Jeff,
Months ago I was very impressed with your vb.net error handler. Nice work.
You’re looking for a thinkpad alternative. You may stray, but you’ll be back…
Nothing is as reliable. Sure, I wish IBM/Lenovo had glossier screens.
I stayed away from laptops until 1999 when the T21 was an adequate development machine. It was the first laptop that let me setup Oracle plus front end tools. Other laptops at the time limited the memory to half of the T21 and their keyboards were like membranes compared to the thinkpads. The resolution was only 1024x768.
Upgraded to T23 in 2001 with 1400x1050 screen. When the HD failed, it was an intermittent failure allowing everything to be saved… support was stunning… received replacement HD from FedEx next day.
T23 was soaked in 2" of water for 30 minutes when runoff from an awning in nyc totally soaked me during a storm. It was like a wave hit me. My laptop bag was open. I poured water out of it… waited less than 2 hours… it started right up. The machine still works today… sometimes it takes a few attempts to boot, but no problems once it starts.
Upgraded to T42 in 2004. Very hard drop on driveway, cracked case, filled with epoxy, good as new.
When T42’s USB chip burnt out, called IBM at 4+pm on friday, tech replaced entire system board first thing monday morning (under warranty) at my house. OUTSTANDING service.
IBM has always been a generation ahead from a performance and business needs perspective. They have never been the coolest gaming machine.
Get an IBM if you like lighter units, higher memory limits, faster network connection speeds, monitors that don’t flop during travel… and other features you hope not to need: encryption, shock mounted drives, auto-park drive software, etc.
These laptops were not company issued. I bought them for my work. At the time, I realized I could have spent 20 to 40% less, but realized the IBM value. Go on ebay and look for old laptops. The old thinkpads are still working. See how many old Dell, HP, Sony, Compaq, etc. machines are still working… They’re all sold for parts. The IBMs still live.
Have you seen the size of the AC adapters on some dell and hp units? They’re larger than most bricks! and cost it too. I now have 4+ T series power supplies. you can even pick them up for $20 on ebay. Try getting a replacement part 2+ years later.
Uninspiring to me is when you lose your work. I dread having to configure my computers. It takes too long to get everything just right.
For the past 15 years I would piece together my own PCs with all the bells and whistles. After the IBM experiences, I bought an IntelliStation Z Pro.
A few months ago, my own flesh and blood brother bought a dell. If the monitor was not soo awesome, I would have disowned him. He wanted a game machine that could occasionally move around. The machine is fully loaded, but also weighs a ton.
enough ranting…