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ThinkPad on Willem's Blog

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Learning from a 15-year old ThinkPad X200

May 1, 2023
Dive into a digital blast from the past and learn how a 15-year-old ThinkPad X200 can revolutionise your workflow – join my cloud-free adventure today!

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?

Building a professional 72TB NAS

Configuration and installation of an HPE ProLiant DL380 server

Nov. 22, 2019
This month I installed a professional HPE ProLiant DL380p server in a datacenter in Amsterdam, read this post to see how this was done!

Over the past few years I have been moving my data and work from local computers (mostly laptops) into the cloud. Cloud computing is done by servers in a datacenter, powerful computers that do the hard work. As my company grew, I needed more capacity. It was time to add some power to my cloud!

Lessons from a takeaway plastic bag

My ever increasing antipathy to planned obsolescence

Jan. 8, 2018
How we're tricked into repeated purchases replacing perfectly fine products just for the sake of change.

About five months ago I got some take away food from our local Asian restaurant. They packaged the food and gave me a plastic bag to carry it home. On my way home I was thinking about the bag. Although it has some nice styling printed on it, it's designed for single use only. What a waste... making me wonder: how long would it last if you would use it on a daily basis?

Programming on Apple Watch

Serious about crazy experiments

Feb. 16, 2017
Programming with VIM over SSH on Apple Watch using a bluetooth keyboard

Over the past years I have been no stranger to crazy experiments, but this time I really wanted to push it into the extreme: programming on an Apple Watch. Would it be possible to actually write code on such a tiny device? Why even bother? This post is about the case for crazy experiments, and why you should try too!

iPad Pro next to my primary machine

Using it with Apple Pencil as a creative powerhouse

Jan. 30, 2017
Using iPad Pro with Apple Pencil next to my computer to form a create powerhouse

I wanted see if I can find something better than my old fashioned pencil and paper that I use for designing software as professional developer. I knew iPad Pro from my test last summer, figuring out if it could replace my primary development machine. While it may not be able to completely replace my thrustworthy ThinkPad, it turned out to be a totally different story when it comes to paper.

iPad Pro as primary computer

testing iOS as primairy development platform

Aug. 15, 2016
Is the time right to use an iPad as primary development platform to get some real work done?

The lack of physical clutter, distracting branding, or blinking LED's makes the iPad Pro a textbook example of minimal design. My despiction of distraction explains my interest in using the iPad Pro as only computer to test if it is up to the task. Is Apple's latest effort on iOS enough to enable it to do serious development work?

Building the blog... in style!

Developing on a 20-year old computer with 16MB RAM and Windows 98

June 23, 2016
Find out if it is possible to turn a computer from the 90s into a modern development machine.

One must be a bit crazy to come up with the idea to build a blog (as in: actual programming) on an old 486 laptop with just 16MB RAM. I happen to be that crazy: I took my very first laptop from the 90s and decided to find out if it was possible to turn it into a development machine.

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LG Nexus 5 running the latest version of Chrome (v63)
LG Nexus 5 running the latest version of Chrome (v63)
Classic ThinkPad advertisment “Its mother was a mainframe, its father a Maserati”
Classic ThinkPad advertisment “Its mother was a mainframe, its father a Maserati”
The iPad Pro along side my trustworthy ThinkPad X1
The iPad Pro along side my trustworthy ThinkPad X1
Nokia 9300i, officially not a communicator but nonetheless a device with advanced mobile communication options for its day (2007). Running Putty on Symbian Series 80.
Nokia 9300i, officially not a communicator but nonetheless a device with advanced mobile communication options for its day (2007). Running Putty on Symbian Series 80.
MacBook connected to the server in the datacenter through VMWare ESXi - installing GRUB boot loader on a virtual Debian GNU/Linux server
MacBook connected to the server in the datacenter through VMWare ESXi - installing GRUB boot loader on a virtual Debian GNU/Linux server
The iPad Pro works well with a normal bluetooth keyboard
The iPad Pro works well with a normal bluetooth keyboard
Work in progress - my X200 experiment
Work in progress - my X200 experiment
Server (top left) connected to the computers on my desk (lower right) during installation inside my office
Server (top left) connected to the computers on my desk (lower right) during installation inside my office
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).
ThinkPad X200 running Debian GNU/Linux with OpenBox.
ThinkPad X200 running Debian GNU/Linux with OpenBox.
... apparently it needed a little encouragement from its modern cousins...
... apparently it needed a little encouragement from its modern cousins...
Typical drawing I create when designing software
Typical drawing I create when designing software
Plastic bag from the Asian takeaway restaurant
Plastic bag from the Asian takeaway restaurant
Feeling mobile: this blog post was created using an iPhone, a keyboard and some coffee! No PC!
Feeling mobile: this blog post was created using an iPhone, a keyboard and some coffee! No PC!
iPad Pro next to my ThinkPad
iPad Pro next to my ThinkPad
The modern $6499 costing MacBook Pro is one of the few laptops available that can be configured with 8TB flash storage today...
The modern $6499 costing MacBook Pro is one of the few laptops available that can be configured with 8TB flash storage today...
Initial scribble to see how pencil response
Initial scribble to see how pencil response
White on blue
White on blue

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