I was looking at the list of liberated computers on offer, but they all seem pretty small (~12inch screens). I was wondering if there were any larger devices—such as larger ThinkPads—that could be liberated in the same way?
It’s unfortunate that laptop CPUs can’t be upgraded easily, because it’s what’s holding me back from buying any laptop at all. (My work includes some image editing and typesetting, but I don’t want to be paying for a laptop that I’d again have to throw away and replace in 5 years). But if the rest of the hardware is free and open, it might still be worth it; I could do with a laptop for travelling and do the heavy work on my desktop at home.
I’m guessing it’d be one of the older ThinkPads because things have been getting less modular over the years…
I will have 2 units of T440p laptops in stock by next week. Will upload the product inventory over this weekend. These are special units with quad-core i7 CPUs, Full HD IPS screens and a touchpad with 3 distinct physical buttons to use with the trackpoint.
Fortunately, T440p is a rare laptop design which doesn’t have its CPU soldered to the motherboard, but sitting nicely in a CPU slot. I’ve been able to replace the default dual-core CPU with a quad core i7 one.
The Thinkpad hardware isn’t really “free and open” in the usual sense that we understand these terms. While we can service the hardware long after its been manufactured, source new spares for it and the schematics are available as well, motherboard PCB design is not available under a free-software license. The hardware is also hackable - which is why there is a sizable community of enthusiasts who choose to work on it.
The newer Thinkpads (eg. X240 onwards) have a different design (eg. the hinge has been redesigned and one can’t push the screen back 180° as with the X230. While many even have dual batteries (one internal and one external that is easy to swap out), the focus on “slim models” for most of the X series has fundamentally changed the design that we have loved over the years.
Oh, that’s cool! Sounds like it might be my ideal device (among the feasible options) I’ll keep an eye out for when it comes.
That’s awesome! I see the 4th gen i7 is still slower than this year’s i3, but since I’ll be running Linux it shouldn’t be a problem. My i5 desktop from about 10 years ago is still running happily and I’m not feeling it to be slow at all…and I haven’t even upgraded my RAM or switched to SSD! (Desktop processors are generally faster than laptop ones, but I think that’s enough for a fair comparison).
Hmm…I guess it’s the closest to being “free and open” that we can manage at the moment? Being serviceable for a long time is already a great step up, and hopefully the community of enthusiasts means it will stay that way for a long time.
It’s unfortunate that the trend is only towards slimmer laptops nowadays, rather than less-slim but more-durable/repairable ones. I can imagine slimming down requiring many compromises, such as soldering on more parts instead of making them removable. Or there are offerings like Framework (and I guess Alienware) which do the same thing we used to have—repairability—but at a much higher cost. Well, I guess that’s what this project here is for
I’ll probably come to Bangalore in a month or two so maybe I can pick it up then? (If coming there is still a thing; I read somewhere that you had a space in Bangalore but can’t find it right now).
On a different note, do you have any idea about new-battery availability for this model? I noticed you didn’t have the option—which makes sense, since it’d be a different model and you’ve only just introduced the device—but is it something that could be procured if needed?
Sure. You’re most welcome to our hackerspace. I should be able to procure more units over the next month.
I have placed an order for 5 units of the Lenovo original batteries for this model. I don’t have them with me yet. Am also going to be getting a so-called “compatible battery” to test. I’ll list a new battery option once I have the batteries in hand. One never knows when they will actually arrive… so haven’t added that option yet.
I’ll keep an eye out for when it comes.