I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012 • Hacker News Board

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#241

Post by JKCalhoun » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:42 PM UTC

fho wrote: post #95

y4mi wrote: post #90

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are upgradeable options though. The framework Laptop to name the most hyped current option for example.

The problem with these projects is that they are all the hype for a while and after the hype dies down you are left with laptop that is only in theory upgradable.

Why not instead someone just market a replacement keyboard for one of the more popular laptops? It sounds as though modern keyboards are the primary pain point for newer laptops.

(Or if a 3rd party had marketed an inexpensive replacement power-brick for the author's 2001 Apple iBook perhaps he would still be using it.)

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#242

Post by 300bps » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:43 PM UTC

gruez wrote: post #213

300bps wrote: post #198

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To me VDI is the way to go. I want my development machine to be in the cloud and always running. I want a lightweight notebook that only takes into consideration screen, keyboard and battery that I can connect to my virtual desktop from anywhere. I want a dedicated desk at home with a $40 PCoIP thin client purchased used on EBay hooked up to my multiple monitors that connects to the same virtual desktop. With this yo…

How do you deal with the noticeable latency? It's pretty annoying even on LAN with RDP. I imagine it'll be worse on the cloud.

I don’t notice any. I also don’t use RDP - for Amazon Workspaces I use their app that utilizes the PCoIP protocol.

Other than that my last job was working at one of the largest banks in the United States. We were 100% virtual desktop since 2014.

My current employer just switched to about 95% virtual desktop.

Nobody ever complains about latency. I think it’s a given that literally everyone will switch to this method at some point - there are too many positives.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#243

Post by kellengreen » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:46 PM UTC

thecrumb wrote: post #233

Still use my T420. No upgrades - just running a lightweight Linux distro. And that keyboard is sublime.

Agreed, that T420 keyboard is simply perfection.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#244

Post by taubek » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:49 PM UTC

NGRhodes wrote: post #30

I like to buy ex-corporate ~5 year old Thinkpads, get from a seller who gives atleast 6 months warranty, put new batteries in and they are usually far better in every way than anything new for the same price. Am currently very happy with my T460S, runs Linux or Win10 great. My previous machines that the kids use for school work and Roblox are x250 and x220, and previous to that I have an X200 and a T61, that all last…

I always go for refurbished laptops when I can. My reseller gives me two year warranty and I can buy extra three years warranty if want to. So I can get 2y warranty in price, and I can buy 3 more years. I live in Europe and at the moment I could get T460s with new 1TB SSD, 16GB RAM and 5 year warranty for some 900 € (price with VAT).

My biggest disappointment was the trackpad on T440s. I hated is so much that I was thinkin about replacing it with a new one. Besides that I really like all of the ThinkPad laptops that I've used so far.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#245

Post by pcdoodle » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:50 PM UTC

Dell Latitude and Precisions from this era are also an excellent choice, paired with a docking station @ home with dual monitors, you're golden.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#246

Post by taubek » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:51 PM UTC

lproven wrote: post #151

DoingIsLearning wrote: post #144

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I like to buy ex-corporate ~5 year old Thinkpads, get from a seller who gives atleast 6 months warranty I am curious if this a US thing only. I mean, I've heard of company vehicles in second hand market but never company laptops. In my experience all these company laptops get decommisioned by IT never to remove any data, but I never really considered what happens at End-of-life for those. A few questions: 1. Where…

It's 100% a UK thing as well. Most of mine came from Morgan Computers, but I also check Tier 1 Online and Bargain Hardware too. I emigrated, and I have yet to find a good such vendor in the EU. Recommendations welcome!

I buy my refurnished laptops from Techsavers (https://www.techsavers.com/). They have local outlets in few EU countries.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#247

Post by jart » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:52 PM UTC

wildzzz wrote: post #239

chj wrote: post #227

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How's the display going?

If they had the foresight to spend the money on the bigger display, they are probably just fine. It's not Rentina quality but it's good enough for something to use at home for non-work.

Yes Thinkpads are very inexpensive so it makes perfect sense to max out. At least it did back then. I don't know about now.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#248

Post by necovek » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:52 PM UTC

bjarneh wrote: post #143

dotancohen wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've got a dozen ergonomic and mechanical keyboards. The feel of the keyboard is very important to me, just like a good fountain pen. So when my employer was giving to me a new Thinkpad I was excited. Thinkpad was the only laptop whose keyboard I could stand. This T-14 has a keyboard as horrible as any Asus. It looks exactly like the standard Thinkpad keyboard, but the key travel, the bottoming-out, the spring pressu…

The corner cutting seems to have started the moment IBM sold ThinkPad to Lenovo. The fact that ThinkPad used to sell laptop keyboards for desktop use, says it all: http://www.notebookreview.com/picture/?f=48072 It didn't take more than a couple of years before Lenovo discontinued this gem either; in favor of a cheaper alternative (in terms of production cost).

They still make and sell a T-based laptop keyboard in the form of https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/accessories-and-software/keyb...

They always had silly, hard-to-search-for names (it seems the variants I have are called "Thinkpad Compact USB Keyboard with Trackpoint" and "Thinkpad Compact Bluetooth Keyboard with Trackpoint"): https://support.lenovo.com/nl/en/solutions/pd026745, https://support.lenovo.com/de/en/solutions/pd026744

While they are not original T keyboards, they are supposed to match more recent T layouts. At some point, they had bluetooth and USB variants (I've got 5-ish of them around the house, I love the trackpoint for HTPC use), but this seems to be a newer iteration of those.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#249

Post by taubek » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:53 PM UTC

mhb wrote: post #208

NGRhodes wrote: post #30

I like to buy ex-corporate ~5 year old Thinkpads, get from a seller who gives atleast 6 months warranty, put new batteries in and they are usually far better in every way than anything new for the same price. Am currently very happy with my T460S, runs Linux or Win10 great. My previous machines that the kids use for school work and Roblox are x250 and x220, and previous to that I have an X200 and a T61, that all last…

Where do you get new (X220) batteries?

GreenCell is very popular here where I live. Dozens of computer shops have them on stock (https://greencell.global/en/standard-batteries/2012-green-ce...)

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#250

Post by NikolaNovak » Mon, Jan 10, 2022, 2:54 PM UTC

black_puppydog wrote: post #65

I find it funny how people seem to fixate so much on the fact that the author upgraded various components to say the title is misleading. As someone with apparently similar requirements, the take-away from this should be this: Even though significant work is required to keep these old machines working, some people prefer to do so. Crucially, they prefer it not because they love tinkering, but simply because the value…

I run two Thinkpad T420s and one T420 at home, for myself and family.

The T420s in particular are as small as I need a laptop to be (T420, no 's', is a bit bulky and old school); and yet they are fully modular - you can swap out battery, or Ultrabay (DVD to HDD to extra battery) with a quick pull of lever; it takes one well-marked screw to access primary hard drive or RAM. They're reliable, sturdy, good looking in a timeless way; AND, they don't try to re-invent the keyboard. This is a massive, massive reason I stick with the *20 series of Thinkpads - all modern laptops feel the need to reinvent the layout, which means I can NEVER use my muscle memory to do Ctrl-Home, Ctrl-End, PgUp, PgDwn, which I use constantly. They get relegated to some tiny buttons in non-sensical random places that differ between manufacturers and models. I had to use HpElitebook and Dell something or the other for work, which were fine laptops in their own way, but try to emulate Apple in size and format, and the keyboards were maddeningly awful in their layout.

Less of a Rant, more to the point - the T420s is perfectly usable today without any crazy "mods" - a $40 SSD which literally slots in is pretty much the only thing it needs. We do browsing, movies, light photo browsing/editing, email, MS Office, Schoolwork, etc all on them a full decade after their release :)