On 2017-05-23 13:47, Roger Oberholtzer wrote:

On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 12:26 PM, Koenraad Lelong wrote:

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Hi,

My daugher needs a new laptop. She is used to linux, so she wants it on the new laptop. One candidate is an Asus N752VX-GC084T. Anyone has experience with it running Opensuse ? The PC has two graphical chips (NVidia Optimus ?). Does this work with linux nowadays ?

Isn't one graphics chip used in low-power mode, and the other in full-power mode? I have never gotten Linux to use both. So I disable one in the BIOS and let it use the other. I would be happy to know if there is a better way.

https://es.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_Optimus Oops, that's in Spanish. https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_Bumblebee

So, if my info is correct, being able to disable one of the graphics chips may be nice.

That was possible at first, but not on the later chipsets. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.2 x86_64 "Malachite" (Minas Tirith))

On 05/23/2017 05:24 AM, Roger Oberholtzer wrote:

On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 1:52 PM, Carlos E. R. wrote:

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On 2017-05-23 13:47, Roger Oberholtzer wrote:

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On Tue, May 23, 2017 at 12:26 PM, Koenraad Lelong wrote:

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Hi,

My daugher needs a new laptop. She is used to linux, so she wants it on the new laptop. One candidate is an Asus N752VX-GC084T. Anyone has experience with it running Opensuse ? The PC has two graphical chips (NVidia Optimus ?). Does this work with linux nowadays ?

Isn't one graphics chip used in low-power mode, and the other in full-power mode? I have never gotten Linux to use both. So I disable one in the BIOS and let it use the other. I would be happy to know if there is a better way.

https://es.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_Optimus Oops, that's in Spanish. https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_Bumblebee

...

So, if my info is correct, being able to disable one of the graphics chips may be nice.

That was possible at first, but not on the later chipsets.

Not sure if this is the same laptop:

https://www.asus.com/Laptops/VivoBook-Pro-N752VX/specifications/

It lists only NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 950M 2GB/4GB DDR3 VRAM

But very similar models do specifically mention Intel HD Graphics 530 + NVIDIA GeForce GTX 950M, http://icecat.us/us/p/asus/90nb0ay1-m01450/laptops-4712900300987-N752VX-GC08... That calls for bumblebee drivers. And being that new it will probably be best served by the proprietary drivers, which are readily available. I'd opt for a bigger ssd, and reserve the whole HDD for just bulk storage. And 16gig ram. - As long as you're buying. ;-) -- After all is said and done, more is said than done. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 05/23/2017 07:08 AM, Wols Lists wrote:

Any reason for 17"? We've got a 17" and find it too big - 15" seems to be the sweet spot.

Well, maybe for a school kid expected to lug it around to class or something. But for an adult 5,95 lbs (2,7 kg) is not that much and the screen real-estate will be greatly appreciated when doing any real work. Plus the width allows for a full sized keyboard without falling off the side of the thing. I've been stuck with little screen laptops too often, and 17 inch is my minimum these days for anything I intend to use for actual work. For media surfing, sure, but if that's all she wanted a big-ish netbook would be cheaper. -- After all is said and done, more is said than done. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 23/05/17 06:41 PM, John Andersen wrote:

I've been stuck with little screen laptops too often, and 17 inch is my minimum these days for anything I intend to use for actual work.

it entirely depends on what your "work" is. For photo editing, a 27" screen is barely enough. having a separate screen onto which you can drag the controls (if you are suing GIMP) leaving the 27" just for the image is better. That 27" screen can also accommodate an edit window and a couple of windows devoted to "research", all visible at the same time. When writing, there are a number of modes. On the smaller (<20") screens I can use the VT's but that means they are not all visible at once as they could be with the 27". A friend solves that by having five separate 19" screens on his desk. I don't have room for that. He also says that five is not enough. Most of the time I don't believe that. One reason i don't believe that is some of the time I drill down and write, NaNoWriMo style, churning out those 50,000 words quite regardless of references and consistency of such matters as the characters eye colour or ethnicity, all matters that get cleaned up in the 'edit' stage. My 12" tablet and bluetooth keyboard do fine for that since its about FOCUS, FOCUS, FOCUS. Context is Everything -- what your actual work is may not be the same all times of day, all days, all stages of life. I prefer getting email on my PC, but if you need my attention !FAST! then IM me on my phone, and that only has a 5" screen. A guy a lot wiser than me (who it was various according to your authority" once said: If you think technology can solve your problems, then you don't understand the problems and you don't understand the technology -- A: Yes. > Q: Are you sure? >> A: Because it reverses the logical flow of conversation. >>> Q: Why is top posting frowned upon? -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 23/05/17 23:41, John Andersen wrote:

On 05/23/2017 07:08 AM, Wols Lists wrote:

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Any reason for 17"? We've got a 17" and find it too big - 15" seems to be the sweet spot. Well, maybe for a school kid expected to lug it around to class or something.

But for an adult 5,95 lbs (2,7 kg) is not that much and the screen real-estate will be greatly appreciated when doing any real work. Plus the width allows for a full sized keyboard without falling off the side of the thing.

I use the laptop as, well, a lap-top. For which use-case, 17" is too big and it keeps falling off :-) Cheers, Wol -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 05/24/2017 02:33 PM, James Knott wrote:

On 05/24/2017 02:52 PM, Wols Lists wrote:

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I use the laptop as, well, a lap-top. For which use-case, 17" is too big and it keeps falling off :-)

So, get a bigger lap! ;-)

Or glue the monitor down so it doesn't fall off anymore... :p -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 05/23/2017 06:37 PM, David C. Rankin wrote:

On 05/23/2017 05:26 AM, Koenraad Lelong wrote:

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Or any recommandations ? 17" screen While it will depend if she will need to carry it to class daily. Personally, I will not buy a laptop with less than a 17" screen, just for a usefulness standpoint -- especially with the reduction in 'height' resolution in laptop displays in the recent years (e.g. 1600x1200 is now 1600x900, etc.)

It would be worth asking her what is more important - mobility or screen real-estate. I have an ASUS ROG G750JW with a 17 inch screen.

I never have been able to get bluetooth working correctly and lets just say wifi has been an adventure. Pay attention to those items as well It DOES have two laptop drive wells and will actually take up to 24GB of RAM. You DO have to work at that as well (there are ram slots under the keyboard. Not easy to get to) -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 05/24/2017 09:57 AM, John Andersen wrote:

Oh, and Skylake never started working well until kernel 4.9, and even better if 4.10 is used.

Skylake problems are legend in the Linux world.

They are also well known in the Win7 install world too.. Gotta love xhci! ( what, you mean ehci is required for the install to work :p ) -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 26/05/17 10:58, Koenraad Lelong wrote:

Op 23-05-17 om 12:26 schreef Koenraad Lelong:

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Hi,

My daugher needs a new laptop. She is used to linux, so she wants it on the new laptop. One candidate is an Asus N752VX-GC084T. Anyone has experience with it running Opensuse ? The PC has two graphical chips (NVidia Optimus ?). Does this work with linux nowadays ?

Or any recommandations ? 17" screen with decent quality, full HD, good battery-life.

Thanks,

Koenraad.

Thanks for your replies.

Helpfull information and more things to consider.

Bit more to consider - some laptops seem to have batteries that are difficult to change. Mine just clips off and on. The original battery was "6 cells" and, after about 4 years, was pretty much dead, not surprisingly. I've now replaced it with a 12-cell battery pack, and that gives me an 8-10hr battery life. For an old 17" laptop with a rotating rust hard drive, that's a very good life. And if the battery is hard to replace, well you're looking at a dead (or, at least, won't work unless it's plugged in) laptop after 3 years or so if you make good use of it. Cheers, Wol -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 05/26/2017 10:15 AM, Billie Walsh wrote:

A while back I bought a Dell Inspiron Duo. You have to dismantle half the laptop to get to it. But that's only half the battle. Dell put a secret chip in the battery. If that chip isn't in there the battery won't work. Most replacement batteries don't have this chip. So, I'm stuck with a notepad sized computer that will only work when plugged in. Kind of takes away from why I bought it in the first place.

Just something else to think about.

No antitrust/anti-competitive/illegal tying arrangement/etc. there... What will these guys do next? -- David C. Rankin, J.D.,P.E. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 2017-05-27 18:07, Wols Lists wrote:

On 27/05/17 04:24, David C. Rankin wrote:

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On 05/26/2017 10:15 AM, Billie Walsh wrote:

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A while back I bought a Dell Inspiron Duo. You have to dismantle half the laptop to get to it. But that's only half the battle. Dell put a secret chip in the battery. If that chip isn't in there the battery won't work. Most replacement batteries don't have this chip. So, I'm stuck with a notepad sized computer that will only work when plugged in. Kind of takes away from why I bought it in the first place.

Just something else to think about.

No antitrust/anti-competitive/illegal tying arrangement/etc. there...

What will these guys do next?

Problem is, the regulators all too often try to ban sharp practice. They should just make it uneconomic. Bit like EU fines are aimed at preventing future infringement not putting right past wrongs.

So if a non-user-replaceable part is something that needs replacing "regularly", it's a warranty return ... set a "usability life" for electronic gear - I would have thought ten years isn't bad - that's what it is for cars - and parts have to either last that long, or be easily replaced by aftermarket equivalents. If you can't do that, the manufacturer has to do it "free".

There is a fight on courts and elsewhere, on the USA, about the right of people to repair their own gadgets. The gadget can be an agricultural machine or a tablet. Some companies want to forbid it, because it contains their intellectual creation (software). It is related to replacement of batteries. Only a law can help us. -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.2 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)

On 2017-05-27 23:44, jdd@dodin.org wrote:

Le 27/05/2017 à 23:18, Carlos E. R. a écrit :

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There is a fight on courts and elsewhere, on the USA, about the right of people to repair their own gadgets.

this is incredible!!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a25246/right-to-re... https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/apple-is-lobbying-against-your-ri... -- Cheers / Saludos, Carlos E. R. (from 42.2 x86_64 "Malachite" at Telcontar)

On 05/28/2017 01:41 AM, jdd@dodin.org wrote:

Le 28/05/2017 à 00:03, Carlos E. R. a écrit :

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On 2017-05-27 23:44, jdd@dodin.org wrote:

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Le 27/05/2017 à 23:18, Carlos E. R. a écrit :

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There is a fight on courts and elsewhere, on the USA, about the right of people to repair their own gadgets.

this is incredible!!

http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/infrastructure/a25246/right-to-re...

https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/apple-is-lobbying-against-your-ri...

when saying it's incredible, I didn't mind to say it's not true :-(

jdd

Here's something more on this issue: https://www.extremetech.com/electronics/250050-supreme-court-slaps-lexmark-cant-lock-cartridges-stop-refillers?utm_source=email&utm_campaign=whatsnewnow&utm_medium=title -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 27/05/17 22:18, Carlos E. R. wrote:

It is related to replacement of batteries.

Only a law can help us.

Yep. If the law says the part - ANY part - must be easily replaceable with an aftermarket part, or it's a warranty repair, then they'll stop doing it. If it's an agricultural machine with an expected life of ten, twenty (maybe more) years, making a dead battery every 3 years a warranty repair is going to cost the service guys a bomb. The importers and sales people won't want to touch them (or the local manufacturers will rapidly stop locking the stuff). Cheers, Wol -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org