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diff --git a/posts/2013-09-22-liberating-a-thinkpad-x220.skr b/posts/2013-09-22-liberating-a-thinkpad-x220.skr deleted file mode 100644 index a527482..0000000 --- a/posts/2013-09-22-liberating-a-thinkpad-x220.skr +++ /dev/null @@ -1,68 +0,0 @@ -(post - :title "Liberating a Thinkpad X220" - :date (make-date* 2013 09 22) - :tags '("thinkpad" "free software" "wsu") - :summary "I bought a used Thinkpad X220 and made it more free -software friendly." - - (p [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.]) - - (p [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.]) - - (p [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.]) - - (p [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 -,(anchor [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.]) - - (p [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.]) - - (p [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 -,(anchor [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.]) - - (p [I hope to really break this thing in over the weekend at the -,(anchor [GNU 30th Anniversary] "https://www.gnu.org/gnu30/") -hackathon. :\)])) |