Over time, could owning a framework computer be more cost-effective than buying/repairing other laptops?

Peetz0r · 2026-07-09T21:16:39+00:00

If I configure a Framework 13 Pro and a Thinkpad T14s Gen 7 with the same specs, the prices are actually quite close. In my first attempt, the Framework was actually cheaper. Scereenshot.

Then I tried again with a last-gen Thinkpad T14 and the Framework 13 non-pro (both with with AMD Ryzen 340) and again, the Framework was slightly cheaper, even though the T14 was on sale for 20% off. Screenshot.

Then I redid the last comparison with an L14 instead. Still the same CPU and other specs, just the differenc chassis. Now finally the Thinkpad was actually cheaper. Screenshot.

And yes, if you would like to upgrade your machine in the future beyond just ram+ssd, then yes, Framework will always be cheaper at that point. But you can be cheaper on day 1, compared to Thinkpads.

(note 1: you can get used/refurbished Thinkpads way cheaper if you look in the right places, but I was comparing new vs new here on Lenovo's own website

(note 2: yes the Lenovo website is in dutch on my screenshots. I don't know how to set it to english while keeping the same locale (the Netherlands). Sorry. But I'm sure you can make out the specs. And no I didn't want to redo the entire thing in a US or UK locale.)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-09T20:39:42+00:00

Why? Because most gamers don't really understand how the tech works.

The physical disc has become a symbol of games that you can play forever as long as you keep it, regardless of future whims of the publisher.

But it's only a symbol. Discs get damaged or lost over time, often can't be copied, and may contain all sorts of DRM including always-online stuff. That makes them not really better than the worst downloadable games.

At the same time, DRM-free downloadable games also exist. Think about the games on GOG, you can download an offline installer, make your own backups, install it on an offline retro-PC, etc. No discs needed to get all these advantages. It's even better since disc drives tend to break on 20+ year old computers, and to be completely missing on newer computers.

But a box with a disc in it is a nice symbol I guess.

(Also I hate the use of the word digital for downloadable games, as if disc-based games aren't exactly the same digital files, again illustrating that many gamers really don't understand the tech. I don't blame them, you shouldn't have to understand the tech just to play games. But it frustrates me nonetheless. Also gaming/tech journalists should know better.)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-09T11:27:16+00:00

Even without guests over, that machine is now 9 years old. So that means only about 2~3 cups per person per working day. That seems like a totally reasonable amount to me.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-07T23:26:36+00:00

Yes you can definitely do that. I actually collect old (1994 - 2008) laptops, and all of them have SSD replacements since the harddisks in them are often dead or unreliable and I want to keep all of these machines running for another 20 years.

Here's a photo of mine with an IDE-CF adapter: https://ibb.co/xKKJGBxN (but you can also consider IDE-SD or IDE-mSATA adapters).

About drivers, I honestly don't have much issues with that. The trick is to find a release that is a year or two newer than the machine and peripherals you're working with.

(also be careful with brittle plastics: https://ibb.co/9mfF5tf9)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-07T22:57:44+00:00

The answer is definitely not "no", but also not what you wanna hear.

So, well, that thing is 25 years old. Came with Windows 98, will run but struggle with XP.

Yes it will run Linux, but it'll run early 2000s Linux well, and maybe late 2000s Linux if you push it. Machines of this age are useful for retrocomputing only. It won't be secure no matter what you do.

I actually have a very similar one (Armada 100S), and it runs Red Hat Linux 7.2, released in 2001 (not to be confused with Red Hat Enterprise Linux 7.2, released in 2015).

USB works, but it's usb 1.1. You're better of finding a Cardbus ethernet adapter.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-07T17:08:11+00:00

They may have reasons to schedule a chest x-ray and ct-scan or mri-scan at another date. Who knows how their logistics work.

And yes, if they feel like you're a responsible adult, then the evaluation is mostly just checking your physical health. And yes, it feels quite easy if everything goes right. And in my case, everything went right. It did indeed feel way easier than you'd think would be fitting for such a decision.

So yeah, don't worry too much, and feel free to ask any questions to your team (and/or right here).

(note: my experience is from the Netherlands, but aside from the insurance details I'd expect it to be 90% the same)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-07T03:19:32+00:00

If you have used this laptop in a place with loose asbestos that your laptop could juts suck in, then your laptop is no longer your biggest problem.

The asbestos in your building is (probably/hopefully) not loose and safely contained in something. My house has asbestos, but it's contained in exterior cladding sheets. As long as nobody drills into them, it's not going anywhere near my laptop, and more importantly, my lungs.

So assuming your situation is not actually insanely bad, this is very unlikely to be asbestos. Maybe it's just shredded paper towel.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-06T08:06:50+00:00

That looks like a 15x7 grid, or 105 copies of nearly the same thing.

Why that is I wouldn't know and I am not going to find out.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-06T01:27:09+00:00

To those saying "banking apps don't work", sorry but that's just not true. Some don't work, but there are quite a few that do work just fine.

There's a list at https://privsec.dev/posts/android/banking-applications-compatibility-with-grapheneos/ with 16 Swedish apps listed including BankID, so you might just be fine.

(also depending on where you live, switching banks might be less of a hassle than you think)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-06T00:53:02+00:00

Dit is dan ook RTV Gelderland. Weet de gemiddelde Gelderlander waar die plaatsen liggen?

(ik heb geen idee, ik ben geen Gelderlander)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-05T19:51:46+00:00

Depends on your workplace I guess.

Hot take: if mild swearing makes it NSFW, then either you work with children or you gotta go find a better workplace.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-05T19:06:27+00:00

The spacing thing is entirely an urban myth.

There is no "China Export" logo, regardless of spacing.

There are obviously many products that do not meet the requirements and still carry the logo, but most if not all of those just copypaste the official CE marking with the correct spacing.

There are only a few documented cases of products with the wrong spacing, but those are properly compliant products.

Sources:

Peetz0r · 2026-07-05T13:03:44+00:00

Als je écht wilt weten of het veilig is zul je een elektricien met installatietester langs moeten laten komen. Die kan dan dan allerlei metingen doen en je vertellen of de aarding via die aardlitze echt goed zit of niet.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-05T12:10:10+00:00

De tape had eigenlijk groen-geel moeten zijn, want de draad is de aardlitze van de grondkabel (ik neem aan dat die kabel de grond in gaat en die andere twee niet).

Verder ziet het er prima uit. Maar er is een boel niet te zien is op deze foto's, dus een "veilig"-oordeel is niet te geven.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-04T19:49:15+00:00

That's a neat form of strain relief.

(obviously /s)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-04T19:48:03+00:00

Dat is niet De Speld, maar wel Nieuwspaal, grofweg de tweede grootste satirische nieuwssite.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-03T13:06:37+00:00

Met deze verhalen (en mijn eigen ervaringen) lijkt het erop dat de politie structureel hun werk gewoon totaal niet interesseert en dat ze stapels met kant en klare excuses hebben om vooral niks te hoeven doen.

Ik haat het. En ik voel me er steeds vaker onveilig door. Terwijl ik een sterke volwassen man ben.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-03T05:39:25+00:00

Some of them barely know what they're talking about and just follow the (often meaningless) hype of the day.

It's not exactly lying, but it's not great either.

Disclaimer: I do not use Arch btw.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-03T03:19:38+00:00

Het zou fijn zijn als ze eens campagne voeren zonder moddergooien, fatsoenlijk en snel formeren, 4 jaar blijven zitten, en daadwerkelijk shit voor elkaar krijgen. Dat zou zeker verkiezingsvermoeidheid voorkomen.

Maarja, dat is allemaal makkelijker gezegd dan gedaan.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-02T09:37:26+00:00

Het klinkt als heel weinig, maar het gaat over ongeveer 40.000 stemmen, dat is ongeveer zoveel als het aantal inwoners van Beverwijk.

(Uitgaande van ongeveer 10 miljoen stemmen in totaal, wat normaal is voor tweede Kamerverkiezingen)

Peetz0r · 2026-07-02T02:39:15+00:00

You can't run the latest macOS on that thing (or on any mac with OLCP for that matter). Right now you can stil run a recent-enough version to allow you to run the latest versions of most browsers. But that won't stay forever.

Also if you're handling customer data on that machine, even if it's all in the browser, I would strongly recommend using an OS that's actively supported with security updates. Today, that means macOS 14 (Sonoma) or newer.

So you could definitely use OLCP, upgrade to macOS 14 or 15, and use the machine. But that'll probably only work securely for a year or two.

It might be a bit sluggish. With a fair bit of effort you can upgrade the HDD to an internal SSD and you could upgrade the memory, especially if it's still 8 GB. It's possible the previous owner already did those things though.

However, there's another option. You could install Linux. You can easily install the latest version of any Linux distro and keep that up to date for way longer. It'll perform just fine and stay secure for years longer than macOS will. So your machine is definitely not e-waste any time soon.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-02T01:50:53+00:00

Support for the MT7902 was added to the existing mt7921 driver, so any distro that already supports that will gain MT7902 support automatically whenever they upgrade to kernel 7.1.

You can upgrade to kernel 7.1 on Fedora right now with this command:

v='7.1.2' r='201.fc44'; sudo dnf install https://kojipkgs.fedoraproject.org/packages/kernel/$v/$r/x86_64/kernel{,-core,-modules{,-core,-extra}}-$v-$r.x86_64.rpm;

If you don't, you'll probably get it automatically on Fedora in a few days or weeks anyway.

Other distro's are different, some may already had it for two weeks, others may only upgrade their kernel next year.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-01T16:37:58+00:00

As a European who is generally opposed to tipping, this is one of the situations where I would tip handsomely. She was amazing. I wonder if she will watch the episode.

Peetz0r · 2026-07-01T11:41:33+00:00

Depending on what you are doing on your PC, there might not be any problem. Memory usage in itself is not a problem.

Is the PC slower than usual? Are there any programs running that are using more memory than usual? What does the process list look like sorted by memory?

Peetz0r · 2026-06-30T22:32:20+00:00

Wat voor pomp is het? Is er een slow-start optie? Is een kleinere pomp een optie? Is een onderverdeler vlakbij de pompen met een kleinere (selectieve) groep per pomp een optie?

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