My Lenovo ThinkPad T460s is nine years old. I picked it up used four or five years ago and maxed out the RAM and the hard drive at a rather inexpensive price. While I have newer computers in my stable, my ThinkPad T460s is still my favorite. The keyboard is fantastic and it just does what I need it to do.
ThinkPads are known for being very friendly platforms for running Linux. This is one of the things I like about it. I have my laptop set up specifically for my use and the operating system just gets out of my way. MacOS on my MacBook Air seems to be getting in my way more and more; I want to use my computer for creativity and productivity. Keeping the setup simple is important to me. For the technically inclined, my ThinkPadt T460s is running Debian Linux 12 (Bookworm) with the bspwm task manager. I have a minimum of applications installed, including Firefox (for web browsing), Obsidian (for knowledge management and writing), Spotify (for music), and a selection of utilities for things like grabbing a snapshot from my webcam, as seen above.
I’ve been trying to decide if I want to bring this laptop along with me on the Storm Chasing Trip. I’ll have my iPad and MacBook Air. The former is for tracking storms while I’m on the road and the latter is for editing video. But the rest of it? I’ll probably end up doing the bulk of the rest of my weather research and other online things using this ThinkPad.
Doesn’t everyone carry three computers with them when they travel? I’m fortunate to have the opportunity.
I just repurposed my ThinkPad T450s last week! Changed the old ssd that crapped out for a new one, and installed Ubuntu on it. It’s working like a charm! Thinkpads are tough and reliable!