[ltp] Recommended Thinkpad Model? $1500?

[Eric Van Buggenhaut]

On Mon, Jan 31, 2005 at 12:45:43AM -0500, Steven J. Owens wrote:
> Hi folks,
> 
>      I subscribed to this list last week because (at long last!) I'm
> about to buy a new laptop to replace my increasingly decrepit Toshiba
> Tecra 8100.  However, most of the traffic since I subscribed is about
> thinkpad hardware problems :-).  I'd like to ask for recommendations
> on which thinkpad to get.  My budget is in the $1500 neighborhood,
> though I can probably beg-borrow-or-steal another $500-$1000 if I
> really have to...

Same here, I had a Tecra 8100 and I dropped it for a T42. I'm really 
happy about it, good 15" screen, _much_ better keyboard than the 
Toshiba (and you really get to know what it means, when you're a 
programmer and _use_ the keyboard 6-8 hours a day, not like those 
Windows guys who do it all with a mouse).

T42 really seems to be more resistant than Tecra8100 (my cover broke a 
few times) but I haven't been using it for that long time.

Many of my friends have Dell laptops and I've tried them, but when you 
give the Thinkpad a try, it kind of "feels good", you notice the 
quality is much better than Dell under your fingers, maybe the same 
that happens when you fire up a Suzuki car and then a BMW.

I'm using Debian too, I just reinstalled the packages I had on the 
Tecra on the T42, copy /home and /etc from one to the other and the 
computer booted like a charm.

One thing I'd pay attention if I were you, is the hard disk, IMHO for 
a developper, you don't really care whether the video card is 64MB or 
128MB, but for the hard disk, I went for a 60GB because surprisingly 
they spin faster: 40GB go 5400RPM and mind you 80GB also go 5400RPM 
but the 60GB go 7200RPM and this difference, you'll definitely notice 
it.

FYI, I'm in no way related to IBM, just really happy to have bought a 
T42.

Cheers,

-- 
Eric VAN BUGGENHAUT
Eric.VanBuggenhaut@AdValvas.be