The confirmation of no trackpoint is really disappointing to see.
Can’t stand to use my framework 13 because of the touchpad, it’s rotting in my drawer while I use a lenovo t14.
I would have ordered a framework 13 trackpoint keyboard upgrade, or a framework 16 with trackpoint, in a heartbeat.
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Yep, I too would order a framework 16 with trackpoint in a heartbeat
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Another vote and bump for trackpoint support.
Although 13 seems non-trivial, for the 16 it looks like the trackpad and keyboard are relatively easy to replace.
I’d also settle for less than a integrated trackpoint keyboard: if there was a way to just have a trackpoint nub with a regular trackpad and buttons, that would definitely work for me.
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Another vote as well. This would be an instant-buy for me if it had one.
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I’ll add myself to the mix. I am a Thinkpad cultist as well and, if I had to buy a laptop right now, the only thing making me hesitant towards buying a Framework is being forced to use the touchpad after so many years. That would need physical buttons just below the keyboard like Thinkpads have, making it a niche product inside a niche, but the openness, modularity and customizability of Framework makes me hope for the best.
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Aaaand another one. If there was the possibility to have (a similar good) trackpoint and designated buttons I would immediately buy a framework laptop.
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This thread has 33K views, so clearly there is demand for a trackpoint. Why hold out on us thinkpad users, your biggest source of switchers? Does FW really think they are going to poach more buyers from Apple? I could probably do without the tackpoint my self, but I really, really, really want the hardware buttons.
Lack of trackpad/hw keys has kept me from buying FW13, but I sort of feel a need to upgrade the T460, and when the FW16 came out with an H, as in HOT cpu, i went ahead and ordered the AMD FW13.
I keep checking Lenovo just in case something pops up that is not crazy expensive with AMD, a decent screen and 32GB RAM – simply because of the keyboard/trackpoint/hw buttons. So maybe I will end up with that FW13 in Q3/4, maybe not.
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Forgot to mention - I don’t care how thick the computer is.
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I’m sorry to burst your bubble but the number of views alone doesn’t mean anything. That isn’t how you do a market research.
nice. friendly!
of course i am in no position to do market research, but seems reasonable to me that the market for fixable laptops is populated by current users of fixable laptops, not mac users. maybe i’m wrong.
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Seconding. I have been stuck with Lenovo products for over 10 years now because I refuse to use a keyboard without TrackPoint. I would love to go with Framework but there is simply no chance I will buy one unless I have the option for a TrackPoint keyboard. (And, critically, real mouse buttons.) Otherwise I would have to place a Trackpoint Keyboard II on top of the actual keyboard to be able to use the thing at all.
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@ Anyone looking for a trackpoint, have you tried Toshiba, HP, or Dell pointer sticks (trackpoint)?
Even if Framework gets a pointer stick, it won’t be a Lenovo brand “trackpoint”. If you can settle for nothing less than a Lenovo level trackpoint then you should prepare to be with Lenovo forever. I’ve purposely made sure I never become dependent on trackpoint.
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@MJ1
Modern dell and hp trackpoints seem fine, as long as there are 3 mouse buttons (left-click, scroll, right-click).
IMHO, the biggest difference might be the style of the rubber nub (concave or convex), but the nubs can generally be replaced and/or swapped out just by pulling them off the keyboard. If framework uses a standard base, people can get alternative nubs even if they don’t like the one it comes with, including ones from other brands that use the same standard.
On windows there are likely driver differences between them, but I haven’t noticed any on Linux - they pretty much all perform the same and have the same configurable acceleration and such.
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Is there any standard base / stem? I really don’t think there is. Last time I looked, about a year ago, I saw no standard or universal fitting nubs. Each company has a different size and length of stem. Even different gen Thinkpads require different nubs. I looked specifically because I would like a non-red one for my Thinkpad, but the only option for other colors would be rather pricey 3d printed ones.
Here’s a chart of different sizes needed just for lenovo alone.
Note that these are only lenovo pointer sticks. HP, Dell, and Toshiba are all different from what I’ve seen.
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I love those pics. Any devs looking at this have their pick of what to go with based on what would work best for the amount of space available in the given framework model.
While it’s true that there isn’t a “universal” standard, your chart shows that there are plenty of different devices utilizing the same design. The 4mm and 3mm are particularly widespread, and the 3mm seems like it should be able to fit in a keyboard compatible with the framework models (given the max keyboard height being 4mm).
Even between those different sizes of nubs, it looks like there’s only 2, maybe 3 different stem sizes - big square and small square (the original 6mm is the only one that looks unique).
My point is that devs looking at this problem shouldn’t need to reinvent the wheel. No one expects it to be compatible with all of them - just have it compatible with an existing design for more nub options. One would think that’d be less work overall anyway (correct me if making a hardware solution from the ground up not inspired/based on anything is somehow easier).
If it’s easier to adopt a dell or hp design, that’d be fine too, as long as it has the essentials (3 physical buttons below the spacebar, and the nub between the g, h, and b keys)
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But stem height is also different for each. For example, you can’t swap between two different small square stems that are different heights. And note that the pictured ones are only from lenovo. HP, Dell, and Toshiba are all different from what I’ve seen. And may also be different for different models. I saw one company uses both square and round stems. It’s just a mess.
Point being, there won’t be swapping alternative nubs from other brands. If say you prefer the feel of lenovo.
If the dev doesn’t want to design one from the ground up, they can pick one and let people know which one it’s based on.
If it’s based on whatever is most popular and works, then I think that’s all anyone would ask for in a project like this.
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I keep finding this thread through search every time I’m trying to find out if Framework has the TrackPoint option yet, and it looks like it keeps going. I just wanted to say if this gets implemented, I will get a Framework without a second thought. I’ve been in the market for a new laptop for a long time now, but I don’t want to get another Lenovo with soldered-in RAM and abysmal expansion options, but I really need a TrackPoint to be efficient with my work.
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A reminder to people who are coming back to this thread after some time or who are new to the thread and haven’t read through all the past posts. The [RESPONDED] tag in the title is because Framework has responded here, letting everyone know that this is not something they are working on at this time. This means that while there is not going to be a first party solution anytime soon, discussion here should instead be focused on third party solutions.
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