Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Van L]

Hello,

What alternatives are there to the following:

- Mac Mini (late 2018)
- Lenovo Tiny (Model P 330)

Lambdalabs doesn’t have of product of this size 
but has Ubuntu out of the box. The one thing I’d
miss leaving the Apple ecosystem is the Emacs Mac’s
convenience function Shift-Command-D for Dictionary.

Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Van L]

> What alternatives are there to the following:
>
> - Mac Mini (late 2018) 
> - Lenovo Tiny (Model P 330) 
>
> LambdaLabs doesn’t have a product of this size

SoftIron has the OverDrive 1000 ARM Workstation 
at 3.65kg with openSUSE but nothing at 1L.

(Noticed on guix-devel and forwarded, here.)

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Stefan Monnier]

> What alternatives are there to the following:
>
> - Mac Mini (late 2018)
> - Lenovo Tiny (Model P 330)

I think you'll want to be more clear in what you're looking for.
A cubietruck definitely fits the 1L constraint and runs a recent Emacs
just fine, and there are hordes of similar little beasts out there.


        Stefan

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Van L]

>> What alternatives are there to the following:
>>
>> - Mac Mini (late 2018)
>> - Lenovo Tiny (Model P 330)
>
> I think you'll want to be more clear in what you're looking for.

What I have is the Mac Mini (late 2009) and on to it GNU/Emacs runs.
Happily. The hardware consists of a twocore cpu, 8Gb ram, 256Gb SSD,
gigabit networking.

But, the operating system is no longer served as
upgradeable. Sadly. Why? my guess is the Metal™ subsystem for
accelerated graphics display won't interface with the vintage Nvidia
device driver, a marketing problem, not a software engineering
problem.

Having read [1] if I were to pick a Mac Mini cpu for GNU/Emacs, is the
i3 cpu better than i5, i7?

I am looking for hardware with "fit and finish" improving on what I
have and for the operating system to be free and open where possible.

System76, HP, ChromeOS suppliers satisfy the 1L constraint but they
don't look serious like, not even, the Apple TV puck.

> A cubietruck definitely fits the 1L constraint and runs a recent Emacs
> just fine, and there are hordes of similar little beasts out there.

The cubieboard is like the Raspberry Pi, some have the Mathematica
package. The look of them is like the fork in Toy Story 4.

--- Footnotes

[1] https://wp.me/p51SSp-dmc

-- 
© 2019 Van L
  gpg using EEF2 37E9 3840 0D5D 9183  251E 9830 384E 9683 B835
  "What is connectivity?" -John Sculley

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Stefan Monnier]

> What I have is the Mac Mini (late 2009) and on to it GNU/Emacs runs.
> Happily.  The hardware consists of a twocore cpu, 8Gb ram, 256Gb SSD,
> gigabit networking.
>
> But, the operating system is no longer served as upgradeable.

Odd.  My 2006 Mac Mini is still using the very latest version of the
operating system (Debian testing ;-).

> I am looking for hardware with "fit and finish" improving on what I
> have and for the operating system to be free and open where possible.

Keeping the same machine won't improve the "fit and finish", but
upgrading to Debian will definitely improve on the "free and open where
possible".   And it will save the planet a fair bit of green house gases
and pollution at the same time, so you'll get double karma points.

> System76, HP, ChromeOS suppliers satisfy the 1L constraint but they
> don't look serious like, not even, the Apple TV puck.

Indeed Apple is one of (if not *the*) most serious company in terms of
not letting their customers own "their" devices.

System76 is a joke in comparison.  For that reason, I'd go with System76
any day.  https://puri.sm/ is another one that doesn't take controlling
its customers seriously at all (tho they don't offer any desktop
machine yet, AFAIK).

>> A cubietruck definitely fits the 1L constraint and runs a recent Emacs
>> just fine, and there are hordes of similar little beasts out there.
> The cubieboard is like the Raspberry Pi, some have the Mathematica
> package.  The look of them is like the fork in Toy Story 4.

Not sure whether that means it's a good fit for your use case.
[ And not only because I haven't watched TS4.  ]
If you need something silent (and hence fanless), it's not the worst
choice and it's damn cheap.


        Stefan "hoping System76 will have fanless desktops next time he
                needs to replace his own"

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Van L]

>> System76, HP, ChromeOS suppliers satisfy the 1L constraint but they
>> don't look serious like, not even, the Apple TV puck.
> 
> Indeed Apple is one of (if not *the*) most serious company in terms of
> not letting their customers own "their" devices.

If, indeed, Apple does privacy protection from the likes of AMI, Apple's
justification for wanting to protect "their" devices is understandable.

>>> A cubietruck definitely fits the 1L constraint and runs a recent Emacs
>>> just fine, and there are hordes of similar little beasts out there.
>> The cubieboard is like the Raspberry Pi, some have the Mathematica
>> package.  The look of them is like the fork in Toy Story 4.
> 
> Not sure whether that means it's a good fit for your use case.
> [ And not only because I haven't watched TS4.  ]

It could be made to fit if it doesn't, but to see it everyday as an
unattractive object for 5 or 10 years would be very, very depressing
like wearing the nose on the earliest model Tesla roadster. (One was
thrown in space and the nose was framed out from the viewing angles.)

> If you need something silent (and hence fanless), it's not the worst
> choice and it's damn cheap.

Thanks for the insight.

>         Stefan "hoping System76 will have fanless desktops next time he
>                 needs to replace his own"

I'd like a 128-bit RISV 32-core cpu in an Apple TV puck Amazon ships.

-- 
© 2019 Van L
gpg using EEF2 37E9 3840 0D5D 9183  251E 9830 384E 9683 B835
"What is connectivity?" -John Sculley

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Emanuel Berg]

Van L wrote:

> If, indeed, Apple does privacy protection
> from the likes of AMI, Apple's justification
> for wanting to protect "their" devices
> is understandable.

Apple has always been like that. When they did
some early version of their Mac, they even did
a new, unique tool in-house so that it would be
impossible to open and get inside the computer
even with standard wrenches from the hardware
store! [1]

They do it because of an underlying philosophy
that people who buy their stuff should be
consumers and nothing else. Obviously this
makes sense for Apple, who want people to buy
their stuff, again and again.

But the amazing thing is that despite this
attitude, which clearly puts the consumer at
the lowest point in the tech hierarchy, their
marketing has fooled the Apple buyers into
thinking themselves as *an elite* (??).
For this scam to work, they must always be
made to pay much more for their stuff than
everyone else, which, again, works great
for Apple.

So Apple did really, really good. Don't hate
the player - hate the game.

> It could be made to fit if it doesn't, but to
> see it everyday as an unattractive object for 5
> or 10 years would be very, very depressing like
> wearing the nose on the earliest model Tesla
> roadster. (One was thrown in space and the nose
> was framed out from the viewing angles.)

What's wrong with the way it looks? I don't
like the red color (looks like blood) but apart
from that what's not to like?


    https://www.google.com/search?site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1024&bih=656&q=cubietruck


You can always get a couple of POSCA pens or
put stickers on the casing, or simply put the
computer out of sight.

Typing this, I don't see my RPi. Because it is
behind me :)

[1] @book{iwoz,
  author     = {Steve Wozniak},
  ISBN       = 0393061434,
  publisher  = {Norton \& Company},
  title      = {iWoz},
  year       = 2006
}

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Stefan Monnier]

>> Indeed Apple is one of (if not *the*) most serious company in terms of
>> not letting their customers own "their" devices.
> If, indeed, Apple does privacy protection from the likes of AMI, Apple's
> justification for wanting to protect "their" devices is understandable.

I don't know what "AMI" stands for here (searching online finds way too
many possible interpretations of this acronym).

>> Not sure whether that means it's a good fit for your use case.
>> [ And not only because I haven't watched TS4.  ]
> It could be made to fit if it doesn't, but to see it everyday as an
> unattractive object

Ah, so you find it aesthetically unpleasing.  Obviously, there's no
arguing it (personally, I never want to see my desktop computer anyway
(as opposed to its screen and keyboard), so hide it anyway, whether
pretty or not).

But fashion changes.  I wouldn't be surprised if Apple comes out one
year with a device that comes with a clear case that shows the
underlying PCBs and stuff and then manages to sell that as
super-elite-cool  ;-)


        Stefan

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Emanuel Berg]

Stefan Monnier wrote:

>> If, indeed, Apple does privacy protection
>> from the likes of AMI, Apple's justification
>> for wanting to protect "their" devices
>> is understandable.
>
> I don't know what "AMI" stands for here
> (searching online finds way too many possible
> interpretations of this acronym).

AMI = Accessible Media Inc,

    a Canadian non-profit broadcaster and media
    platform, operating digital television and
    audio channels primarily for blind and
    partially sighted Canadians. [1]

Here is an article on Apple from AMI, "AMI
Insiders discuss Apple's iPhone 7":

    The internet is polarized like a pair of
    high-end sunglasses over Apple's decision
    to eliminate the conventional headphone
    jack from the new iPhone 7. [2]

What a bummer! The internet is polarized like
a pair of high-end sunglasses, and I haven't
even heard about it, despite my trusted old
pair of high-frequency amplifiers!

But if the "conventional headphone jack" is the
traditional 3.5mm audio port then that "sounds"
like Apple alright - they probably want people
to buy new and more expensive stuff. And if
that source is correct, they already got half
the internet onboard!


[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AMI
[2] https://www.ami.ca/ami-insiders-discuss-apples-iphone-7

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Van L]

Emanuel Berg <moasenwood@zoho.eu> writes:

> Van L wrote:
>
>> If, indeed, Apple does privacy protection
>> from the likes of AMI, Apple's justification
>> for wanting to protect "their" devices
>> is understandable.
>
> Apple has always been like that. When they did
> some early version of their Mac, they even did
> a new, unique tool in-house so that it would be
> impossible to open and get inside the computer
> even with standard wrenches from the hardware
> store! [1]
>

After the beige computer color period,
the colorful G3 Mac had a ring pull the
size of the 'o' in the 'ok' hand sign
that you pull and the whole case opened
as beautifully as a car's engine
cover. But down. It might've been
designed on their $15M Cray supercomputer.

> They do it because of an underlying philosophy
> that people who buy their stuff should be
> consumers and nothing else. Obviously this
> makes sense for Apple, who want people to buy
> their stuff, again and again.

A different explanation might be that
they wanted to shield the inner
electronics from ESD or pin bends by the
computer owner's wunderboy.

> But the amazing thing is that despite this
> attitude, which clearly puts the consumer at
> the lowest point in the tech hierarchy, their
> marketing has fooled the Apple buyers into
> thinking themselves as *an elite* (??).

Apple receives the best consumer
satisfaction ratings. That elite thing
is like the n-word? rappers say niggas.

> For this scam to work, they must always be
> made to pay much more for their stuff than
> everyone else, which, again, works great
> for Apple.

All it takes is for them to hire a
confederate or undercover spy and Apple
is screwed.

> So Apple did really, really good. Don't hate
> the player - hate the game.
>
>> It could be made to fit if it doesn't, but to
>> see it everyday as an unattractive object for 5
>> or 10 years would be very, very depressing like
>> wearing the nose on the earliest model Tesla
>> roadster. (One was thrown in space and the nose
>> was framed out from the viewing angles.)
>
> What's wrong with the way it looks? I don't
> like the red color (looks like blood) but apart
> from that what's not to like?
>

They call it midnight cherry red. I think.

The drama in the design of the original
Tesla roadster is documented.

: https://www.iot-store.com.au/products/cubietruck-plus-metal-allwinner-h8-cortex-a7-octa-core

> You can always get a couple of POSCA pens or
> put stickers on the casing, 

That's the convert a VW to Ferrari
trick. There are photos.

> or simply put the
> computer out of sight.
> Typing this, I don't see my RPi. Because it is
> behind me :)

Ah, but you know it is there and how it
looks.

-- 
© 2019 Van L
gpg using EEF2 37E9 3840 0D5D 9183  251E 9830 384E 9683 B835
"What's so strange when you know that you're a Wizard at 3?" -Joni Mitchell

Re: Suggestions for 1L computer to run Emacs 2019

[Emanuel Berg]

Van L wrote:

> A different explanation might be that they
> wanted to shield the inner electronics from
> ESD or pin bends by the computer
> owner's wunderboy.

ESD = Electrostatic discharge [1]. But this is
not a different explanation. It is the same:
buyers are buyers and only buyers.

If people were to mess around with their Apple
hardware sometimes they would brake it and be
forced to by a new machine. But chances are
they wouldn't buy it from Apple a second time
around, party because of their own failure.

Chances are also they would *succeed* with
whatever they are doing and then feel so happy
about themselves and their unique machine they
wouldn't buy another one for ages. Apple can't
have that.

> All it takes is for them to hire
> a confederate or undercover spy and Apple
> is screwed.

That won't be necessary. People who want to
know will find out no matter what. But it
doesn't matter if one guy out ten thousands
does it. What matters is this habit won't
spread. To quote Mr. Bush, ~"You can't fool
everyone. But you can fool some, and those are
the ones you should focus on."

>> Typing this, I don't see my RPi. Because it
>> is behind me :)
>
> Ah, but you know it is there and how
> it looks.

Still, I like the way the RPi looks! But if the
board was red instead of the much calmer and
more pleasant green, I wouldn't like it
as much.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrostatic_discharge

-- 
underground experts united
http://user.it.uu.se/~embe8573