-
A fast-enough processor to have 12 or more AVM’s open at once - that means a modern one, but without any remote management capability.
-
No “AI” nonsense, either. (See: Lenovo)
-
64GB RAM or more. The more the merrier.
-
Two internal disk drives, so when I do backups I don’t write to the drive I am backing up. (Yes, I am going to copy that backup file offline but that will be a separate operation.)
-
For a desktop (for at-home work when a large monitor is desired):
a) TWO PS/2 ports for wired mouse and keyboard. Don’t make me hunt down a compatible Y-cable. Neither USB nor Bluetooth should ever be used for any dedicated local peripherals.
b) Desktop should be “mini” size - there’s no need for bulky towers anymore.
- For a laptop (for portability):
a) 16" screen at a minimum. Not all of us have 20-year-old eyes anymore.
b*) Physical Left- and Right-click keys that are SEPARATE from the touchpad. Words cannot express the importance of this. I have had too many problems with phantom clicks on boxes that lack these. (In addition, my current laptop has a middle-click response in its touchpad, which cannot be turned off in Qubes and which renders the Right-click area minuscule. It should lose its certification over this. As a result, I am using a USB mouse and have gone through the settings in various applications to disable all the middle-click functions. They’re usually destructive.)
c*) a caps-lock indicator light, preferably on the caps lock key itself. This used to be universal. It’s a hardware configuration; it requires hardware-level notification. There is no other indication when entering disk passwords or the initial login password.
d*) A full-size right shift key. Some vendors try to reuse the space taken by the left half, some the right half. I have to go back and forth between machines. My fingers know where that key is supposed to be and I’m tired of getting an up arrow instead. Move all four arrow keys frontward instead and don’t shrink them.
(In other words, vendors, stop messing with the keyboard layout and fire the minimalists.)
-
Not one but two RJ45 ethernet ports. One for my internal LAN (where there are boxes without an Internet connection) and one for my netVM that handles traffic for updates, the financial AVM, and the router configuration AVM - a completely separate network path from the Wi-Fi that handles ordinary surfing.
-
separate controllers for each USB port so that they can be assigned individually.
-
separate kill switches for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, camera, and microphone. Too often these are combined, but I need Wi-Fi on and Bluetooth dead.
And, of course,
- Qubes installs and runs flawlessly without any tweaks. This includes hibernation and suspend.
I don’t mention any preferred brands. This stuff should be sufficiently standardized that the boxes would be interchangeable (except perhaps for the 2nd ethernet port) and EVERY vendor should be offering at least one model that meets these modest criteria. This includes companies like System76, who don’t even think about Qubes. Few of the above features are specific to any OS.
Most of the above is about usability, not power, but that’s where everything that is currently available falls flat. The state of the industry right now is so poor that I dream of simply getting something that I can USE effectively.
I believe this all could be built, but may require several entities in the supply chain to participate.
)