Fedora (Linux) is Destroying it self

Nathan Grennan fedora-devel-list at cygnusx-1.org
Fri May 15 00:46:47 UTC 2009


On 05/14/2009 05:14 PM, Chris Adams wrote:
> Once upon a time, Nathan Grennan<fedora-devel-list at cygnusx-1.org>  said:
>>    Desktop hardware and laptop hardware tend to be so different. Laptops
>> are generally a generation behind on motherboard chipsets and
>> processors.
>
> Not really in recent years, as Intel, AMD, and the other associated
> vendors have focused on power management across the board (with laptop
> chips leading the way).

  Yes, the are focused on power management across the board, but new 
processors and chipsets come out for desktops first. The i7 was for 
desktops first.

>
>> They tend to have less variety of hardware when it comes to
>> network, video, and sound cards.
>
> Again, not necessarily, at least for network and video.  They may be
> different from desktop, but there is a wide variety.  A given line or
> even brand of laptop may be more uniform, but there are a lot of
> different makes and models.

It isn't that wide of a variety, and for wired cards they aren't 
swappable. In some cases wireless cards aren't swapped for artificial 
technical reasons. Video cards it is always a really stripped down form 
of ATI/Nvidia cards or Intel, and not swappable. This means way less 
combinations of hardware.

>
>> Keyboards on laptops are pretty much
>> always done the same way since they are built-in.
>
> Laptops almost always have "special" keys that not all desktops have,
> and on laptops they can be more important (suspend, volume control,
> etc.).

Desktops can have lots of special keys too. Though they aren't my 
personal taste. I mentioned them more on desktops are ps/2 or usb, where 
as laptop keyboards are handled by the manufacture. Unless you plug in 
an external, which most people don't.

>> Mice on laptops are
>> almost always trackpads, since they are built-in.
>
> Well, Thinkpads (and some others) have Trackpoint.  Also, lots of people
> have a USB (or in my case Bluetooth) mouse.  Most desktop users only
> have one pointing device.

Thinkpads are the main exception. Yes, lots of people do use external 
mice on laptops, but even more just deal with the built-in trackpad, 
which is a whole different experience than a external mouse.

>> Other cards come out
>> different too, PCI/PCIe vs Cardbus/ExpressCard/USB.
>
> Cardbus == PCI+hotswap
> ExpressCard == PCIe+hotswap (+another USB connector)
> USB is USB (not sure what you meant by listing it)
>

Even if they are technically hotswap versions of the same thing, the 
actual equipment you purchase, and the drivers you use with them tend to 
be VERY different. Hence why I mentioned it.

> I'd have to say my laptop has a lot more "interesting" hardware than my
> desktops.  Hot-swap card slots, built-in memory card reader (PCI
> connected, not USB), hot swap drive bay, Bluetooth, wireless, multiple
> pointer devices, special keyboard keys like volume control, etc.

   I can do a lot more interesting stuff with a desktop. It is just that 
you are given the option when ordering to get more built-in. Some things 
make more sense in a laptop, like wireless, and volume control(built-in 
speakers).

> Laptops also tend (at least as shipped) to have more limited resources
> (less RAM, smaller and slower hard drives, slower CPUs, limited video,
> etc.), so making a laptop run something with good response will almost
> always improve responsiveness on desktops as well.

   Yeah, that is why I am not a fan of laptops. They are so limited. I 
can do so much more with my desktop faster.

   Their use cases are also so different. A lot of laptop work revolves 
around running off a battery. Desktops don't have a real need for that. 
Another issue is things like cpu scaling. On a laptop this makes sense. 
In my experience on a desktop it noticeably reduces performance. I might 
be willing to make that trade off on a laptop, but not a desktop.




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