Rewinding Time
Uncovering the Lost Art of Offline Work
May 1, 2023 - Willem L. Middelkoop
As part of a greater plan to optimise my entire workflow, I am doing a little experiment this month: using a 15-year old ThinkPad X200 laptop as main computer. It’s from an era before “the cloud”, popular among free/libre software enthusiasts. What can we learn from this antithesis of modernity?
Continue reading![This laptop lid hinge, made from metal, is designed to last - note the keyboard has keys a modern MacBook can only dream off (PageUP/PageDown, Home, End, Delete).](/blog/2023-05-01_working-offline-first/images/i_03_This-laptop-lid-hinge-made-from-metal-is-designed-to-last-note-the-keyboard-has-keys-a-modern-MacBoo_500px.jpg)
![Classic ThinkPad advertisment “Its mother was a mainframe, its father a Maserati”](/blog/2023-05-01_working-offline-first/images/i_02_Classic-ThinkPad-advertisment-Its-mother-was-a-mainframe-its-father-a-Maserati_500px.jpg)
![The modern $6499 costing MacBook Pro is one of the few laptops available that can be configured with 8TB flash storage today...](/blog/2023-05-01_working-offline-first/images/i_06_The-modern-6499-costing-MacBook-Pro-is-one-of-the-few-laptops-available-that-can-be-configured-with-_500px.png)
![... yet, my 15-year old ThinkPad X200 has 8TB SSD storage, too (a Samsung 870 QVO SSD)](/blog/2023-05-01_working-offline-first/images/i_07_yet-my-15-year-old-ThinkPad-X200-has-8TB-SSD-storage-too-a-Samsung-870-QVO-SSD_500px.jpg)
![Plenty of hardware ports, including a PC-card slot, integrated gigabit ethernet, USB-A and a hardware switch to disable WiFi](/blog/2023-05-01_working-offline-first/images/i_05_Plenty-of-hardware-ports-including-a-PC-card-slot-integrated-gigabit-ethernet-USB-A-and-a-hardware-s_500px.jpg)
![See pixels on a greyish black background - the X200’s display is no match for modern HiDPI micro led or OLED monitors](/blog/2023-05-01_working-offline-first/images/i_08_See-pixels-on-a-greyish-black-background-the-X200-s-display-is-no-match-for-modern-HiDPI-micro-led-o_500px.jpg)