Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

ounapuu.ee

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

291–300 of 432 posts

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#291

Post by pdimitar »

idealmedtech wrote: post #220
laumars wrote: post #181

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’m not a Haskell developer and Arch is my goto Linux precisely because it’s on the of easiest distros to fix when things go wrong. YMMV but the snide remark is definitely unjustified.

That's been my experience with Arch as well. I've only seen a handful of actual breakages in my time (using consistently since 2016), and there's _always_ a good discussion with a manual fix available within a few hours, or a few days if you want to stick to official update channels. Plus KDE Plasma has become such a joy to use! I repurposed my T530 as a media center with a wireless keyboard and it's been a fantastic…

Out of curiosity, what's your media center setup?

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#292

Post by pimlottc »

zwaps wrote: post #73
jillesvangurp wrote: post #17

I'm all for frugality but that seems like a lot of compromises for what is this person's main work laptop. Cool that it works; but why have a slow workhorse like that? I picked up a Samsung Galaxybook a few weeks ago. Nice core i5 system on a chip thing with Iris XE gpu. Runs cool including when under load and it's fast enough. Driver support seems decent in Linux. Even the graphics are quite alright. I played some s…

For one thing (for me, at least): The keyboard. I have yet to see a good keyboard on a modern laptop, and I use a lot of different ones. Some people do not care, but I do. There's some keyboards that are "still decent", but all of them are progressively getting worse. Well, they say that Mac keyboards are getting better again, but I don't like their zero-keytravel style in the first place, not even in the ones that w…

I agree that the Thinkpad keyboard is pretty much unbeatable in terms of laptop keyboards. But the ergonomics of laptops are inherently terrible no matter how good the keyboard is. It is simply impossible to have both keyboard and screen at the correct heights when they are physically connected together in notebook form.

For prolonged use, you really should have a separate keyboard and monitor, properly adjusted to your individual height and posture. Your back and neck will thank you for it.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#293

Post by mindslight »

throwaway81523 wrote: post #59

I'm using an X220 which is even older than the T430. It is on its last legs and its keyboard doesn't work at all (using an external) but I feel that it is fast enough in terms of cpu, storage, etc. I do some programming on it but it is not a hardcore dev box. I use remote servers for that. I don't feel like I need multiple disk drives: if I want to back up on the same machine, 1TB microsdxc cards are a thing (in fact…

The X230 and X220 keyboards are compatible. You could get a new X220 keyboard to solve your immediate problem, and then after you find a suitable X230, swap in the keyboard.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#294

Post by 300bps »

xputer wrote: post #268
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…

My employer makes us do this and I absolutely hate it. It slows me down so much. I now have to effectively maintain two machines that cause issues at twice the frequency. The server isn't even notably faster than my MacBook. Moreover, in my experience, the uniformity of these cloud development machines also encourages developers to get lazy and start making all sorts of assumptions about the environment the applicati…

I now have to effectively maintain two machines

In a VDI infrastructure, your physical desktop should be either literally or effectively a dump terminal that gives you access to your virtual desktop. Why would you be using both?

The server isn't even notably faster than my MacBook

That isn't the benefit. The benefit is having a desktop you can access from anywhere with Internet access regardless of what physical client you have access to. Another benefit is that everything is centrally backed up including a full-fidelity copy of your workstation. Another benefit is that it is lower cost than distributing high-end desktops/laptops to users.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#295

Post by idealmedtech »

pdimitar wrote: post #291
idealmedtech wrote: post #220

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's been my experience with Arch as well. I've only seen a handful of actual breakages in my time (using consistently since 2016), and there's _always_ a good discussion with a manual fix available within a few hours, or a few days if you want to stick to official update channels. Plus KDE Plasma has become such a joy to use! I repurposed my T530 as a media center with a wireless keyboard and it's been a fantastic…

Out of curiosity, what's your media center setup?

The physical setup is very simple: just the laptop wired through miniDP to the TV, laptop sits behind the TV on a little wardrobe and has its screen turned off. I have various handbraked movies (not for distribution, only my personal usage) and shows that I view in VLC, plus a gigabit Ethernet connection that is more than enough for HD streaming.

I keep it simple, just have a standard desktop install of Arch with Plasma. Lets me also do work on the machine, writing code here and there, checking emails etc. The living room setup is much easier on my back for extended work sessions as compared to my office chair.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#296

Post by sundvor »

kfajdsl wrote: post #219
sundvor wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I see you also follow my rule: When buying a laptop, always buy top spec. My laptop is an OG X1 Carbon i7/8/256. I can't upgrade it easily, but I'm actually happy with it for my purposes. My main driver is a Ryzen desktop though, that's a proper beast.

I have that exact laptop, abd my only gripe is battery life. How's that holding up for you?

That's awesome! My battery life is not good at all. I had it replaced after 3 years - bought it ahead as part of "warranty", but it's likely due for another replacement now.

Other than that it's only recently started to show some scuff marks on the corners. Everything else is still holding up great, especially the keyboard.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#297

Post by wnolens »

harha wrote: post #192

Laptops in the early 2010s kind of reached a level of being adequate enough for most use-cases that it's hard to really justify an upgrade. I feel, as I write this on my late 2013 MacBook Pro, that it's powerful enough for most normal activities, read, browse, video calls, work on not too large data sets, etc. Anything that needs to run longer than I keep the laptop open can run on a different device, many programs a…

I'm also using a 2013 MacBook pro as my personal machine.

I walked into the Apple store a few years ago with the intention of replacing it with a shiny new one. I hated the new keys and at the time couldn't get a physical ESC key, so I've been happily stuck in 2013 since.

My employer gave me a 2020 MacBook pro (has physical ESC key) and it is a better laptop, worthy replacement.. But to keep personal development separate and save a few thousand dollars, my 2013 is still going strong.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#298

Post by jodrellblank »

j45 wrote: post #217
Ensorceled wrote: post #193

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What conclusion, I'm not asserting they are going to fail. Startup failure rates are close to 90%, being concerned that this startup might also fail isn't unreasonable.

Let’s not skim the surface. The Framework seems to be a modern Thinkpad with a similar USP of how they were built in 2012 before manufacturers tried to introduce and convince consumers of disposable laptops for the past 10 years. The reason I suggested handling one is the build quality for a first gen device is hard to believe until you hold one and use it for a few days or weeks. The framework is well beyond the qua…

> “The reason I suggested handling one is the build quality for a first gen device is hard to believe until you hold one and use it for a few days or weeks.”

I haven’t seen one, but that’s at odds with peoples comments in this thread from last week: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=29806430

“one of the worst purchases I've ever made. [...] This last point is pretty minor, but the hinges are floppy. The whole screen shakes around when I type on it.“

“Build quality. I'm convinced if I drop this thing it's all over. All in all I'm mad at myself for spending over $3k on a productivity configuration centered around what is pretty much beta hardware. I should have known better.”

“Re build quality: yes, it is a bit flimsier than I would like (though have definitely used laptops that are way worse)”

> “All it has to do is last 2-3 years without much ado, which it probably will”

If that’s all you need why wouldn’t you buy a non-upgradeable one? It’ll be thinner, lighter and less fuss. The framework seems to be targeted at people who want a decade of use with upgrades.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#299

Post by tombert »

Shorel wrote: post #262

> I’d like to thank Intel here for making this possible. The CPU innovation stagnation between 2012-2017 has resulted in 4 cores still being an acceptable low-end CPU in early 2022. Without this, my laptop would likely be obsolete by now. Hahaha, this last sentence seals the overall tone of the article.

Yeah, so something I used to do was buy used servers from ~2010 or so (5-6 years old at the time).

Due to the fact that CPUs really haven't changed a lot for servers (at least for the stuff I was doing), it was a relatively cheap way to get 40+ core computers for less than a thousand bucks.

Re: I went back to using a ThinkPad from 2012

#300

Post by stremrn8 »

MR4D wrote: post #274
Shorel wrote: post #262

> I’d like to thank Intel here for making this possible. The CPU innovation stagnation between 2012-2017 has resulted in 4 cores still being an acceptable low-end CPU in early 2022. Without this, my laptop would likely be obsolete by now. Hahaha, this last sentence seals the overall tone of the article.

This. Last January I converted my old (2012) quad-core Intel desktop and gave it to my son for gaming. The only thing I had to do was add a 1-TB SSD and put in an RTX-3060 Ti, and it runs every game (Fortnite, CoD, etc) at 100+ FPS without any issues. I'm still amazed that a simple GPU change and the machine keeps up with his friends brand-new AMD box (not sure what chip, just that it was new in 2021). When the 12th…

No post body was provided.
Post reply on HN