But what's a good alternative? I really don't like the new MBP but it looks like I'm going to have to suck it up and buy it anyway because it's time for an upgrade.

I wish there was a slim Linux compatible laptop out there with decent battery life, display and trackpad.

Some people seem to think that the MacBook is only for developers and Apple is obliged to listen to only their feedback. News flash: world doesn't revolve around hacker news.

Let's be honest for a moment. Apple has never in the history been the one to wait for market to adapt to some new technology. They have been the one who immediately puts it on their products and gets rid of the old standards. Everybody has known this for years so this really shouldn't surprise anyone.

Generally speaking whether you like it or not, no one really cares if the ESC button is on the touchbar instead of being traditional physical button. Even fewer people care if there are ridiculous 32GB models available when most devs dont even need 16GB. Not to mention average consumers.

If Apple would give you guys 32GB option then people would cry why they can't get 64GB option. If the new MacBook wouldn't have touchbar then people would complain why Apple isn't innovating anymore etc.

What Apple is doing with their new MacBook is what Apple has been doing with their products for decades. If you don't like it feel free to switch to other laptops and run Win10 or Linux. But we all know you won't. You'll buy this MacBook sooner or later, then in 2018 when Apple releases new models you'll be here complaining about something again and you'll still buy that one as well.

At some point, open-offices will be the only thing that the majority of software developers know. If you've never experienced the productivity that comes from being able to think without interruption, you won't know what you are missing. At that point, the trend will probably be irreversible.

For me personally, this trend isn't all bad:

When I work someplace with this setup it's kind of nice to "hang out with my friends" even if it isn't nearly as productive.

When I'm working for myself, being able to think deeply gives me a competitive advantage over places with open-offices. :-)

I have always enjoyed that essay, it reminds me of something my Dad once said to me, "Cannibal's don't realize they are cannibals." It wasn't strictly true of course but it tried to capture the essence that if you've grown up in a society where X is the norm, you don't know what living in a society where X is not the norm is like or can be like. Combine that with humans who like what they know more than what they don't know, and you find communities moving to high entropy / low energy states and staying there.

That said, there isn't anything that prevents people from having standards. Both FreeBSD and MacOS are pretty coherent UNIX type OSes. But it is important to realize that a lot of really innovative and cool stuff comes out of the amazing bubbling pot that is Linux as well. I sometimes wish it were possible to do a better mashup.