6 ms·

> I've bought a new Thinkpad almost every year since 2006 But why?? If the current one isn't broken, why would you need to buy a new laptop and go through the

• porb121 5y ago
  Sometimes people describe their problems with some technology and it makes me realize that we live completely different lives. I can't imagine buying the same device year after year, whether that's a phone, laptop, or whatever.
  • bink 5y ago
    Not only that but when they were using Macbooks they were apparently _buying two_ and keeping them in sync? I get some people can't be without a laptop for long periods of time but that seems absurd to me. Keep a backup disk. They even say they have a pile of old laptops that are presumably still usable.
• CitrusFruits 5y ago
  If you read later on the author gives their rationale: "I started buying a new laptop every year as a reward to myself for quitting smoking. ... The environmental consequences of that system weren't lost on me, even given my very good track-record of re-homing my old computers with people who needed them."
• yobert 5y ago
  If you read a little lower in the article he mentions it being a reward mechanism for stopping smoking. So each year he doesn't smoke, he rewards himself with a new laptop. Good strategy!
  • bambax 5y ago
    Yeah, this is rationalizing. You don't need to reward yourself every year for something you do once. You quit smoking, you get a reward, end of story. Also, and that's where we differ (and kind of my point): setting up a new computer isn't a reward for me, it's a punishment.
    • danso 5y ago
      I think for some folks, quitting smoking isn’t a simple one-time event, but a lifelong ongoing challenge
    • superdisk 5y ago
      If it's stupid but it works, it's not stupid.
    • eikenberry 5y ago
      You don't quit smoking once. You quit smoking every day. I haven't smoked in >10 years and I'm still quitting. Physical dependence on nicotine takes a long time to recover from.
      • bambax 5y ago
        That's not my experience. I was a heavy smoker for over 15 years (around 2 packs a day); then I quit. It was hard. Extremely hard. In fact I stayed in bed for 2 weeks because I didn't dare stand up and go into the world, and I couldn't think of anything else. But after the withdrawal symptoms receded, that was that. It was over. I can't even remember what it was that I liked about it. Of course that's just me, and experiences differ. But quitting smoking is its own reward, and I don't mean physically or health-wise. You're free! You don't need to spend time thinking about where the nearest tobacco shop is and if you have enough change to buy more cigarettes to get through the night. I would argue that if you need to reward yourself every year for quitting, you didn't actually quit. You stopped putting cigarettes in your mouth, but you're still a "smoker".
        • 5y ago
• xipho 5y ago
  The author states they travelled 27 days a month, every month. I doubt many people put that much stress on their laptops.
  • fouc 5y ago
    Traveling 27 days a month might sound impressive but it shouldn't really put extra wear on laptops in general. I frequently work from cafes and such and put my laptop into my backpack on an almost daily basis, and it's fine after years. I don't even use a padded sleeve or other special protection.
    • xipho 5y ago
      YRMV. I've damaged 3 laptops in ~ 15 years. All have been during international trips when fatigue and unfamiliarity grew and Loki struck.
• ansible 5y ago
  > Parts of my desktop computer are from 2007 -- the case is from 1993, How does that work? That predates the ATX form factor spec released by Intel in 1995. I had a ginormous PC/AT compatible tower case at that time, very large, very heavy, all steel. IIRC, it had 8 5.25in external drive bays. In retrospect, the ATX form factor has been rather long-lived, though there are plenty of competing form factors these days.
  • bambax 5y ago
    It works fine. It has 6 5.25 bays, and 2 3.5 ones. It is steel and heavy, but it never moves.
    • ansible 5y ago
      I'm still curious about the motherboard itself. The old PC cases didn't have a rectangular cut-out for IO panel, and probably didn't have the motherboard stand-off screws in the correct locations. I suppose with time and care you could modify an old case to take an ATX motherboard, but I'm not sure how well that would work. You'd also likely need to mod the power supply mounting, add cooling and fan mounts, and more.
      • bambax 5y ago
        Over the years I did move the stand-off screws but didn't need to make new holes, plenty of holes were already there. I changed the power supply many times but it always fit, I think it's standard... Fans are on the mother board, there are no fan mounts directly on the case?