From 2c01d4daeff989a556083d26b7c6e5cf7f89b472 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: David Thompson Date: Sat, 5 Feb 2022 17:41:36 -0500 Subject: Prefix old post file names with dates. --- posts/thinkpad-x220.md | 63 -------------------------------------------------- 1 file changed, 63 deletions(-) delete mode 100644 posts/thinkpad-x220.md (limited to 'posts/thinkpad-x220.md') diff --git a/posts/thinkpad-x220.md b/posts/thinkpad-x220.md deleted file mode 100644 index fa69b98..0000000 --- a/posts/thinkpad-x220.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,63 +0,0 @@ -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. -- cgit v1.2.3