MartinMar 17
The plan:
- AI-free
- Offline first
- Running software locally on salvaged hardware
- Intermittent connectivity with self-hosted services
- Retrofitted for style & comfort
Show threadMartinMar 23

I remember using MS Office on Windows 3.1 with 4mb of RAM. It feels ridiculous that 4gb is now considered insufficient to run a modern desktop and apps.

http://toastytech.com/guis/win313.html

Show threadMartinMar 24
Show threadMartinMar 25
Almost disappointed because this was supposed to be an ascetic endeavour and all the apps I need and used on my Mac run without issue. I expected way more TUI and compromises.
Show threadMartinMar 25

I feel quite lonely trying to mod my computer to make it less powerful

https://zephray.me/post/x61_cpu_upgrade/

Upgrading the CPU in ThinkPad X61 — Wenting's Web Page

Show threadMartinMar 26
Last night I disassembled the laptop completely to put new thermal paste on the CPU and clean up and lubricate the fan (thanks @joachim for giving me sewing machine oil!). Temps are now 5-10°C lower and the fan does not kick off during normal use. The wonders never cease.
Show threadMartinMar 26
The only real obstacle I ran into is that VA-API from Intel does not support my poor old GPU, which means no hardware acceleration for some GUI apps. It’s a shame because it’s a purely software issue.
Show threadMartinMar 26
I tried to output video to a HDMI monitor through an adapter, fully expecting hours of headaches, but it just worked. This might be an unpopular opinion but Wayland has been nothing but great for my use case.
Show threadMartinMar 26

I find it amusing that I ended up using a desktop stack that is more often associated with ricing and überhackers running arch on led-lit desktop rigs

https://medium.com/@deadgirl2133/waybar-wofi-kitty-eww-the-holy-tetragrammaton-of-modern-ricing-9965ce77d6c8

Waybar, Wofi, Kitty, EWW: The Holy Tetragrammaton Of Modern Ricing

There is a moment in a Linux user’s life when you stop asking how to customize your system and start asking how far the rabbit hole goes…

Medium
Show threadMartinMar 29

Currently installing Windows Vista on a spare drive in order to update the BIOS to a hacked version ("Middleton BIOS"). It's required to support the IPS, LED-backlit, higher-res screen I received yesterday.

It's been a PAIN just to get the installer to boot and Vista is as much of a mess as everyone remembers.

Show threadMartinMar 29
It's wild that a current version of Linux runs so much better on this laptop that the officially supported OS it shipped with
Show threadMartinMar 29
Two hours of careful tinkering later, it works! SXGA+, great viewing angles, bright enough to work in the sun, and 1-2W less power drain.
Show threadMartinMar 29
This is a redemption story for me because I had tried to perform the same mod in 2009 and had failed miserably, trashing an (at the time) pretty expensive screen in the process. The memory of this failure was on my mind the whole time this morning and probably helped me to take it slow and avoid small mistakes.
Show threadMartinMar 30
I got power consumption down to 6W at idle, don’t know if I can get any lower than that. Battery life is 5-6h, can push it to 8 if it’s just offline writing. Not great but certainly good enough.
Show threadDennis Guse
@martin a really great update is to get either a USB-C charging cable with the round Thinkpad plug or actually replace the socket with USB-C. Sadly the socket didn't fit in my X60, so I went with the cable solution.
Works like charm with 65W charger 
Apr 23 at 2:50amWeb