I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad • Hacker News Board

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#81

Post by linguae » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:41 AM UTC

CursedSilicon wrote: post #6

I wish that Framework could attain the same lofty levels of "second hand market success" that ThinkPads enjoy. A lot of the "Thinkpad fans" I've talked to genuinely want them, or respect them for similar reasons they enjoy the ThinkPad legacy. ThinkPads are durable but every day they get older, slower and more difficult to source parts for as collectors entrench themselves and the requirements of operating systems (a…

I enjoy my Framework 13 laptop; it’s great having a laptop that is user-serviceable and upgradable, and I’m keeping my eyes out on the upcoming Framework convertible laptop as a potential replacement for my aging Microsoft Surface Pro 7.

With that said, I do wish the keyboard on my Framework 13 were better. It would be a wonderful to have a ThinkPad-quality keyboard, I have a ThinkPad T430 and its keyboard is one of the best chiclet-style keyboards I’ve ever used. I also like the keyboard on my old aluminum PowerBook G4, as well as the keyboard on my work-issued M3 MacBook Pro. What would be a dream, though, would be if there’s some way to fit a mechanical keyboard into a laptop.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#82

Post by trod1234 » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:42 AM UTC

I'm surprised they didn't mention how many of the Thinkpad models encase heatsink fan power cord in kapton tape and run that cord along and above the CPU/GPU shared heatsink. The modular assembly fails reliably and consistently roughly every 3 years.

Sure I can get parts, but I don't think it actually shows what they are trying to say.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#83

Post by maratc » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:46 AM UTC

coro_1 wrote: post #54

From what I know the entire purpose of the Macbook "Pro" line is literally that they're made to be modular. They were at least. I maintain a 2011 Pro. The build quality is noticeably nicer than the cheaper chassis they produce today. The experience itself is actually much nicer too, smoother, feels better. Added, modern displays have great resolution. But the aged units carry an interesting and rich in depth projecti…

Modularity hasn't been the proclaimed goal for the Pro line, as far as I can remember. Granted, they were modular once. Today, not so much. The RAM is literally sitting on the die of the chip that includes the CPU and the GPU. This allows for tremendous increases in performance, but RAM upgradeability is sadly out of question.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#84

Post by kristopolous » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:49 AM UTC

CursedSilicon wrote: post #6

I wish that Framework could attain the same lofty levels of "second hand market success" that ThinkPads enjoy. A lot of the "Thinkpad fans" I've talked to genuinely want them, or respect them for similar reasons they enjoy the ThinkPad legacy. ThinkPads are durable but every day they get older, slower and more difficult to source parts for as collectors entrench themselves and the requirements of operating systems (a…

Every time i see the framework people at a conference i insist that they have to target the thinkpad users and not just the macbook people.

Just remind them if you see them. They'll eventually prioritize making it happen.

At every company I've worked for, tickets get promoted from the backlog if enough customers or would-be customers nag about it.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#85

Post by kombine » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:55 AM UTC

I am daily driving ThinkPad T14s Gen3 AMD that I bought off Ebay a year ago. It was opened but new with warranty until 2026 and I only paid for 600 British pounds for it. It is not as repairable as their other models but it has a premium quality build, a modern CPU and full Linux compatibility. It is also the first generation of T14 when they returned 16:10 screens, this aspect ratio is a must for coding. ThinkPads are seriously underrated.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#86

Post by cassepipe » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:56 AM UTC

linguae wrote: post #81

CursedSilicon wrote: post #6

I wish that Framework could attain the same lofty levels of "second hand market success" that ThinkPads enjoy. A lot of the "Thinkpad fans" I've talked to genuinely want them, or respect them for similar reasons they enjoy the ThinkPad legacy. ThinkPads are durable but every day they get older, slower and more difficult to source parts for as collectors entrench themselves and the requirements of operating systems (a…

I enjoy my Framework 13 laptop; it’s great having a laptop that is user-serviceable and upgradable, and I’m keeping my eyes out on the upcoming Framework convertible laptop as a potential replacement for my aging Microsoft Surface Pro 7. With that said, I do wish the keyboard on my Framework 13 were better. It would be a wonderful to have a ThinkPad-quality keyboard, I have a ThinkPad T430 and its keyboard is one of…

I did not expect this criticism ! I, and many others apparently, enjoy the keyboard a lot. My main criticism would be that even though it's acceptable, the chassis does not feel rugged.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#87

Post by albertgoeswoof » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:57 AM UTC

adgjlsfhk1 wrote: post #56

cosmic_cheese wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Framework’s offerings are interesting, but after having gotten used to the solid rigidity of M-series MacBooks and X1 series Thinkpads, the level of flex in the Framework 13 is a major issue for me. It’s difficult to justify for the price, plus PCBs and repeated flex stress don’t mix nicely. I think it’s time for either Framework or a third party partner to sell a new chassis that’s compatible with the FW13’s mainboa…

imo the modular ports are a massive longevity feature. charging cable ports are one of the most common laptop killers, so making that modular is a huge step up

Not really these days, most laptops have 2-4 usb c ports that you can change through so you have redundancy if one fails

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#88

Post by 28304283409234 » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:58 AM UTC

Wish there was a company that would build upgrades to old ThinkPads. A new main oard that would fit snugly in my x230 for example.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#89

Post by zh3 » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 5:58 AM UTC

T42, T60, T62, T420, T520 (multiples of some around the house) here, ending at the point they changed the keyboard. All running linux, the T420 and T520 (with SSD's) are fine with modern browsers while the older ones can be slow on bloated sites. I imagine the RAM might be an issue with multiple electron apps though.

Only real maintenance is to use quality battery replacements (T420 lasts particularly well on batteries).

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#90

Post by cassepipe » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 6:01 AM UTC

kristopolous wrote: post #84

CursedSilicon wrote: post #6

I wish that Framework could attain the same lofty levels of "second hand market success" that ThinkPads enjoy. A lot of the "Thinkpad fans" I've talked to genuinely want them, or respect them for similar reasons they enjoy the ThinkPad legacy. ThinkPads are durable but every day they get older, slower and more difficult to source parts for as collectors entrench themselves and the requirements of operating systems (a…

Every time i see the framework people at a conference i insist that they have to target the thinkpad users and not just the macbook people. Just remind them if you see them. They'll eventually prioritize making it happen. At every company I've worked for, tickets get promoted from the backlog if enough customers or would-be customers nag about it.

Even MacBook users are used to something quite more rugged