Oldest Viable Laptop (2017) • Hacker News Board

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#221

Post by close04 » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:34 PM UTC

mxfihdsgyxegaas wrote: post #182

close04 wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm still rocking a 2008 Lenovo X200. It's just fine for home use but it's pretty hot, slow (the blame is split between the slow CPU and the slow HDD) and noisy. Also at this age the battery is mostly good for power spikes and the screen is in permanent "night shift mode" (backlight is yellowish). Still chugs along.

Am using the same. I advise installing an SSD and thinkfan or TPFC. Mine is mostly silent (except when watching video)

TPFC has been my best friend since the T41 (my all-time favorite TP). The noise is also a side effect of replacing the failing original fan with an aftermarket part a few years ago.

I didn't replace the HDD because the longer load times aren't really an issue. It's the parts that require some processing power that are a bummer. And this is also where the noisy part comes in, given that it's in high load for longer stretches. I prioritized lower temps over lower noise, this may have helped with the longevity.

I might throw in an SSD just to show the little workhorse some love.

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#222

Post by unxmaal » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:36 PM UTC

fixvzbdjzis wrote: post #206

I used an old SGI Fuel (700Mhz, 2GB Ram) as my daily driver @ work until 2013. I would rdesktop to use heavy websites, but other than that it rocked. Stopped using it because I graduated and I didn’t want to pay the electricity bill or keep a jet engine running at night (light sleeper) If anyone here had successfully converted an SGI to a fanless SSD unit, let me know!

You might check on https://forums.irix.cc/ .

I have an Origin 300 rackmount with upgraded Noctua fans, and it's quiet enough to not be a bother.

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#223

Post by konamicode » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:38 PM UTC

I have a 2008 MB (first of the unibody models) and it would be OK if not for hardware no longer being supported by the newer versions of macOS. This means I am unable to install .NET Core 2.0 or some of the newer Node versions which is a shame.

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#224

Post by xxpor » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:45 PM UTC

davio wrote: post #11

sverige wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It has the TrackPoint, which is sort of a famous love/hate feature. (I love it.) The ThinkPad is my favorite all-time laptop design. No surprise to me that the author is still using it after getting his MacBook back from the shop.

The TrackPoint is the Vim of pointing devices. Need a couple thousand hours to get proficient and then everything else is inferior.

I have a trackpoint on my HP EliteBook G7, but they didn't include a middle button. So there's no way to scroll without using the scrollbar. I have to wonder if there's a patent reason or something because it seems like such a huge oversight.

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#225

Post by Fnoord » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:45 PM UTC

MisterOctober wrote: post #200

markvdb wrote: post #9

2011 Lenovo Thinkpad X220 daily user here. Really nice machine really for my needs, running the latest Debian smoothly. I do have a spare ready to take over if needed. Old hardware could always die very suddenly. It's a frugal solution, both cheaper and more ecological than buying new.

T61 daily user here -- with 8GB memory, it's smooth sailing and a thrifty little machine.

x86-32 bit though, which is getting dropped more and more lately...

I had that very machine with 1 GB RAM (though with a SSD, its SATA1 (!!)). Couldn't run GNOME 3 on it, but more lightweight stuff like XFce ran great.

It also can't do VMs well since it lacks the hardware extensions, and it can't do Docker either.

The only good about it was the rfkill, the chasis, the ThinkPoint, the detachable battery, the price, the keyboard, and Coreboot.

It has more USB ports than my current MBP which also lacks rfkill and doesn't have a detachable battery though the trackpad is the best (2015 version).

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#226

Post by [deleted] » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:46 PM UTC

markvdb wrote: post #9

2011 Lenovo Thinkpad X220 daily user here. Really nice machine really for my needs, running the latest Debian smoothly. I do have a spare ready to take over if needed. Old hardware could always die very suddenly. It's a frugal solution, both cheaper and more ecological than buying new.

[deleted]

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#227

Post by linguae » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:47 PM UTC

slezyr wrote: post #168

> Ubuntu 16.04 doesn’t have a built-in dictionary or thesaurus What OS has build-in dictionary? There is no need to preinstall all the programs. Even if it had one it would be just one more thing to remove and install another dict (everyone has different needs).

NeXTSTEP came with the Digital Librarian, which included a Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary and a thesaurus. Beginning with Mac OS X Tiger, macOS has shipped with dictionaries. I make heavy use of the Japanese dictionaries.

Unfortunately I've had a difficult time finding offline dictionaries for Windows and Linux. Microsoft used to offer offline dictionaries (Microsoft Bookshelf had a dictionary, and I believe there was an Encarta dictionary as well), but last I checked, Microsoft no longer offers an offline dictionary. It used to be possible to buy a CD-ROM version of the Oxford English Dictionary, but last I checked there is no longer an offline digital version of the OED. As far as Linux goes, the dictionary software that I've seen largely relies on either public domain dictionaries (such as the 1913 Webster's dictionary) or open source dictionaries (such as Wiktionary), but I'm unaware of any Linux dictionaries that use commercial dictionaries.

I'm willing to pay for good offline dictionary software for Windows and Linux (bonus points if I could find good Japanese dictionary software); that's one of the things that keeps me on the Mac, actually.

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#228

Post by elagost » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:48 PM UTC

meuk wrote: post #217

I have replaced the battery and the HDD by an SSD in two old thinkpads, and they work very well. In particular, they have a nice key layout and type a lot better than my 1600 dollar Dell XPS, which is more important to me than a full HD screen.

Older laptops tend to be very serviceable and repair-friendly. I use my VGA ports, USB, SD card, and Ethernet ports all the time. Newer laptops, from what I've observed, fall into two categories: either a)they are not shy about imitating a MacBook Air, or b)enter the size/weight class of a Toshiba Qosmio[0] from 2007.

[0] https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E1683411...

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#229

Post by pier25 » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:56 PM UTC

therealmarv wrote: post #198

anonu wrote: post #149

My 5 year old MBP is still awesome .... So much so that I feel bad I bought the latest MBP. It's not "much" better. I often recommend people buy a ten year old full-frame dSLR. Quality photos are more dependant on the photographer and maybe the glass... Megapixels aren't that important with a full frame sensor made in the last 15 years...

That's only true for RAW files... the signal processors behaviour made huge steps forward in the recent 10 years in many conditions I would better recommend a good second/third generation Nikon APS-C (which is not that old) and save also money on good/cheaper APS-C lenses this way.

You also get better low light performance, more dynamic range, and video capabilities.

Re: Oldest Viable Laptop (2017)

#230

Post by pier25 » Mon, Feb 25, 2019, 9:57 PM UTC

slezyr wrote: post #168

> Ubuntu 16.04 doesn’t have a built-in dictionary or thesaurus What OS has build-in dictionary? There is no need to preinstall all the programs. Even if it had one it would be just one more thing to remove and install another dict (everyone has different needs).

macOS