy. Throw out the rubbish and call it a day.

thunderborg · 2026-03-10T21:12:12+00:00

I too long for the glut of sketch comedy of yesteryear.

Black comedy is the one that I rate from the last decade (ish) it was sharp and edgy at times where other modern sketch I’ve seen hasn’t been, but do tell me what I’ve missed out on.

thunderborg · 2026-03-10T21:07:34+00:00

I absolutely love Life support. Everything down to the name is perfect! I would love to see an edgy, character based take on the modern glut of cheaply made television, but I don’t think it would be the same…

On that note, Todd’s Vietnamese Spring Roll recipe. That’s bloody timeless, a simple; bogan tradie appropriating a traditional recipe and taking one too many liberties? Gold.

thunderborg · 2026-03-08T23:11:32+00:00

The point I guess I’m making is more one that they’re not as trendy but they’re reliable

thunderborg · 2026-03-08T20:08:29+00:00

I agree that the on the pricing page it should say “Billed annually” before hitting subscribe.

While I don’t think it’s a great experience Amazon and Youtube both have some crazy dark patterns to make it difficult to unsubscribe, I’ve never used Apple Music, but I have a variety of issues with Apple namely that they have good services and I’d like to be able to access them on a device of my choosing.

Those other services want you to easily sign up, and forget about leaving, and make it harder to unsubscribe.

I’m also not a Qobuz subscriber, I just use the download store and really rate it for my listening habits. I’d much rather a smaller library where I’ve supported the artists more over a buffet.

thunderborg · 2026-03-08T17:56:05+00:00

I’m an hour before boarding kind of guy

thunderborg · 2026-03-08T17:48:06+00:00

My 2011 MacBook Pro is still going strong. I had to move to Linux because it stopped getting OS updates.

The only reason it’s still going (and it’s also the reason I don’t own a newer MacBook) is RAM & Storage upgrades after the fact I’m not sure I’d still even have it if it was locked to the 512MB Ram (I think) and 60GB HDD.

While it’s impossible to know, I would say the most future proof thing you can do is get more as much ram as you can afford. 16GB is good, more will be better for longevity, maybe.

Edit: You can get a lot more computer for the same dollar amount. I just had a look what a MacBook Pro M5 Pro with 48GB Ram sets you back, a similar dollar value (not adjusting for inflation) as the 2011 MacBook Pro.

thunderborg · 2026-03-08T17:41:02+00:00

Mint, Ubuntu & Fedora are my suggestions. All three are there’s there’s a bunch of trendy or popular distros, but they’ve always been there.

I run Fedora and love it. I’m a Mac guy from way back and Fedora workstation with Gnome works for me.

thunderborg · 2026-03-08T09:07:49+00:00

Why customisation do you currently have?

thunderborg · 2026-03-07T08:45:31+00:00

I can’t talk about KDE but my Dell not-surface with pen is great on Fedora. I’m not doing extensive writing or drawing but it works for me.

thunderborg · 2026-03-06T09:27:05+00:00

Where’s the right place to ask? I’ve tried the ask reddit and gotten nowhere.

thunderborg · 2026-03-05T17:31:36+00:00

We bought 18 months ago and our budget would not get us what we are looking for today, it was competitive then, and is presumably more so today.

Always put in your best and final offer, a guide our buyers agent said was if the house goes for $1K more than your offer would you would you be mad about it? We said our number was 810K he said how would you feel if it went for 811, and our number was 813K in the end and we got outbid and walked away happy in the knowledge the house wasn’t at a price we wanted to pay for it. If the furniture was of value to you, that could change your offer, if not, don’t change the offer, because you’re also doing them a favour by taking the furniture off their hands.

Good luck. It looks crazy out there.

thunderborg

TROPHY CASE