I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad • Hacker News Board

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#371

Post by op00to » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:07 PM UTC

thowawatp302 wrote: post #147

bkor wrote: post #138

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Socketed RAM CUDIMM is changeable and fast. > The user being able to swap parts easily is _neat_ but it's just not an required feature Mostly because people seem to have forgotten that it was possible. Often laptops are slow to due either a too full disk and/or not enough memory. It used to be more common to upgrade those. But apparently that knowledge/skill is forgotten and it's now more custom to buy a new device…

Nah, personally? I know it’s possible, I’ve done it, and I just do not care anymore. not worth it

It's certainly not worth it. I don't think that, for laptops, RAM requirements are increasing nearly as fast as they did 10 years ago. I spec 64GB for my laptops today, and if I could have afforded it, I would have specced 64GB 10 years ago too.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#372

Post by bombcar » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:07 PM UTC

0xEF wrote: post #217

roywashere wrote: post #117

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Oh man, the MNT Reform looks _so_ awesome!

Except for that price. Yikes. Heck of a barrier to entry for an unproven product. I do wish them well, but as we call for more modularity in laptop design, we can't forget the core value of keeping it affordable for the masses.

Which is why we're sadly only really going to get it if a major manufacturer decides to go Framework on us, because otherwise the economies of scale just aren't there.

Or laptops get so uncommon that manufacturers have to band together and agree on standards.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#373

Post by DrNosferatu » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:11 PM UTC

Want a real solution to electronic waste?

The EU should mandate 10-year warranties for higher-end consumer electronics and durable goods.

This could work on a sliding scale: less expensive items get shorter warranties (but never below the current 2-year minimum), while pricier products require longer coverage periods.

Such legislation would:

1. End the exploitation of workers in sweatshops producing deliberately short-lived products

2. Discourage planned obsolescence and reduce manufacturing waste

3. Significantly decrease the climate impact of consumer electronics

4. Create genuine incentives for a Circular Economy where durable products like quality ThinkPads become standard rather than exceptions

By requiring products to last, we'd not only protect consumers and the Environment, but also the vulnerable workers currently trapped and exploited in sweatshops designed to produce disposable goods.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#374

Post by op00to » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:12 PM UTC

scarface_74 wrote: post #356

daxelrod wrote: post #287

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have a relatively high-end desktop with a nice monitor. I also have an aging laptop with a tiny screen and an anemic amount of RAM. Most of my computing ends up being done on the laptop. With a family and a kid, it turns out I’d prefer to spend most of my time at the computer in common spaces; at the dinner table, on the couch, etc. so that I’m present and available for my family. This is far better than squirrelin…

You don’t see any conflicts between this: > it turns out I’d prefer to spend most of my time at the computer in common spaces; at the dinner table, on the couch And this? > I’m present and available for my family

The conflicts arise when all you do is work. Every second of every day does not need to be spent staring at your children and still be a good parent.

I often sit with my kids and get a little work done on the couch while they're entertaining themselves. I can engage where appropriate, and of course I don't spend my entire life working. This flexibility allows me time to walk them to school, pick them up from school, leave early to go to their sports things, band concerts, or just play outside with them.

You know, nuance and balance.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#375

Post by layer8 » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:14 PM 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…

And nobody is making (classic) ThinkPad-style keyboards for the Framework laptops (yet? — I'm not sure they have enough "headroom").

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#376

Post by huslage » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:15 PM 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…

Framework laptops aren't really repairable in the same way that old Thinkpads are. Maybe that's good, maybe not, but replacing an entire motherboard every 3 years isn't all that different from replacing an entire computer really.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#377

Post by stronglikedan » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:15 PM UTC

DrNosferatu wrote: post #373

Want a real solution to electronic waste? The EU should mandate 10-year warranties for higher-end consumer electronics and durable goods. This could work on a sliding scale: less expensive items get shorter warranties (but never below the current 2-year minimum), while pricier products require longer coverage periods. Such legislation would: 1. End the exploitation of workers in sweatshops producing deliberately shor…

The reality is that no one wants to carry around a five pound laptop just for the sake of sturdiness or repairability.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#378

Post by DrNosferatu » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:19 PM UTC

stronglikedan wrote: post #377

DrNosferatu wrote: post #373

Want a real solution to electronic waste? The EU should mandate 10-year warranties for higher-end consumer electronics and durable goods. This could work on a sliding scale: less expensive items get shorter warranties (but never below the current 2-year minimum), while pricier products require longer coverage periods. Such legislation would: 1. End the exploitation of workers in sweatshops producing deliberately shor…

The reality is that no one wants to carry around a five pound laptop just for the sake of sturdiness or repairability.

One thing does not prevent the other: that's what standards are for.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#379

Post by TaupeRanger » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:21 PM UTC

xdavidliu wrote: post #349

TaupeRanger wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Airport scanners? Are those normally dangerous to laptops?

of course not. When you go through airport security, they give you trays where you put your backpack, laptop, and shoes. Happens every day with no problem.

Right that’s why I’m wondering why the OP included it in a sentence along with “dropping” that implied the laptop had “been through some stuff”.

Re: I maintain a 17 year old ThinkPad

#380

Post by gibibit » Thu, Apr 03, 2025, 3:23 PM UTC

organsnyder wrote: post #347

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…

I have an M4 MacBook from work and a personal Framework 13. The MacBook certainly feels more solid, but I wouldn't call the Framework flimsy, and it still has a premium feel. I made the mistake of packing my MacBook (at the time an M1 model), my Framework, and my iPad Pro 12.9 (with keyboard case) in a single laptop bag for a work trip a while back. The Framework got bent around the power button in a way that made th…

Interestingly the Macbook trackpad does not have physical buttons. It uses haptic feedback to simulate the feeling of a "click", but in reality there is no button which could be interrupted by dust.

I did have a Macbook trackpad fail in a similar way, where the "button" seemed to intermittently fail to click. It turned out my battery was swelling (see /r/spicypillows) and this impacted the trackpad operation.

On topic, I took the Macbook with swollen battery in to the Apple Store and they had to replace the entire keyboard+battery assembly as a unit because the battery was not replaceable.