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ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

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Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#31

Post by agentultra »

I use one of those too and made the switch rather recently from a MBPr. I used Linux Mint on it.

It's speedy, video calling works fine, can compile lots of code quickly, and it's refurbished and saved from the dumpster.

I hope to never buy a new computer again instead relying on refurbishing old ones as we go along. I keep all of my configurations and projects synced up so that booting up a new computer into my dev environment is straight forward. If I lose the device or it gets totaled it's a couple hundred bucks instead of $4k going out the door to get a new one in a few hours.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#32

Post by jordache »

PrimeDirective wrote: post #5
xxpor wrote: post #2

>Ethernet and WiFi work, although WiFi is a bit slow (only up to 802.11a?) compared to 802.11n/802.11ac capable OSes. And stuff like this is why I've never stuck with FreeBSD when I've tried it. I screw around with debugging issues all day at work. Why would I want to try to figure out why something as fundamental as wifi isn't working in my spare time?

Because you like the tinkering and believe there should be (fringe) alternatives to mainstream OSes?

who cares if its not a mainstream os? how many people in the world actually cares?

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#33

Post by protanopia »

revicon wrote: post #7

I also have a t480, mines running Ubuntu but unfortunately I’m giving it up for a new MacBook Air. The touchpads on the thinkpads are beyond horrible after using macs for many years, it’s finally too annoying for me to keep going :(

Try disabling the trackpad and then just use the trackpoint.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#34

Post by nh2 »

bayindirh wrote: post #8
PrimeDirective wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you like the tinkering and believe there should be (fringe) alternatives to mainstream OSes?

> ...mainstream OSes? Look how far we've come. Linux was the alternative OS just ~15 years ago. Now it's one of the mainstream OSes . TBH, I'd like to see one of the BSDs to become one of the mainstream OSes too. :) edit: Except macOS ofc. :)

"Stardate 2020. There is a mainstream OS with great driver support and the best gaming performance, that everybody uses (Linux). There are two other OSs battling for survival: One run by open source fanatics that release open source editors, browsers and programming languages and which frantically tries to emulate the mainstream OS (WSL), and one where stuff constantly breaks on upgrades, fundamental hardware like keyboards doesn't work, and keeping enter pressed logs you in as root (OSX)."

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#36

Post by jotm »

nextos wrote: post #9
vesche wrote: post #4

I also use a T480 as my main laptop and love it. Here are my notes & dotfiles for running Arch Linux: https://github.com/vesche/t480 One big item (which you'll see at the bottom of my install notes) is that intel chips in these thinkpads have a throttling issue. There's a nice python program to fix that, I run it as a systemd service on boot: https://github.com/erpalma/throttled

Is it silent? I've found recent Thinkpads to be a hit and miss in terms of good thermal cooling and fan firmware. Sadly fan speed is not adjustable by the user in the last few generations. I'm also curious about their new AMD offerings.

Which models? Afaik you can adjust fan speed on most, probably all, laptops by directly changing the embedded controller values.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#38

Post by snazz »

protanopia wrote: post #33
revicon wrote: post #7

I also have a t480, mines running Ubuntu but unfortunately I’m giving it up for a new MacBook Air. The touchpads on the thinkpads are beyond horrible after using macs for many years, it’s finally too annoying for me to keep going :(

Try disabling the trackpad and then just use the trackpoint.

I do this, but I can see how many people would have a hard time giving up the touchpad. The gestures are nice and I do have more control on a good touchpad. However, for my use case not having to move off home row beats touchpad gestures.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#39

Post by dpbriggs »

jordache wrote: post #32
PrimeDirective wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Because you like the tinkering and believe there should be (fringe) alternatives to mainstream OSes?

who cares if its not a mainstream os? how many people in the world actually cares?

Apparently OP does -- What are you asking?

Some people are motivated by the allure of fringe projects. There's usually a lot of exploration and learning involved with those projects, which can be very rewarding. Not to mention you gain a deeper appreciation for the unbelievable amount of work that goes into the projects.

Re: ThinkPad T480 is my new main laptop which runs FreeBSD

#40

Post by hdkwowjdj »

protanopia wrote: post #33
revicon wrote: post #7

I also have a t480, mines running Ubuntu but unfortunately I’m giving it up for a new MacBook Air. The touchpads on the thinkpads are beyond horrible after using macs for many years, it’s finally too annoying for me to keep going :(

Try disabling the trackpad and then just use the trackpoint.

Then you still don't have a good trackpad. Besides, the trackpoint is drifting across all models. I like to use it, but it's beyond my imagination why people think this is the best a manufacturer could do.
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