Also created an account to add this. Messaged you on your suggestions email to say the same thing. A trackpoint is essential for me in a new laptop, and I’m frankly sick of ThinkPad at this point. It would be an easy win-over. I will buy your laptop asap if you offer a different keyboard.
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I guess the problem is, this is harder to do than adding a USB or ethernet port. As I understand it, Purism uses a OEM keyboard and slightly modified case. Both need heavy customization to incorporate a track point. I assume the effort is too high for Purism at this point in time.
OP here.
It’s been about four years and I thought I might check what the current status is about having trackpoints in the librem line of notebooks.
As posted in this thread I bought my Lenovo x250 back in march of 2016.
It is now time to start looking at the market again to see what device I could possibly order in the not so distant future. And as Lenovo decided in their endless wisdom to completely ruin the x390 line by removing the RJ-45 port I’m here again to look for alternatives.
I really like the linux support, the free software in general and the added security in particular. However if there will be no trackpoint I’m probably have to pass again.
So… any news?
Thank you!
Pretty sure the answer is “no” but for an official answer best to email Purism directly at support@puri.sm
They just released the updated revision of the Librem 13. While there were a number of improvements - like adding an RJ-45 connector(!) - I think a trackpoint was not one of them.
Correct, no trackpoint this time.
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Thank you very much for the quick answer!
I would also be one craving over a TrackPoint (and a couple other key features) and this does also refrain me to get a most-desired Librem, and like others here, I use a ThinkPad (X230), and also see the ThinkPad line being left down by its owner.
This being said, however, I am also aware and realistic about the difficulties that can represent such an implementation on an industrial point of view, not to mention from a start up company. Making such a keyboard would be expensive and difficult, giving the many issues to face. Going wider, satisfy the TrackPoint need can rise other needs too, because solving one would be unfair to others. Let’s have a look at it:
First, designers might think over international basic needs, such as European ISO layouts (like with the L shape Enter key), Japanese JIS layout (with the shorter Space bar, which can give extra modifier keys to inches), qwertz and so on… and we do not mention the many glyphs printing to perform, even more with a backlit feature in mind.
This can already be a drag on a industrial budget.
Then come more specifics needs, like Dvorak, BÉPO, SKY and others, adding another difficulties on the line.
While we’re at it, we could also think further and consider RSI-preventing ergonomic concepts, like distributing the 5,B,8 keys triangle (spread left and right hand), lining the Q row with the A row (to prevent over extending the right hand fingers), or even thinking a left handed model with Enter and arrow keys on the left side…
and then, of course, there is the question to add a TrackPoint on top of that (with its mouse keys, so adapting the cover), and this without interfering with patent issues.
Thinking a keyboard that can meet all desiderata would require one hell of R&D work and quite a consequent budget, which would definitely be unfit for a startup.
We also have to keep in mind that the customer target range is very thin: all this effort would serve only a tiny fraction of users.
Also the main stream input needs leading towards a mere touchscreen display, most of producing users will gladly stay on (i.e. never think about it) a simple 105 keys standard desktop keyboard at the office (and often with a wrong sitting position, and so on).
Let’s face it, the main input device basic shape still in use today is a 19th century’s typewriter design (to prevent hammer arms jamming) which never have been adapted to our anatomy, with nary an update to it… and this does satisfies the main stream.
Some times ago, I read about this keyboard convention held San Francisco in 2017, where one of the ideas was about a modular keyboard, where one places changeable keys to meet his needs. Could it be an idea? but even then, such a concept would be tough and expensive to implement on an industrial level.
Hi, OP here, again.
I know it’s only been about 6 months since last time. But I just saw the Lenovo product line from CES 2021. And what can I say? Totally useless!
Only the X1 Carbon has 32GB RAM (which personally I consider to be the absolut minimum). All the other devices are capped at 16GB. Soldered to the board. No upgrade possible. What the hell are they thinking? I’m not gonna by a device with 16GB RAM that is going to serve me for the next 5-6 years.
And the classic X series seems to be completely gone by now. Disappointing.
Which brings me back to my question and the reason why I’m posting here again after such a short time.
@mladen
I don’t expect you or the team to have made any significant progress in having an option to order a unit with a production ready trackpoint. And that’s fine.
But do you see any possibility (within reason) to build one DIY style?
Because if not, I’m not sure what to do. Probably just gonna hide in the woods!
Thank you very much!
I’m sorry, no.
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I was going to suggest you to buy a second hand laptop. But then I saw:
Wow! 32GB minimum! I’m very curious: why? It’s not that all your previous laptops had that… or did they?
Thanks for the quick reply!
With my current workflow I’m using regulary ~12GB of RAM.
I’m expecting RAM usage to go higher rather than lower in the coming years. Therefore I’m not gonna start with a new device when there is a hard 16B limit.
Simply put:
16GB but upgradable to 32/64GB. That’s fine.
Soldered and not upgradable. 32GB minimum.
No they didn’t. And obviously I didn’t need 32GB back in 2015 or even 2010. But I always doubled my RAM from the stock value. 8GB for the x230. 16GB for the x250.
I just don’t think starting a 5-6 years journey when you’re already at ~75% usage is a good idea.
Hope this helps.
Have a nice day
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Can We stop talking bullshit and start talking business? How many orders of a machine with TrackPoint do you need to make it happen? This is a question about costs and profits, isn’t it?
Considering that this is your first post, you might want to dial it down a bit - but welcome anyway. 
Considering that Purism doesn’t sell enough devices to pay for more than one variant of its keyboard, Purism only has the volume to pay for one variant of the L14. What that means is that you have to convince Purism that there is enough demand to make all L14’s with a trackpointer. The best strategy is to create a poll on this forum to ask who wants a trackpointer in the L14 v2. If the percentage who want trackpointers is high, maybe you can convince Purism, but I suspect that it probably isn’t easy to find a supplier of these parts. I assume that companies like Lenovo and Dell have exclusivity agreements with their suppliers, so it isn’t easy to get these parts on the open market and Purism doesn’t have the volume to pay for custom manufacturing of these parts.
unless this poster himself will place an order for, say, 1000 units, provided that it has a trackpoint. However the actual number of units may not be known unless someone at Purism has already looked into it.
Or who would have wanted a trackpoint in the L14 v1, had it been available.
It may be that as a new user this poster cannot create a poll?
That may be partly because of their no TrackPoint issue. They completely missed their primary market. Who uses Coreboot? All the hardcore ThinkPad users that use X230, T430 etc. Coreboot is well supported there. They would like to move somewhere as these machines are getting obsolete. But all of these users need TrackPoint. The ThinkPad community is dissatisfied for a long time with new Lenovo machines, but there are no options where to move if you use TrackPoint. Purism would be an obvious choice. I currently use a Chinese homemade 51mb motherboard for my X201s. We hack and mod old ThinkPads as there are no options.
The problem with these questions is that no TrackPoint is an immediate deterrent. I would not think of Purism at all if it didn’t come with Coreboot. I personally would buy immediately if it had TrackPoint. I am a part of the ThinkPad group with around 80 members here in the Czech Republic and I think a lot of people there would consider this machine if it had TrackPoint. And this is just my local ThinkPad group.
I use the L14 with a keyboard that has a TrackPoint. When I travel, I carry the keyboard as well. When I bought the L14, I knew that I would dislike intensely the keyboard and now that I have it, I intensely dislike the keyboard. That said, the L14 works marvelously and I don’t regret getting it in spite of the serious deficiency of not having a TrackPoint.
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So you are basically a case that compromised at the and because it is a great machine and you can take a different keyboard with you. But overall this would be a huge compromise for a lot of people that want TrackPoint. I think Purism definitely lost thousands of customers.
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