Still using my 2011 MacBook Air. It’s still doing mostly fine; it heats up from time to time, but I plan on using it for a few more years :)
Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
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Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#72I'm a professional iOS developer and I'm still using MBP Pro 2015 model (bought second hand for cheap because of its defective speakers) that is maxed out. Since its speakers are not working, I have to buy a portable JBL3 bluetooth speaker as a replacement. Big Sur is still working fine for my 2015 model but I believe it won't work anymore on Ventura.
I'm going to sunset this laptop next year but for now it is still capable of compiling Xcode projects (both UIKit and SwiftUI). But obviously there are visible slowness when compiling. For example Android Studio is such becoming a memory hog with every release that it is slowly becoming impossible to run Xcode and Android Studio side by side, which I could do with last year's macOS Monterey.
My brother also gave me a Dell 2017 laptop which I can't wait to play with it with my hobby projects and install Linux.
That is why I also make it a choice to only use native apps and not apps compiled using electron. Electron apps on my 2015 model is just accelerating its near death with their abusive memory and battery practices.
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#73Awesome! My main laptop is still a 2011 Thinkpad X201. It's a beast, been all over the world and dropped countless times but it still works perfectly fine. It's missing a couple function keys (which I never use) and I finally replaced its battery this year after growing annoyed of having only 30 minutes to an hour of battery life. I love my little Thinkpad. Keeping up with shiny tech can be fun, but there's also plea…
What replacement battery do you use? I'm looking for a backup for my X220, but all the aftermarket batteries have terrible reviews and I'm afraid the $90 original Lenovo ones are degraded after 10 years and not worth the money.
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#74My primary laptop is a 2011 MacBook Pro, running Ubuntu most of the time.
I added RAM (to 8 GB) in 2013 or so and swapped the hard drive out for an SSD in 2015.
I have been contemplating an upgrade for about 7 years but haven’t been able to decide on something :)
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#75I would have kept the same hardware forever too, but for some reason my tools seem to take more and more resources every year. Silly example is gmail, which loaded in 1s on my 2011 MacBook Pro when new, if it load it again today (I just tried) it takes 35 seconds before I can click anything. Another might be everyone’s favourite software to hate on: Teams. On my 2011 MacBook Pro: fans squealing, UI of the OS becomes…
yah this is it; software doesn't stand still unless you use old applications. I've read about folks keeping old systems around to use their old licensed software or some other application they know the ins-and-outs of and can get stuff done on it without having to break their mental model of the application behavior each upgrade with all the UI scramble and revamping. I'm starting to get a dose of that myself with some applications I keep running.
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#76I applaud your attitude.
I am keeping to my hardware for as long as I can now. Ignoring fads and being more conscious about the environmental cost of making these things only has one inevitable conclusion.
And if I am in need to shop again, I also do so from the perspective of giving the hardware its maximum possible lifetime. Apple crap is notoriously bad at this, so your critcism is for sure warranted.
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#77My personal machine is the first and only new computer I ever bought: a 2012 Mac book air. I wanted to get a pro but couldn't justify the price. I took it in to get the battery replaced a couple of years ago instead of upgrading, again, I couldn't justify the price. I think I'll probably get the battery replaced again soon as it's started to falter. For the stuff I do in my spare time this machine is totally adequate. I also have the original iPhone SE as my phone which I will probably get refurbished soon instead of getting a new one - all the new phones are too big.
I have a machine given (lent) to me by work though.
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#78While this is an admirable perspective, keep things in context. Make sure you aren’t keeping a computer that takes a couple extra seconds on things you do 100s of times a day (eg opening browser tabs, compiling, etc).
If you waste an extra 15 min a day on loading times because you have a 10y old PC, the wasted productive time can add up surprisingly quickly. At the very least, ensure you get those high-value upgrades in (in particular SSD, but also other stuff like semi-modern 4-8 core processor, enough RAM for your tasks)
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#79That's a very nice lifetime for a build; you should be proud. Though I can't imagine using a 5400 RPM HDD today. 7200 RPM or bust, I'm spoiled… > When was the last time you gave something extra life instead of throwing it away? Ugh, unfortunately I'm at "throw it away", basically. My current build, built in 2011, won't stay powered up. It gets anywhere from a few seconds to a few hours (and sometimes days) and then i…
It's possibly just some electrolytic capacitors on the main board or PSU that have gone out of spec or completely failed. Look around for capacitors with a popped out top.
Finding a motherboard with an 11 year old socket shouldn't be hard, unless it was a really obscure socket. Looking up the Intel socket I had in 2011, for example, yields plenty of options on Newegg.
Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)
#80¡Cual cosa mais velha! (What a beautiful thing)
Yeah here in this opposite corner in South America, I'm thinking, older is better a ton of the time. Here (I guess there too) laptops get stolen. They're the number-one target of burglary, of which there is a lot, they take that and that's it. They split. That's all they want. Plus there's this, this vocé and I have in common, which is in these parts, South America, there's this belief the machine is magical, has a little spirit from America that is extra "comerciable" meaning fenceable. Like it's cooler and gives a better thieves's high they get (very common here a lot of people get highs from larcency) because it's an abduction. That ties into the fact these things are exotic and magical because they're not produced or fixed here, because that very same theft makes a fab unthinkable.