[GTALUG] Voting with our Dollars on Computing Future that Respects our Freedom.

[D. Hugh Redelmeier]

| From: Blaise Alleyne via talk <talk at gtalug.org>

| (I feel like there's a bit of a difference between a machine from 2000 in 2010
| versus a machine from 2006 in 2016 though... Moore's Law has been applied in a
| different way over the last 5-10 years, in that my refurbished X60 might still
| be competitive in some ways with some lower-end netbooks sold today, but I the
| same wouldn't be true of a laptop from 2000 in 2010.)

I have a ThinkPad X61t (tablet) which is quite a machine.  I've
upgunned it to 4G of RAM and an SSD.  I ordered it with the 1400x1050
screen.  But I don't use it much any longer.

I compare this with my Lenovo Yoga 2 pro or the Asus ZenBook UX305ca.
Here's what has improved (earlier ones matter more to me):

- no fan or quiet fan

- longer battery life

- better display

- lighter

- SSD (but this can be retrofitted)

- USB 3

- better touchpads (still not great)

- more RAM capacity

- faster CPU (low on my list)


Things that I find less good:

- much harder to service

- much harder to upgrade

- not as well-made

- no middle mouse button and the buttons are not old-fashioned
  physical buttons.  (I think that there may be driver fiddles to
  achieve a middle soft button.)

- no TrackPoint (I am not an addict)

- keyboard feel isn't as good (subjective)

- sometimes I would prefer the x61t's smaller screen with the squarer
  aspect ratio

I didn't actually use the X661t's stylus and I don't use the newer
computers' touch screen.  I almost never use the x61t or Yoga folded
up in tablet mode.  This could be because Linux/GNOME doesn't make
these features very useful.

I know that you can buy a new ThinkPad without these disadvantages but
it would miss out on many of the advantages of newer notebooks.

PS: the X60 is of the last generation of thinkpad on which you can
install 3rd party open-source ROMs and be kind of sure that your
firmware isn't traitorous.