Pinebook Pro review—a $200 FOSS-to-the-hilt magnesium-chassis laptop
Since we had our own demo of the Pinebook earlier this year, here is another take:
'In early March of this year, I ordered one of the FOSS-driven Pine64 project's newest designs—the Pinebook Pro. The company's manufacturing efforts have taken an enormous hit due to the impact of COVID-19 on its Chinese manufacturing partners, which kept me from receiving my Pinebook Pro until last week.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 didn't merely slow down production. It also made QA impossible, which led to enough problems with my new laptop that it's going to need to be replaced. We'll talk about why that is in much greater detail later, but for right now, keep in mind that some parts of my experience aren't as-designed for the hardware.
You should also keep in mind that the Pinebook isn't exactly a consumer product—it's a device aimed squarely at hobbyists and tinkerers with offbeat plans and limited budget. Most people will not want to replace their standard consumer laptop or Chromebook with a Pinebook Pro—but it's a fascinating look at what's possible in inexpensive hardware design with an intense focus on privacy, open source design, and community.'
-- source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/06/pinebook-pro-review-a-200-foss-to-th...
Cheers, Peter
Since we had our own demo of the Pinebook earlier this year, here is another take:
'In early March of this year, I ordered one of the FOSS-driven Pine64 project's newest designs—the Pinebook Pro. The company's manufacturing efforts have taken an enormous hit due to the impact of COVID-19 on its Chinese manufacturing partners, which kept me from receiving my Pinebook Pro until last week.
Unfortunately, COVID-19 didn't merely slow down production. It also made QA impossible, which led to enough problems with my new laptop that it's going to need to be replaced. We'll talk about why that is in much greater detail later, but for right now, keep in mind that some parts of my experience aren't as-designed for the hardware.
You should also keep in mind that the Pinebook isn't exactly a consumer product—it's a device aimed squarely at hobbyists and tinkerers with offbeat plans and limited budget. Most people will not want to replace their standard consumer laptop or Chromebook with a Pinebook Pro—but it's a fascinating look at what's possible in inexpensive hardware design with an intense focus on privacy, open source design, and community.'
-- source: https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2020/06/pinebook-pro-review-a-200-foss-to-th...
The article lists under its "bad" bullet points: 'Arch—even by way of Manjaro—is not the newbie-friendliest choice of OEM-installed distro'
Which I strongly disagree with. I don't really see much of a difference between Manjaro and Ubuntu. Both are "easy as" to use. Maybe it's just the setup that they come with. But my experience with Manjaro (and now EndeavourOS) has been really positive!
Cheers, Peter
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Peter Reutemann