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#jobs-discuss
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2018-10-22
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polymeris15:10:25

Why do so many job offer benefit lists start with "We'll give you a shiny new laptop"? That sounds so condescending to me... like I should be thankful to get the tools I need to do the job.

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ljosa15:10:52

Yeah, really strange.

dpsutton16:10:54

some jobs provide old equipment

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nilrecurring16:10:40

Interesting, I have never seen such a thing (in Europe it is an expectation at least) :thinking_face: I mean, if a workplace wouldn’t give me the best tools for doing the job (especially given that the cost of such tools is such a small fraction than the salary they are giving out) I wouldn’t hold them in high regard

taylor16:10:17

I've been issued new equipment for most jobs, but for others I've been issued some heavily used equipment

dpsutton16:10:29

at my previous job i was given an older tower with a beefy xeon in it. not the worst. but some people prefer a brand new laptop i'm sure. so it seems like a perk

ljosa16:10:28

BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) makes a lot of sense for short-term gigs. And for an all-remote company, an equipment allowance is an appealing alternative to having to ship and track hardware.

futuro16:10:50

BYOD can make sense, though it's important to be upfront about who's shouldering the maintenance costs of that equipment.

futuro16:10:29

That way expectations are clear from the jump about who's paying for what if anything should break down.

herald16:10:59

I use a 10 year old desktop tower at work, but that was because I specifically asked for it. I'm so sick of messing with dongles and docks.

vemv17:10:02

if that tower is a Mac Pro then it's pretty fine 🙂 I hear they can still can have Mojave compatibility

herald17:10:38

sorry to disappoint, but it's a generic HP workstation running linux!

jeremy20:10:05

Anecdotally, I was just issued a refresh on a Mid 2013 13'' Macbook Pro with an Early 2013 15'' Macbook Pro. Some companies have no problem offering up old used equipment instead of paying out to buy new equipment.

dpsutton20:10:57

2015 macbook pros will be a hot commodity

andrea.crotti20:10:39

I got a 2015 mb Pro

andrea.crotti20:10:03

And it's actually much better and faster than new ones from what it looks like

andrea.crotti20:10:34

Even though I would have much preferred a Linux laptop

ljosa20:10:43

We've had a donglepro sitting in the office … nobody wants it. Everyone want to keep their mid-2015 MBPs.

4
ljosa20:10:24

(Last I checked, Apple still sells them.)

vemv20:10:27

I'll digress a bit but I think the new Mac Pro (presumably tiny and powerful) might change the status quo at workplaces... sooner or later people will realise that 'developers need laptops' is bit of a meme. Also, MBP keyboards/trackpad won't ever get back to their old good status so people will also realise that one should decomplect things 🙂

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ljosa21:10:27

Nothing that an external Model F can't fix 😄