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I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

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Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#91

Post by mgiampapa »

tyushk wrote: post #47

I run NixOS on a coreboot-ed T420 and I absolutely love everything on the outside, but it really shows its age when compared to the display on my Macbook or it comes to running heavier software ie. rust-analyzer, Chrome, or Nix builds. If Lenovo were to release a modern T420-like, with identical chassis, battery system and similar IO port variety, but a modern display, modern internals (replaceable SSD! soldered RAM…

I have a 25th Anniversary Edition Thinkpad, 7th gen i7 that I keep running PopOS specifically because it has the old magic style IBM keyboard. It's the only laptop I can stand typing on, but it's video card is getting so old in the tooth that it's starting to have problems with compatibility.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#92

Post by justmarc »

These are very well built machines.

To keep them running for decades Linux or other open source operating systems are pretty much the only choice. Not only for performance (which is better) but also because Windows will phase old hardware support out, it's just what they've always done, and will always continue doing.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#93

Post by diggernet »

fishgoesblub wrote: post #11
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…

Until you're able to somehow transplant a T420 keyboard into a Framework, I'm staying on my ThinkPad either until it dies, or the heat death of the universe. whichever comes first ;-)

Similar situation here, with W520. My fantasy for Framework 16 is to have extended hinges and thick bezel available that would lift the screen further from the keyboard deck, and of course an upgraded keyboard available with longer travel and contoured keys (and better arrow key layout).

Are you listening, Nirav?

(Yes, I know it would make the laptop slightly thicker and heavier. But I just said I'm using a W520, and happy with it...)

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#94

Post by anthk »

arp242 wrote: post #65
markus_zhang wrote: post #26

I still use my T470S as a Ubuntu 22.04 development machine. I bought it from my pre-pre-company as a used one back in 2022 and it is a fantastic laptop for personal projects. The only update I did was a 16GB RAM to up the memory to 20GB. I also bought a new battery as one of the two was dead. I wish the graphic driver could be better as playing Youtube videos constantly crashes Firefox on Ubuntu. Other than that I ha…

> I wish the graphic driver could be better as playing Youtube videos constantly crashes Firefox on Ubuntu Do you have the xf86-video-intel driver installed? Try removing that package and just relying on the kernel modesetting DRI driver instead. That's been the recommended way to run Intel graphics for long time now. I don't know if that's your issue, but it this caused a lot of weird issues on my x270 with Firefox.

Get the oibaf PPA and dist-upgrade.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#95

Post by inatreecrown2 »

I bought a x220 about 10 years ago, and then a x230 a couple years ago. I also have a M1 Pro 16 inch but sometimes I enjoy working with the Thinkpads more than that. I really wish we could get a modern system that was build like the old Thinkpads. Especially regarding overall Size, repairability, connectivity and Keyboard.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#96

Post by diggernet »

zh3 wrote: post #89

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 batteri…

Got a good source for safe, reliable battery replacements? Last time I needed one I discovered that Duracell made them, but it seems like they've stopped now.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#97

Post by jbaiter »

kombine wrote: post #85

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 a…

I have the same, and I'll probably use it until it's dead. I love the screen for the same reason you mention. It's a damn shame that they put the ugly reverse webcam notch on the newer ThinkPads, it ruins the complete look :-/

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#99

Post by bigpeopleareold »

grudg3 wrote: post #76
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…

Obligatory "I can't even order Framework in my country" post. But I can get as many Thinkpads as I want.

Same here - can also buy 2 or 3 T480s for the price of a new framework even if they did deliver :D
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