Hi, All -- -
Long time, etc. ;-) Been over 5 years of official retirement (actual a bit less). Still watch the list for nostalgia, but I have nothing useful to contribute (OK -- all at once: "As usual!")
Question for Ed and the Mac-tolerant: My mid-2014 MacBook is tired and literally falling apart. I want to modernize a bit ("Oh! to have a battery last more than 30 minutes..."). New MacBook with a big drive is $4-$5,000 depending on the drive. My criteria are:
1. I really don't need big power any more -- I surf and do the occasional audio/video/image editing. What power I have is enough.
2. I want mega-storage. A 4TB drive or more would be the best. (Currently I have a have an external drive literally Velcro'ed to the underside.) I could add an internal one, but most of the laptop-size internal drives seem to be targeted at NAS systems (https://tinyurl.com/y2hh3qhz). I am too far out of the hardware loop to comprehend why a NAS-targeted drive is different or wouldn't work in a laptop.
3. I still want a big screen -- a combination of preference and old eyes.
4. Happy for a refurb. or whatever if the source is reputable. I can replace the drive (if #2).
5. Yes, it is possible that I would go back to the Windows or Linux universes, but for now I want to stay the course (I use Parallels to do Windows/Linux).
6. I need to stay mobile -- we move around quite a bit.
Recommendations? Half-baked ideas?
Warmest regards to all -- still grateful after all these years for your camaraderie and generosity. (Special shout-out to wOOdy, harking back to the CompuServe days.)
Ken Kix
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Why do you need 4TB of local storage? I'm doing as much as I can to go the other way now - keeping as much as possible on my Synology NAS so I can access it from any device. That may be your constraint.
The new MacBook Airs with M1 are amazingly fast, but I don't think large screens are available yet.
Eric
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 11:58 AM Ken Kixmoeller (ProFox) < foxhelp@information-architecture.com> wrote:
Hi, All -- -
Long time, etc. ;-) Been over 5 years of official retirement (actual a bit less). Still watch the list for nostalgia, but I have nothing useful to contribute (OK -- all at once: "As usual!")
Question for Ed and the Mac-tolerant: My mid-2014 MacBook is tired and literally falling apart. I want to modernize a bit ("Oh! to have a battery last more than 30 minutes..."). New MacBook with a big drive is $4-$5,000 depending on the drive. My criteria are:
- I really don't need big power any more -- I surf and do the occasional
audio/video/image editing. What power I have is enough.
- I want mega-storage. A 4TB drive or more would be the best. (Currently I
have a have an external drive literally Velcro'ed to the underside.) I could add an internal one, but most of the laptop-size internal drives seem to be targeted at NAS systems (https://tinyurl.com/y2hh3qhz). I am too far out of the hardware loop to comprehend why a NAS-targeted drive is different or wouldn't work in a laptop.
I still want a big screen -- a combination of preference and old eyes.
Happy for a refurb. or whatever if the source is reputable. I can
replace the drive (if #2).
- Yes, it is possible that I would go back to the Windows or Linux
universes, but for now I want to stay the course (I use Parallels to do Windows/Linux).
- I need to stay mobile -- we move around quite a bit.
Recommendations? Half-baked ideas?
Warmest regards to all -- still grateful after all these years for your camaraderie and generosity. (Special shout-out to wOOdy, harking back to the CompuServe days.)
Ken Kix
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[excessive quoting removed by server]
Hi Eric,
Why do you need 4TB of local storage? I'm doing as much as I can to go the other way now - keeping as much as possible on my Synology NAS so I can access it from any device. That may be your constraint.
We have like a half a dozen Synologies in various offices in different sizes. None of them would meet Ken's "must be portable" requirement. <g> The other issue with Synologies is that in terms of data transfer it's hard to exceed 100 MB/second and the network adds extra latency, as does the SMB protocol. My external SSD connected to USB-C maintains 240 MB/sec and the internal one is a lot faster than that.
We tried TimeMachine backups on the Synology and storing our VMs there, but it was just too slow and buggy. We now use SSDs for TimeMachine and a lot of problems have disappeared.
I've 2 TB of storage, but constantly get error messages because I run out of disk space. I've moved rarely used VMs to an external disk, even though I don't like that. I guess videos need a similar amount of storage.
I could see that. I'm in constant awe of the different use cases people have for their machines. e.g. I used to keep a *ton* of my code on my local machine now, but I've moved it all to GitHub or BitBucket and only have what I'm currently working on stored locally. All of my photos, music, and videos are on my Synology (as well as local backups). VMs are in AWS, etc. My local storage needs have greatly diminished in the last few years.
E
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 12:45 PM Christof Wollenhaupt < christof@wollenhaupt.org> wrote:
Hi Eric,
Why do you need 4TB of local storage? I'm doing as much as I can to go
the
other way now - keeping as much as possible on my Synology NAS so I can access it from any device. That may be your constraint.
We have like a half a dozen Synologies in various offices in different sizes. None of them would meet Ken's "must be portable" requirement. <g> The other issue with Synologies is that in terms of data transfer it's hard to exceed 100 MB/second and the network adds extra latency, as does the SMB protocol. My external SSD connected to USB-C maintains 240 MB/sec and the internal one is a lot faster than that.
We tried TimeMachine backups on the Synology and storing our VMs there, but it was just too slow and buggy. We now use SSDs for TimeMachine and a lot of problems have disappeared.
I've 2 TB of storage, but constantly get error messages because I run out of disk space. I've moved rarely used VMs to an external disk, even though I don't like that. I guess videos need a similar amount of storage.
-- Christof
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[excessive quoting removed by server]
I just can't justify a ton of built-in storage anymore, especially in a MacBook, as Apple just wants to stick it to you when you want expansive storage. System76's offerings for Linux based systems (whether you want to use their version or not) allows for options but then you are no longer in the Apple environment unless you want to try and build a hackintosh using opencore or something similar. For my personal MBP, an older 13 inch unit with no touch bar, I have a 4TB external SSD that I carry with me with the VMs, source, and such that I feel I might need. That gets synced with the network in my office when I attach to it so that things remain with some level of stasis and I can work from whichever machine I decide to use that day.
I am looking at the new Darter Pro from System76 to become my main portable machine and it allows for 2 2TB NVMe drives, provided you are willing to pay the freight. Still not sure that I need that much built-in storage. Now I really just have to get my CFO on board with the purchase. You can check this machine out here: https://system76.com/laptops/darter
----------------------------- Michael Oke, II okeind@gmail.com 661-349-6221 -----------------------------
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 12:17 PM Eric Selje Eric@saltydogllc.com wrote:
I could see that. I'm in constant awe of the different use cases people have for their machines. e.g. I used to keep a *ton* of my code on my local machine now, but I've moved it all to GitHub or BitBucket and only have what I'm currently working on stored locally. All of my photos, music, and videos are on my Synology (as well as local backups). VMs are in AWS, etc. My local storage needs have greatly diminished in the last few years.
E
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 12:45 PM Christof Wollenhaupt < christof@wollenhaupt.org> wrote:
Hi Eric,
Why do you need 4TB of local storage? I'm doing as much as I can to go
the
other way now - keeping as much as possible on my Synology NAS so I can access it from any device. That may be your constraint.
We have like a half a dozen Synologies in various offices in different sizes. None of them would meet Ken's "must be portable" requirement. <g> The other issue with Synologies is that in terms of data transfer it's
hard
to exceed 100 MB/second and the network adds extra latency, as does the
SMB
protocol. My external SSD connected to USB-C maintains 240 MB/sec and the internal one is a lot faster than that.
We tried TimeMachine backups on the Synology and storing our VMs there, but it was just too slow and buggy. We now use SSDs for TimeMachine and a lot of problems have disappeared.
I've 2 TB of storage, but constantly get error messages because I run out of disk space. I've moved rarely used VMs to an external disk, even
though
I don't like that. I guess videos need a similar amount of storage.
-- Christof
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[excessive quoting removed by server]
Haha -- the real answer is that I just want all these files at my beck and call. I do have a small personal cloud at one place, but the response is too slow to be useful, even when using it as a NAS. So -- I just wanna. We have a couple of homes, and we travel a lot (or we did and -- Bug willing -- will again), so I would "rather not" haul around NAS devices or external drives.
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 1:34 PM Eric Selje Eric@saltydogllc.com wrote:
Why do you need 4TB of local storage? I'm doing as much as I can to go the other way now - keeping as much as possible on my Synology NAS so I can access it from any device. That may be your constraint.
The new MacBook Airs with M1 are amazingly fast, but I don't think large screens are available yet.
Eric
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 11:58 AM Ken Kixmoeller (ProFox) < foxhelp@information-architecture.com> wrote:
Hi, All -- -
Long time, etc. ;-) Been over 5 years of official retirement (actual a
bit
less). Still watch the list for nostalgia, but I have nothing useful to contribute (OK -- all at once: "As usual!")
Question for Ed and the Mac-tolerant: My mid-2014 MacBook is tired and literally falling apart. I want to modernize a bit ("Oh! to have a
battery
last more than 30 minutes..."). New MacBook with a big drive is $4-$5,000 depending on the drive. My criteria are:
- I really don't need big power any more -- I surf and do the occasional
audio/video/image editing. What power I have is enough.
- I want mega-storage. A 4TB drive or more would be the best.
(Currently I
have a have an external drive literally Velcro'ed to the underside.) I could add an internal one, but most of the laptop-size internal drives
seem
to be targeted at NAS systems (https://tinyurl.com/y2hh3qhz). I am too
far
out of the hardware loop to comprehend why a NAS-targeted drive is different or wouldn't work in a laptop.
I still want a big screen -- a combination of preference and old eyes.
Happy for a refurb. or whatever if the source is reputable. I can
replace the drive (if #2).
- Yes, it is possible that I would go back to the Windows or Linux
universes, but for now I want to stay the course (I use Parallels to do Windows/Linux).
- I need to stay mobile -- we move around quite a bit.
Recommendations? Half-baked ideas?
Warmest regards to all -- still grateful after all these years for your camaraderie and generosity. (Special shout-out to wOOdy, harking back to the CompuServe days.)
Ken Kix
--- StripMime Report -- processed MIME parts --- multipart/alternative text/plain (text body -- kept) text/html
[excessive quoting removed by server]
Hi Ken,
The M1 chip is a big change as far as compatibility goes. If you want to be guaranteed to run Windows software then you need to get an Intel Mac, and soon the only way to get one will be a used one.
On the M1 chip you currently can use wine or CrossOver to run Windows applications. But that depends on Rosetta 2 which will only remain available for a few more years max. There's an M1 version of Parallels, but it only runs the ARM editions of Windows and Linux, not the x86 editions.
For most things a 2016 MacBook Pro would actually be a decent choice. It has the MagSafe adapter and the real keyboard. I've used it for a few weeks while my newer MBP was being repaired. With an external 4 TB SSD connected to USB-3 that was plenty fast even for my regular work. Only Windows VMs were a bit slow. My SSD drive is the Samsung 860 EVO 4 TB SSD.
If you don't want an external drive, then you should get the current 16" MacBook Pro model as long as it is still Intel. The keyboard is better than the 2017-2019 models and the ESC key is back. But it's still not the same keyboard that the older MacBook Pro generation had. Performance-wise most other MacBooks would work, but large screen and huge storage is only the 16" MacBook Pro.
...My SSD drive is the Samsung 860 EVO 4 TB SSD...
Thanks, Christof ---
Is that in your new MBP? If so, no reason that it wouldn't fit in older, like the 2016? I have gotten so insecure about this stuff, not paying much attention the last few years.
On Thu, Feb 4, 2021 at 1:37 PM Christof Wollenhaupt < christof@wollenhaupt.org> wrote:
Hi Ken,
The M1 chip is a big change as far as compatibility goes. If you want to be guaranteed to run Windows software then you need to get an Intel Mac, and soon the only way to get one will be a used one.
On the M1 chip you currently can use wine or CrossOver to run Windows applications. But that depends on Rosetta 2 which will only remain available for a few more years max. There's an M1 version of Parallels, but it only runs the ARM editions of Windows and Linux, not the x86 editions.
For most things a 2016 MacBook Pro would actually be a decent choice. It has the MagSafe adapter and the real keyboard. I've used it for a few weeks while my newer MBP was being repaired. With an external 4 TB SSD connected to USB-3 that was plenty fast even for my regular work. Only Windows VMs were a bit slow. My SSD drive is the Samsung 860 EVO 4 TB SSD.
If you don't want an external drive, then you should get the current 16" MacBook Pro model as long as it is still Intel. The keyboard is better than the 2017-2019 models and the ESC key is back. But it's still not the same keyboard that the older MacBook Pro generation had. Performance-wise most other MacBooks would work, but large screen and huge storage is only the 16" MacBook Pro.
-- Christof
[excessive quoting removed by server]
Is that in your new MBP? If so, no reason that it wouldn't fit in older, like the 2016? I have gotten so insecure about this stuff, not paying much attention the last few years.
It's the external one. My internal SSD drive is whatever Apple put in there. I don't think you can change the SSD in a MacBook anymore.
CompuServe: I had two numbers. The one I used last was 100770,1601.
Haha, yes, I remember you on CompuServe, too. (But wOOdy hadn't been on this list for a long time -- I remember him coming and going at the time when the signal/noise ratio was high. A lot of people did.)
Hmmm -- I was assuming I could upgrade an internal HD, as I did on this machine. Never occurred to me that one couldn't. I was just concerned about the physical configuration. I need to continue my homework, clearly.
On Fri, Feb 5, 2021 at 1:35 AM Christof Wollenhaupt < christof@wollenhaupt.org> wrote:
Is that in your new MBP? If so, no reason that it wouldn't fit in older, like the 2016? I have gotten so insecure about this stuff, not paying
much
attention the last few years.
It's the external one. My internal SSD drive is whatever Apple put in there. I don't think you can change the SSD in a MacBook anymore.
CompuServe: I had two numbers. The one I used last was 100770,1601.
-- Christof
[excessive quoting removed by server]
Yikes. I doubt I could remember my CIS handle... wOOdy wins again...
--
rk
-----Original Message----- From: ProfoxTech profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com On Behalf Of Jürgen Wondzinski Sent: Thursday, February 4, 2021 3:55 PM To: profoxtech@leafe.com Subject: AW: [NF] Macbook Upgrade
Hi Ken!
Special shout-out to wOOdy, harking back to the CompuServe days. <<
UhOh :) Thank You, Sir!
Those CIS days.. 100015,676 to the rescue :)
wOOdy
Richard,
70032,1725
Did you know that they used octal numbering?
Robert
On 04/02/2021 22:43, Richard Kaye wrote:
Yikes. I doubt I could remember my CIS handle... wOOdy wins again...
--
rk
-----Original Message----- From: ProfoxTech profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com On Behalf Of Jürgen Wondzinski Sent: Thursday, February 4, 2021 3:55 PM To: profoxtech@leafe.com Subject: AW: [NF] Macbook Upgrade
Hi Ken!
Special shout-out to wOOdy, harking back to the CompuServe days. <<
UhOh :) Thank You, Sir!
Those CIS days.. 100015,676 to the rescue :)
wOOdy
[excessive quoting removed by server]
Hey Robert,
How's it going?
I can’t say I did but my vague memory is my handle was more similar to yours. If enough people add their handles it might force something out of long term storage... 😉
--
rk
-----Original Message----- From: ProfoxTech profoxtech-bounces@leafe.com On Behalf Of Robert van der Hulst Sent: Thursday, February 4, 2021 4:53 PM To: profoxtech@leafe.com Subject: Re: [NF] Macbook Upgrade
Richard,
70032,1725
Did you know that they used octal numbering?
Robert
-
Christof Wollenhaupt -
Eric Selje -
Jürgen Wondzinski -
Ken Kixmoeller (ProFox) -
Michael Oke, II -
Richard Kaye -
Robert van der Hulst