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Time-Travel Computing

Exploring the Potential of a Classic Laptop

May 1, 2023 -

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?

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Work in progress - my X200 experiment
Work in progress - my X200 experiment
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).
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).
... yet, my 15-year old ThinkPad X200 has 8TB SSD storage, too (a Samsung 870 QVO SSD)
... yet, my 15-year old ThinkPad X200 has 8TB SSD storage, too (a Samsung 870 QVO SSD)
The ThinkPad X200 from 2008
The ThinkPad X200 from 2008
IBM ThinkPad 700C from 1992 was instantly acknowledged as a big deal for the industry
IBM ThinkPad 700C from 1992 was instantly acknowledged as a big deal for the industry
Classic ThinkPad advertisment “Its mother was a mainframe, its father a Maserati”
Classic ThinkPad advertisment “Its mother was a mainframe, its father a Maserati”

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