[ltp] Recommended Thinkpad Model? $1500?

[Bret Comstock Waldow]

On Mon, 2005-01-31 at 23:36, Steven J. Owens wrote:
> On Mon, Jan 31, 2005 at 07:19:35PM +1300, Bret Comstock Waldow wrote:
> > On Mon, 2005-01-31 at 18:45, Steven J. Owens wrote:
> > > However, most of the traffic since I subscribed is about
> > > thinkpad hardware problems :-).
> > 
> > As opposed to "works great!", "me too!, "me too!, "me too!, "me too!,
> > "me too!", ...?  Those folks don't post.  8-)
> 
>      Well yeah :-).  More to the point, the posts seem to be less of
> the "here's how you do xyzzy" and more "yeah, that's a problem."  So
> are there particular models I should avoid?

Probably not, but that's an historical question.  The latest models
don't have a lot of history, so it's difficult to answer the question. 
Since the manufacturer has had 12~ months to work on drivers before we
get our mitts on the machine, they're always ahead in compatibility -
the latest stuff commonly generates some churn in the community.

"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" --Napoleon (or so I'm
told - I wasn't there at the time) which I mention to point out I expect
the churn, and take it into account, and am not bothered about it.

But historically, Thinkpads are durable, well thought out hardware, and
the GNU/Linux enthusiasts *will* pound on the code until it works, so
that's a good bet.  (Although the Ultracam is a counterpoint to that
aphorism...not enough people bought them, I suppose.  If they were
supported on the current machines, they'd be reverse-engineered, but as
it is they may become an historical curiosity.)


> > The T series (I have a T21) are "Transportable".  A balance of size &
> > weight, and magnesium frames which make them durable.
> > 
> > Some of the recent T series have 15" displays.
> 
>      Is it just the T series that have 15" displays, or are these
> available in other models?

The X models are ultra-transportable - no more than 12" displays, no
built in optical drive, etc.

The Ts have been limited to 14" displays so they won't get out of hand
(literally?) as transportable machines.  I'm a bit surprised to see 15"
T series models.

Most of the others will have 15" displays.  R series are "(Desktop)
Replacement" - lumbering beasts designed to live on a desk, but be moved
occasionally.  No magnesium frames (which the Ts have for the display as
well - well protected) but no fat premium on the price either.

I forget what G models are for.

All Thinkpads are engineered to survive World War IV, although some are
more engineered for it than others.  I've owned two Toshibas (they and
IBM had the best reliability ratings when I was looking at such things)
and I notice that the Toshibas (and most laptops) have displays that
fold *onto* the body, held by the latches and the hinges.  The Thinkpads
have bezels that overlap the body all around, providing substantial
support while in transit.  Little things.

And you pay for them.  But with a bit of attention, you can pay less for
them.

 
> > >      - good availability of docking stations (I want to get one for
> > >        home and one for work)
> > 
> > If you don't need to add PCI cards or drives to the docking station, you
> > might save some $$ using a USB docking station.  Some I've seen are
> > small enough to put in your pocket, and provide mouse/keyboard/printer/
> > etc connectivity.  Now I've written that, it occurs to me I don't know
> > about GNU/Linux compatibility, though.
> 
>      Is the USB docking station an entire cradle?  Does it also power
> the laptop?  I'm fairly happy about using the full-sized dock with my
> tecra, the ease of use of inserting and removing it makes it a lot
> easier than mucking with cables.  I find it really easy to do,
> significantly easier than hunting for the end of the cable and then
> hunting for the socket.  Currently I have a docking station with 19"
> monitor and keyboard, both at home and at work.  I also spend a fair
> amount of time - maybe 10-15 hours a week at a coffee house or similar
> location, without the docking station (*).
> 
> (* Though I do like to keep a full-sized keyboard in the trunk of my
>    car for use in at coffehouses and such... I'd like to find a fairly
>    compact, yet full-sized wireless keyboard for such purposes.)
>  
> > I'd max out the budget for RAM before budgeting for the CPU, at least up
> > to 512M to 1G.  A fast CPU swaps to disk quicker than a slow CPU, but
> > still...
> 
>      Yeah, RAM is still definitely one of the best places to spend
> money.
> 
>      Somebody elsewhere steered me to Panasonic's semi-rugged
> toughbooks (the panasonic fully rugged toughbooks are apparently
> legenday).  Anyone know how well thinkpads compare to these?
> 
>      http://www.toughbooksales.com/information_semi-rugged.asp
> 
> 
> -- 
> Steven J. Owens
> puff@darksleep.com
> 
> "I'm going to make broad, sweeping generalizations and strong,
>  declarative statements, because otherwise I'll be here all night and
>  this document will be four times longer and much less fun to read.
>  Take it all with a grain of salt." - http://darksleep.com/notablog