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Some of us run an old OS on old machines because it just works. I got an old Thinkpad for an experiment with coreboot. I found it sexy, so I upgraded it like y

by 1996 8y ago

Some of us run an old OS on old machines because it just works. I got an old Thinkpad for an experiment with coreboot. I found it sexy, so I upgraded it like you did. It feels "snappier" than anything else I have tried. All I need is SSH, and a confortable keyboard, so has become my work computer! No maintenance, no distractions. Just ssh. I highly encourage everyone to do the same experiment you did, to realize how poorly we are served by current offerings. (or maybe I am just in retrocomputing. I don't know. I just like it)

Klover 8y ago
Calling geeky things “sexy” feels like trying to justify liking the geeky thing by giving it a different name. I understand why you do it. What I don’t know is how your project relates to both older computers and older operating systems, because this sounds like something ideal for an operating system much more modern than the popular Windows 7 that is used a lot today: Centos 7. Setup for that purpose, fast and powerful, while being perfectly reliable and having modern ease of use through systemd. I have a similar idea going on another laptop with a minimal Debian 9 installation (takes a little more setting up, but I can install more CLI programs outside your SSH use case). And from that comes me wondering why you think the older hardware has a benefit. I sure find the lack of IPS screen noticeable even when the screen for the most part just displays text on a black background. Since the CLI has the best HDPI support out there (increase the font size), you could even take advantage of a high resolution screen. What I do find especially good in your case is how you show how long hardware can last when not skimped on. An old thinkpad has great build quality, and for the most part there is no reason to stop using it. The best way to reduce waste is to not waste at all.
- TomMarius 8y ago
  Isn't your "cli tools" problem solved by EPEL? It contains anything I've ever needed.
  - Klover 8y ago
    And with compiling, everything is possible, of course. Perhaps with Centos 8, because I'll want to look at that anyway.
    - TomMarius 8y ago
      Yeah, but compiling is complex. EPEL is just one command away: yum install epel-release

by 1996 8y ago

Klover 8y ago

Calling geeky things “sexy” feels like trying to justify liking the geeky thing by giving it a different name. I understand why you do it. What I don’t know is how your project relates to both older computers and older operating systems, because this sounds like something ideal for an operating system much more modern than the popular Windows 7 that is used a lot today: Centos 7. Setup for that purpose, fast and powerful, while being perfectly reliable and having modern ease of use through systemd. I have a similar idea going on another laptop with a minimal Debian 9 installation (takes a little more setting up, but I can install more CLI programs outside your SSH use case). And from that comes me wondering why you think the older hardware has a benefit. I sure find the lack of IPS screen noticeable even when the screen for the most part just displays text on a black background. Since the CLI has the best HDPI support out there (increase the font size), you could even take advantage of a high resolution screen. What I do find especially good in your case is how you show how long hardware can last when not skimped on. An old thinkpad has great build quality, and for the most part there is no reason to stop using it. The best way to reduce waste is to not waste at all.

TomMarius 8y ago
Isn't your "cli tools" problem solved by EPEL? It contains anything I've ever needed.
- Klover 8y ago
  And with compiling, everything is possible, of course. Perhaps with Centos 8, because I'll want to look at that anyway.
  - TomMarius 8y ago
    Yeah, but compiling is complex. EPEL is just one command away: yum install epel-release