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Author: marc
Date:  
To: dng
Subject: Re: [DNG] Debian Devs using OSx? was Devuan in the German Wikipedia
Hello

> A quick search found
> https://www.geekwire.com/2016/mac-overtakes-linux-as-developers-primary-os-windows-headed-below-50-market-share/


If one takes that statement at face value, then unless HP, Dell,
Lenovo, Acer, Sony, etc, etc. change their strategy they are
each doomed to make up a teeny fraction of the laptops used
in the development community.

This reminds me of two events some time ago:

* One where Samsung had licensed Alpha CPUs and could have
taken away the server marked from Intel had they only been
smart enough to offer decent motherboards for the nascent
Linux HPC market.

* And the other where SGI was unwilling to make graphics cards
for gamers and so lost their lead in the 3d graphics domain.

Given that the above laptop manufacturers seem to be happy
to tie themselves to the Microsoft boat anchor and thus sink,
one would imagine that there is a neat little gap for a non-macos
laptop targeted at people developing for unix-like environments. In
other words a proper linux laptop.

And one can see stirrings of this, from unusual directions -
the pitop laptop, the olimex laptop, the beautiful novenna
laptop from Bunnie H, the ME-cleaned resellers and refurbished
thinkbooks...

I am not sure what such laptop might have as killer feature:
Two network ports ? Mechanical keyboard with many mm of
travel ? Week-long battery life ? Truly open bios and riscV
CPU ? Hardware bitcoin wallet ? EOMA compatebility ? Arduino
shield support ? Internal USB bays ? All of the above ?

Heck, maybe none of this comes to pass - building a new laptop
type must be a rather expensive undertaking. It just seems to
me that there is a really nice window opening there...

regards

marc