This is very similar to my motivations to buy 3 framework laptops (so far) for me and my family. My 2014 macbook pro is still powerfull enough for work (programming) but the screen and keyboard are starting to deteriorate. Being able to replace those later would be huge for me, although the availability of parts some 8 years later remains to be seen for Framework as well. But voting with my money seems the only significant role I can play in this worldwide battle of principles.
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You just have to anticipate and buy these parts you will have to replace before they stop producing these! :}
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Awesome 
, my very first PC had a Cyrix 6x86-P166+ running at 133 MHz. I bought that one reluctantly, after my Amiga 500 Monitor died out and I couldn’t use my Amiga anymore, because replacements became unavailable. 
Later I used that Cyrix-Computer as a Linux server to host an 8-player Counter Strike 1.4 dedicated server with two players connecting via 10MBit RG58-LAN, two via ISDN-Internet and the rest being bots pretty smoothly… good old times.
In the years to come, I happened to build my own desktop-systems with AMD-CPUs (K6-2/400, Thunderbird 1GHz, Athlon XP 1700+…), because those were reliable and priced fairly unlike intel, who feared the competition and used underhanded methods to make many pc-suppliers omit AMD-based computers completely or offer only handicapped ones in germany. It went on like this for quite some time, but gladly ended in a big fine for intel.
My first notebook was an Acer Travelmate 6292 for ~1200€, which was quite loud an ran extremely hot, so it remained the last intel-based computer I’ve ever bought, hence my motto.
I love modular, sustainable stuff, so I’ve bought a Fairphone 3 a few years ago, am still happy with it, and thought to myself how wonderful it’d be to have a similar modularized laptop. So when I first heard about Framework and its mission, I was quite delighted, but after realizing it being intel only, I lost interest immediately. Also, I’d like my laptop to be a desktop replacement, so 13" was out of the question anyway.
Then finally this year, after Framework announced the Framework Laptop 16, I awaited the pre-orders to start eagerly, but they had to open those right when I was on a long-distance plane, so I didn’t manage to get into one of the Q4-batches, but at least managed to get an early Q1. To see things positive: I expect to have a smoother experience than the early batches who’ll prolly run into some untested/unpolished issues, although I’m glad to see, that Framework takes its mission seriously to deliver a high-quality product right from the start.
Sadly, I didn’t have much luck with my recent laptops, so I really hope for the Framework Laptop 16 to justify its price by becoming the long-term investment I sought.
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As a millennial entering their 30s now, my first machine was a Pentium box in the late 90s from HP. Starting with a desktop definitely gave me a more hands-on and repair-friendly stance on things from an earlier age. I remember holding onto that for a solid 8 years, and even playing Battlefield 2142 on it back in the day (which you can still do now) until the GPU broke. As my knowledge of both Windows and hardware was still being built up at the time, I ended up gifting the box to a friend of mine who was definitely an engineer at the core, so to speak. He got it running for himself later on.
My next machine was around 2010 and was thicc HP Pavilion laptop. While I also received a Thinkpad X61 Tablet from my high school, the HP was my personal laptop. During HS, we had a help desk class that taught you how to repair IBM-then-Lenovo laptops and that’s where I became addicted to the semi-modularity of the Thinkpad brand. The HP ended up frying from a juice spill barely two years later but the X61 Tablet survived everything and is still on a shelf in my closet to this day.
Fast forward to the 2017-2021 era. I went through probably three older thinkpads and a prebuilt Corsair One desktop (the OG). I also had a Gigabyte Aero gaming laptop from 2017-2021 before something caused the GPU to blow. With it soldered in, all I could do was completely scrap the removable internals for parts and recycle it. I also learned that Lenovo seemed to be going more and more in the direction of Apple with repair-ability as time went on. Quite a stark contrast to the IBM of old that I knew as a kid. Soldering in power connectors, RAM and in some cases also storage was very anti-repair so I was glad the 11th gen i7 Framework 13 could replace my aging Thinkpad P51 in 2021.
Now for gaming I tend to switch between my overpriced 2021 low-to-mid-range desktop built, a similar build running ChimeraOS in the living room and the GPD Win Mini. If and when I get a maxed out Framework 16, I intend on gifting both of those desktops to less fortunate friends and running with a Framework 16 and Framework 13 for all tasks, with the Win Mini for traveling.
It’s crazy how many spare desktop parts I came across in the past 10 years for building machines with, with the gaming laptop industry being the exact opposite of that in terms of upgradeability. I look forward to a gaming laptop that one can keep for generations, given the company survives…though I have a feeling Framework would probably throw a bunch of stuff up on github if they went under.
For reference, my nerdy self published a little hardware timeline here: Hardware Setup — Alex Seibz' Site
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Mine was a P200+ at 150Mhz. Which required a 75MHz bus speed on the motherboard, running the PCI slots at 37.5Mhz instead of the usual 33Mhz, resulting in the odd expansion card that didn’t agree with it. Damn quick chip though.
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lol to you guys …
I actually started with a Spectrum with 8KBytes Ram where I wrote my own space-invaders game using the provided basic dialect…
After that, I got a 286AT with 640Kbytes ram where I played Wing Commander. First time I cried in a video game - during my burial 
You suddenly realize that even in a game, you are mortal after all :}
Because Wing commander was barely playable, and I discovered Linux, I worked at Siemens during summer to buy myself a 386DX33MHz CPU + Motherboard + 64Kb ncach-rams, 2MBytes of Ram and 40MB MFM Hard-drive. The year after I added a 15MHy Cyrix arithmetic unit (also known as Co CPU at the time). I actually needed it because the Linux kernel wouldn’t boot without it. Kernel 0.11p7 was my first kernel GoodOldTimes
After that, it went straight up out of band … and here I am today for a Framework computer! hoping to play Squadron 42 on it (aka Wing Commander on steroids) 
The loop closes!!!
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As someone that kickstartered it well over 10 years ago … I’ll believe it’s out when I actually see it. 
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You and me both! I was also one of the very early backers! But, as soon as I heard what Kickstarter took as fees and that Chris Roberts had opened a web-page were we could pledge straight, I revoked the kickstarter pledge and registered straight…
Sadly, from my place 1202 I went to 45k :} But hey, that was worth it.
On the other hand, coming a little bit from the development/system side, and what Chris Roberts wanted to do - I knew from the beginning that the existing technology would be no fit for that and that they would probably have to rewrite the engine completely to be able to do it… So - no surprise from me here…
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I started on an IBM PC XT (the OG PC; it belonged to my father but I cut my DOS teeth on it), then a 286 (my own first PC, just a clone, real IBMs were too expensive), then 386, Pentium 1, Pentium something else (my first laptop, a Dell Inspiron in 2001), then a little Fujitsu mini notebook that was cute and fun. Then Core 2 duo (desktop), then a Lenovo Yoga ThinkPad (Core i7 gen 2 or 3 I think) which I still have today (> 10 years old now).
The 386, Pentium and Core 2 were all homebuilt PCs. I’m probably forgetting one or two others.
Somewhere in-between there was also a real IBM ThinkPad T21. That was a work PC, but I loved it more than any other machine I’ve ever used. I wish someone was still building laptops like those old ThinkPads.
My Lenovo is a decent machine except for a heinous screen image persistence issue which is absolutely inexcusable and I should have sent it back but I really only realised how bad it was after the warranty expired. It also has a port flapping issue when USB 3 is enabled. Worst of all, it has soldered RAM (and only 8GB).
Can’t remember where I heard of Framework. It wasn’t LTT, but it might have been YouTube. I skipped the 13 because I wasn’t ready for a new machine, and my eyes are getting a bit old for smaller screens now. Plus I really like numeric keypads. So When the 16 was announced I was pretty excited.
I tend to keep my PCs for a long time, so repairability and upgradeability are important to me. Time will tell if this plays out, but my hope is that I can hold onto the 16 for at least 5 - 10 years and keep it close to the edge in terms of performance for the duration.
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Oh man…this is going to show my gray beard…even though I don’t have a beard
My first computer that wasn’t a hand me down was a Crapardbell. . My computer history was an
Apple IIe > IBM XT PC with Windows 1.2 > Then this >
[Everything here on out purchased myself.]
Compaq Laptop that I immediately removed Windows ME & put Workstation 4.11 on it > BYO AMD Athlon running Windows 2000 > Referbed Alienware Desktop off Ebay that I upgraded > First Generation MacBook Pro (So many regrets there.) > Alienware M15x laptop > Asus Zenbook UX32V Laptop > Surface Pro 4 > [Current] BYO Ryzen 9 5900X…And soon to be getting a Framework 16. The funny thing is a number of these system I still have. The Zenbook and Surface Pro I still loan out when people have computer issues.
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Wow! Great photo! Brings back memories.
What about your history lead to the decision to try Framework?
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Argh, Packard-Hell Navigator.
< Runs away screaming > 
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I’ve used several dell and lenovo laptops over the years for work. My Lenovo X250 was probably one of my favorite work laptops with dual batteries. I’ve also used HP for work (that was disappointing and terrible). At home, I’ve had HP, Acer, ASUS, and MSI laptops. MSI laptop was probably my favorite with the overkill sound system and a mini sub in the bottom LOL.
But in most of the laptops, they’ve all had repair ability issues, and cheap junk BIOS that had flaws causing issues in Linux that were patched in software drivers for windows, or cpu microcode/EC/BIOS updates that were to fix firmware problems, but the vendor never release them for that generation or cheaper version of laptop as the goal was to sell you another laptop the next year.
I saw Framework during the framework 13 early days and when Linus decided to invest in them heavily. I loved the concept, but refused to purchase an Intel and needed more GPU horsepower. I was also worried about only having 4 ports. I was getting much more serious about framework when the 16" model was announced with AMD phoenix processors. I now had AMD CPU, 6 ports, USB4, freesync, decent GPU in a modular bay, and excellent repair ability at my disposal. I jumped on board after convincing my wife LOL. batch 8.
Its double the cost of a comparable laptop in specs, but specs isn’t the only thing we’re looking at when we look at framework obviously. They pay attention to design, firmware, linux support, sustainability, and have some integrity. I’m willing to pay for that and reward that mentality. Its also a big bonus to be able to fix a broken hinge LOL. I’ve had that a couple times.
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Mostly I had a craving for a laptop that can be upgraded going back to owning that Compaq. I always thought it would be cool to be able to upgrade the GPU. Which in theory the Alienware laptop COULD do this. See below as the 1GB Nvidia 260M was on a Mobile PCI Express Module. The problem was that either Nvidia or Dell never bothered to ship a replacement. And the one they did have for the next model year was about $700 at the time. It made no sense to buy that in 2009. But the idea was sound, lack of “sticking” with the idea, not so much
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- Have owned “modular”/tinker-able laptops in the past (Dell Inspiron 8200 and Clevos).
- Covid social distancing switching to YouTube for time-filling.
- LTT videos on my recommended page.
- Reunited with the idea of modular laptops in first Framework video.
- Waited for a 16" or 17" model - 16" clearly won :D. Modular graphics was just a nice bonus for me.
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I had a Sager laptop back in 2013, I later found out it was just a rebranded Clevo. Either way, I loved that laptop.
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This is literally how I found out about Framework. I’ve kept my eye on it, and after grumbling about not being able to justify buying one for myself I had the brilliant idea to pitch “testing” a Framework 16 as a viable option for my work. My boss saw right through me and was still on board with me getting one. Unfortunately I waited until like November to come to this realization, so I’m in one of the later batches.
That said, if this proves to work as well as I expected then I suspect my company will be buying Frameworks going forward.
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I heard of framework with the 13" variant and have wanted a modular and upgradeable laptop for a while but the size and price was a limiting factor at the time. I currently use a T440P as I love having it’s upgrade and repairability. I do a bit of CAD but the T440P can at times slow down and take a minute or two to process the models which slows things down quite a bit for me. I saw the framework 16" and I really liked the modularity of it while being a more modern laptop and the companies mission. I then figured I’d place a pre order on this laptop and finally upgrade to something that will much better for my use while maintaining repairability I so much love.
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I used to be a big gamer but now I’m part-time at best. 90% of my screen time is taken up by devops and coding for work and the rest is consuming content.
My device journey has been:
- HP desktop running Windows ME with 128MB of RAM that was the family computer from late '99 until 2007
- Dell desktop with a Pentium or some such and I think 1GB of RAM running Windows XP from '07 until 2012
- My first laptop was an HP with an AMD A6 and 4GB of RAM that I upgraded to 8GB running Windows 7
- Followed a few years later with an HP with an AMD A8 and 12GB of RAM on Windows 8
- I built my first desktop with a 6700K, 16GB, and a 390X in 2016
- Next was a used Dell Venue I bought for note taking in college that didn’t last long
- Then came the used Surface Pro 2 that I still have kicking around somewhere
- Rebuilt my current desktop a few times going from a 1700X + 1080 to the 5800X + 3070 I’m typing this on now
- Purchased a Zephyrus G14 right before lockdown that has the display driver crashing issue they never fixed which is still my go to travel machine which the Framework will be replacing.
I’m here waiting for my batch 1 Framework 16 which may be my future all in one device depending on how it shakes out. I purchased an eGPU enclosure with an AMD GPU rather than the GPU module because of pricing, upgrade-ability, thermals, and realistically I only game at home outside of some light rimworld/factorio. I’ve been essentially Linux only for 2 years now so really excited and hopeful for a modular upgradable device with good Linux support
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I’m a Computer Science major with a really subpar laptop that I bought for $600 in 2019 (Acer Aspire E15 with an 8th gen intel core i5, NVIDIA GeForce MX150 graphics, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB SSD). I’m also an avid gamer and have never owned a gaming computer (I’ve always been on Nintendo and PlayStation consoles). I’ve always hated that technology usually ends up having to be thrown away as it reaches obsolescence, and I have also hated that even the most perfect laptop usually doesn’t have all the features that I want, especially with port configurations.
When the Framework laptop 16 was announced, someone in my university’s computer science discord server shared the announcement there. I looked into it and it was love at first sight. After a lot of research and discussion, I finally convinced my wife to let me pre-order it a month or two after they went live.
Now I just can’t wait for batch 11. It’s a shame that this is my last semester in my computer science degree, but it’ll still be extremely useful to me as I play new games and pursue a Ph.D later on.
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