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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)

#101

Post by gnicholas »

_Microft wrote: post #90
wiennat wrote: post #31

Cool story and congratulations on your work. ------- I gave my 2010 macbook pro to my parents when I got a new one in 2015. They still use it to surf the internet and sometimes for netflix before bedtime. Its battery is so swollen that the lid cannot close anymore. I also bought apple care but never had any chance to use it. Very impressive for a computer without any hardware failure for 12 years.

The battery is a massive fire hazard. Show them videos of battery fires if they don’t see the point in replacing the battery.

Apple swore up and down that the bloated battery in my 2017 MBP was not a fire hazard. But I just paid $200 to replace it (plus tax!) even though their 'trade-in value' is about $250.

It feels lousy that they charge so much for the battery since this is a safety repair, and arguably caused by the fact that there were insufficient tolerances in the original build. This battery was put in circa 2019, when they replaced the keyboard/etc., so it's not even that old. I felt like I had a gun to my head since it could be a fire hazard.

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#102

Post by gnicholas »

jmmcd wrote: post #15

I had a nice imac in work in 2009. A few years later I brought it home to work from home. I added an ssd and some RAM. My wife is still using it for Google Docs and my kids for Minecraft and Netflix.

Ditto for my 2008 iMac. I boot it from an SSD connected via Thunderbolt. Not bad at all!

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#104

Post by jbmny »

alxmdev wrote: post #73
lasfter wrote: post #44

Awesome! 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.

I'd love to know too. I have a T530 from 2012. I ordered two replacement batteries from Lenovo's official supplier, and both bricked within a week of use. (Thankfully I was able to return both for full refunds.)

The machine still runs Linux like a champ -- I'd just like a new battery so I don't have to have it plugged into the wall at all times.

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#105

Post by grupthink »

I grew up poor. I was raised to use things until they break. Even then, I'll fix them if I can.

I'm still rocking a 2007 custom built desktop w/ an overclocked Intel E8500 Core2Duo. In 2012, I upgraded the hd to an SSD and the GPU with an Nvidia GT640, and converted it into a rock solid Hackintosh.

My other computer is a 2013 15" Macbook Pro with maxed-out specs that was purchased for me by my company.

Both systems are stable and fast to me. My main applications are Firefox, Sublime Text, Xcode, and Iterm2. I don't do gaming or video editing. I dabble with ML via Colab Pro. The only thing I'm unpleased about is the Macbook is about 64°C when it's connected to my Apple Thunderbolt monitor and 2 other monitors, so a laptop cooler is a necessary part of my set up. I wouldn't get rid of this notebook unless I had to, which I will be forced to real soon because Apple won't update the OS (stuck on Big Sur), so Xcode is forever stuck on 13.2.

I'm in California, btw. I haven't used the M1. Besides running cooler, I can't imagine an M1/M2 feeling very much different.

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#106

Post by sgtnoodle »

kelnos wrote: post #52

> When was the last time you gave something extra life instead of throwing it away? In general, I do my best to do that, but when it comes to computers, unfortunately, not so much. My current laptop is barely 3 years old, and I'm replacing it this summer. Fortunately, I'll be replacing it with a Framework laptop, and I hope that my experience with it will involve incremental upgrades for many years to come. When I wa…

I recently tried to fix the display on an otherwise functioning Lenovo Yoga laptop. It was glued together and I accidentally cracked it. Then I discovered that the display was fine and that the root failure was the mainboard letting out some magic smoke. That sucked because I could have sold the display module had I not broke it...

I've repaired various smartphones over the years. I bought an EVO 4G from a sketchy dude on Craigslist, and it turned out the USB connector was broken off, with part of the PCB missing. I managed to track down the relevant signals elsewhere on the PCB and dead-bugged on a new connector.

I've bought various early generation iPhones and repaired cracked solder joints with a heat gun.

I 3D print replacement pieces for random stuff around the house all the time. Table leg end caps, closet guides, curtain rod bracket stiffeners, etc. My most recent home print was a two-piece exterior vent cover to match the style of the other 50+ year old ones.

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#107

Post by [deleted] »

jxramos wrote: post #75
dijit wrote: post #8

I 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 so…

[deleted]

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#108

Post by owyn »

mod50ack wrote: post #46
owyn wrote: post #38

I still have a 2008 Mac Pro (tower). At the time it was possible to order the bottom of the line system and add your own memory, video and drives, just like a "normal" PC. I think it cost about $3000 new which was still the most I'd ever paid for a computer. Picked it up from an Apple store. I used it as a home workstation for work and music and a gaming rig by dual booting to windows -- which no longer works. Did a…

https://dortania.github.io/OpenCore-Legacy-Patcher/MODELS.ht... You can check out:

Cool, I will definitely check that out! Finally time to make sure everything is triple-backed up and wipe it completely and do some experiments. I've actually still been using it as a print and media server but it does burn a lot of watts haha.

Re: Tell HN: I used the same computer since 2007 (with minor upgrades)

#109

Post by hericium »

lawgimenez wrote: post #72

I'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…

> I'm a professional iOS developer and I'm still using MBP Pro 2015 model

Oh how I wish I have saved this model. Instead I bought the MBP 2017 with its garbage keyboard. Apple replaced this keyboard (along with a case which did not need replacement in a new laptop) with the same useless shit.

This was the beginning of the end of Macs for me. That was just too much money for such a huge downgrade. Work on the 2017 model was so inefficient without external keyboard and using trackpad less pleasant with external keyboard that I started looking elsewhere.

Now I'm a ThinkPad user and while things aren't perfect, it's a better work tool than the garbage from Apple. I've been told that Apple finally created usable keyboard later but they lost me as a customer with this 2017 trash. I've seen benchmarks for M1 models. But I'm just not gonna risk it with Apple based on previous experiences.

If I kept the 2015 model, I may have skipped Apple's compulsive urge to make things thinnier and more awkward to use and remained Apple's user.

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