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Andrew Tropin

I have a dilemma: I can buy a used thinkpad x13s ARM laptop for 400$.

Pros:
- Lightweight, fanless, energy efficient.
- Fresh and not falling appart like my current one :)
- Can explore and improve the state of Linux ecosystem for RISC architectures.
- Good price.

Cons:
- No proper sleep, no KVM, PipeWire problems.
- I'm not sure that I can use it as my primary work machine => will need to maintain and carry two laptops during my trips.
- Migration/setup costs.

#arm #thinkpad #aarch64 #linux

9 July at 16:21 | Open on fosstodon.org
19 comments
Evv1L :blobcatlaptop:
Andrew Tropin

@Evv1L Hah, do you know whom I think to buy it from? :D

@cofob

9 July at 16:27 | Open on fosstodon.org
[DATA EXPUNGED]
Andrew Tropin

Give me a piece of advice :)

A detailed list of current issues with Linux for this laptop: github.com/jhovold/linux/wiki/

9 July at 16:26 | Open on fosstodon.org
Chris McDonough ✅

@abcdw i'm keen on trying out an ARM machine too, but it's more curiosity than a practical need and I kinda figure all those snapdragon x machines will flood the market soon enough that linux support will get gud so i'm holding out til one of those used is about that price

9 July at 16:38 | Open on chattingdarkly.org
Andrew Tropin

@chrism From conference talks of jhovold I watched, KVM won't come to this laptop, lenovo and qualcom don't cooperate well to help solving other things too :'(

9 July at 16:44 | Open on fosstodon.org
Chris McDonough ✅

@abcdw yeah that makes it kinda a nonstarter for developers i suspect

9 July at 16:45 | Open on chattingdarkly.org
FCLC

@abcdw I think used m1 MacBook airs are going for a similar amount these days and have pretty solid support in Asahi

9 July at 16:32 | Open on mast.hpc.social
Andrew Tropin

@fclc Thinkpad keyboard and trackpoint are deal breakers for me :/

Actually, I'm ok with my current laptop, it's already tired and asking for rest, but will work for a couple more years. Just having this tempting oportunity to update. However, not sure that can completely substitute my x86_64 laptop with it for work.

9 July at 16:36 | Open on fosstodon.org
Andrew Tropin

Another important thing about x13s on my mind: to change keyboard to japanese one, which will really help with my RSI.

It will require some modification of chassis and will cause the loss of guarantee, but it's not that scary as for 2-3k$ laptops.

#diy #laptop #thinkpad

9 July at 16:41 | Open on fosstodon.org
Alexander Hamizdat

@abcdw eep you could probably get a really nice T14s or T490s for a lot less money and trouble.

9 July at 16:46 | Open on hachyderm.io
dgr

@abcdw why do you need to modify the chassis?
Why not just put stickers on the keys or use something like the ergo dox - this is what I use.
IMHO, the state of Linux on ARM is quite good since Raspberry Pi 3.

9 July at 17:46 | Open on toot.li
Andrew Tropin

@dgr Because japanese keyboard have different keys (physical buttons) arrangement (luckily not all of them).

I don't care much about labels, the don't match my actual layout anyway :)

I have a variety of keyboards at my home from kinesis advantage to some self-made low profile mechanical prototypes. The problem that I'm not at home and won't be here anytime soon, so need it to be a part of my laptop :)

It's good, but there are still a lot of problems for arm laptops:
github.com/jhovold/linux/wiki/

@dgr Because japanese keyboard have different keys (physical buttons) arrangement (luckily not all of them).

I don't care much about labels, the don't match my actual layout anyway :)

I have a variety of keyboards at my home from kinesis advantage to some self-made low profile mechanical prototypes. The problem that I'm not at home and won't be here anytime soon, so need it to be a part of my laptop :)

10 July at 8:15 | Open on fosstodon.org
dgr

@abcdw this is why I have ergo doxes all over the place - two at work, one at home and one in the backpack ;)
But I would like to go to a lower profile and even less keys for better portability but then I need to get real serious with the layers.

11 July at 11:47 | Open on toot.li
Andrew Tropin

@dgr I have only 32l backpack for all my stuff I carry around the world, so not so much room for ergodox at the moment :)

11 July at 12:01 | Open on fosstodon.org
wunk

@abcdw I currently have the Thinkpad X13S and use it as a primary work machine if you have any questions. It's been great for my use-case. Especially for the battery life and size and such. I use Windows on it and do C++ projects on it and some Vulkan development and use VSCode to do remote-dev to my Linux server as well and basic media consumption if that aligns in any way with what you intend to use it for.
elk.zone/mastodon.social/@Wunk

9 July at 16:50 | Open on mastodon.social
Andrew Tropin

@Wunkolo Nice to hear it serves you well! I would also be interested to hear experience report from linux users.

10 July at 8:07 | Open on fosstodon.org
ThinkPad-Museum

@abcdw Nice! Is this a private auction or a reseller? I've been trying to get a X13s (preferably with ISO-UK or ISO-DE) for a long time but it's just ridiciously hard to get for a fair price.
Most shops still sell them for more than 1k EUR/USD - in this case getting the brandnew T14s G6 with the Snapdragon X1 Elite makes more sense.

I've just had a chat with @mart_w last week who is running #NixOS on his X13s. Some things are still somewhat broken, but it has become his daily driver.

@abcdw Nice! Is this a private auction or a reseller? I've been trying to get a X13s (preferably with ISO-UK or ISO-DE) for a long time but it's just ridiciously hard to get for a fair price.
Most shops still sell them for more than 1k EUR/USD - in this case getting the brandnew T14s G6 with the Snapdragon X1 Elite makes more sense.

10 July at 7:44 | Open on podcasts.social
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