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author | David Thompson <dthompson2@worcester.edu> | 2016-08-19 07:37:22 -0400 |
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committer | David Thompson <dthompson2@worcester.edu> | 2016-08-19 07:37:22 -0400 |
commit | 3d029d49d2ae1809ae718986f9c9b7e2adf2fd6d (patch) | |
tree | daddf4f1c7238746cb9bcc083c588e14aa6e670d /posts/thinkpad-x220.md | |
parent | 9934cc80b087ce9b71a87baaa77068fbd23445ce (diff) |
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diff --git a/posts/thinkpad-x220.md b/posts/thinkpad-x220.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..fa69b98 --- /dev/null +++ b/posts/thinkpad-x220.md @@ -0,0 +1,63 @@ +title: Liberating a Thinkpad X220 +date: 2013-09-22 21:00 +tags: thinkpad, free software, wsu +summary: I bought a used Thinkpad X220 +--- + +I had been looking for a suitable replacement to my old, slow Compaq +laptop that I purchased during my freshman year of college when I had +very little money. What I liked about my old laptop was that it played +well with free software. I had no trouble getting all of my hardware +to work out-of-the-box with fully free GNU/Linux distributions such as +Trisquel, and I wanted any future laptops of mine to play nicely, too. + +I have heard much praise for Thinkpads over the years. Solid build +quality, utilitarian design, and cheap to buy used. However, upon +further reading, I realized that most newer Thinkpads require nonfree +software in order to the drive the Intel wireless chip. Furthermore, +there was DRM present in the BIOS that would prevent the installation +of PCIe wireless chips that weren't in the whitelist. + +This really bummed me out, but I bought a Thinkpad anyway. I found a +great deal on a used X220 on ebay for $400. In order to liberate it, I +had to make a small deal with the devil: Use the pre-installed Windows +7 to flash a hacked BIOS that removes the whitelist. I could only find +the needed BIOS as a Windows executable, so I didn't have much +choice. This process left me hoping that coreboot gains wider +adoption. + +Once I had verified that I didn't brick my Thinkpad, I installed the +new wireless card. I purchased a Wireless N, half-height, mini PCIe +card from +[Thinkpenguin](https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/penguin-wireless-n-half-height-mini-pcie-card). It +uses an Atheros chipset and is free software compatible. I met Chris, +the owner of Thinkpenguin, at this year's Northeast GNU/Linux Fest at +Harvard. He is doing some great work and I wanted to support his +business. It was nice to buy from someone who could assure me that the +hardware I purchased is fully supported on a libre GNU/Linux +distribution. + +Now that my Thinkpad was free (sans BIOS, of course), it was time for +the final touch. I replaced the hard drive with a 128GB SSD and +installed Debian testing. It takes roughly 9 seconds to get from GRUB +to the GDM login screen. It feels very nice to have a device that +boots so quickly. + +Now that everything had been installed and configured, I was able to +start hacking and get a feel for things. The keyboard is the nicest +I've ever used on a laptop. The [TrackPoint](http://xkcd.com/243/) is +quite a nice way to move around once you get used to it. The +ThinkLight is pretty neat when you're in a dark area. The battery life +is extremely impressive. I don't know exactly how long it lasts yet +but I never have to charge it while I am using it. I was lucky if I +got 2 hours of battery life out of my old laptop, which caused me to +be constantly tethered to an AC adapter. The screen is matte, which is +awesome because it's very difficult to use a laptop outdoors when the +screen is glossy. 1366x768 is not an ideal resolution (16:9 be +damned), but I can live with it on a 12.5" screen. Last but not least, +I honestly like the aesthetics. A lot of people are enamored with the +brushed aluminum designs by that fruit company, but I love the flat +black, functional design of the Thinkpad. + +I hope to really break this thing in over the weekend at the +[GNU 30th Anniversary](https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/) hackathon. |