I got a Thinkpad!!!!

[sethstorm]

If such a thing exists...I don't know about it.

Ethernet specifically is what's needed here, I'm not going to dig up far-obsolete network standards here.

If you had Microchannel, I'd be parting out my Model 80-A31 in storage. Tons of MCA goodies + a nearly bulletproof case.

[Manyak]

Text-only is good enough for me, just to say I did it. If it's doable on an 8088 with 512K, I'll get it going on a 286 with 2.6MB lol.

If I could I'd go back with an RLL drive. I like the stepper motor sound.

Yet another aspect of the machine that can't be recreated in VMware.

For some text-only browsers that'll run on a 286 in DOS, check out this. You could also grab Lynx for Linux. If you know a bit of Linux you could probably strip down a kernel enough to run well.

You could get an MFM drive too, they all used stepper motors back then. RLLs were generally faster, but if it's just the sound you're looking for it doesn't matter.

And all HDDs today are RLL, in case you didn't know :smile:

To tell you the truth, I kind of wanna try out an 8" drive. That's one thing that I never did get to see for myself. Unfortunately they go for ridiculous amounts these days.

Hardcard would be a bit too chunky I think. This is a really compact case as far as 286s go.

LOL @ full size cards. It's funny seeing kids today say things like "OMG that new radeon is HUGE!".....yet it's still only 10" long. They have no idea what a long video card is. :smile:

If such a thing exists...I don't know about it.

Ethernet specifically is what's needed here, I'm not going to dig up far-obsolete network standards here.

Wait, so you still need a NIC? That's pretty much the easiest part to get. Ebay's got a ton of them, and for cheap.

[ch_123]

Linux on a 16bit CPU? Have fun with that.

NetBSD would probably be a better option.

[phobus]

NetBSD requires a 386 or higher, too. For a 16-bit machine, your best bet is probably MINIX (pre-v3). I ran that on a Tandy 286 a long time ago and it was surprisingly usable.

[kishy]

Ah yes, RLL...true true. ST412 RLL, then.

No *nix will ever touch this machine...I won't allow it lol (true, though, that the conventional systems and methods are voided here anyway).

No, I've got a NIC, and it's installed in the machine in those photos (that's why I was saying I don't have enough ISA slots).

[iMav]

The X200 series are the only ones left, and I'm pretty sure you can get an optional mini-touchpad on them.

The last thinkpad I owned was a X60s.  I bought that model, primarily, because it was trackpadless.

Nice laptop Manyak. I suppose I could look it up myself, but what is the max ram on that thing?  (I have my MBP maxed out at 8GB and my next laptop will need to at least match that due to my virtualization needs)

[iMav]

The X201/201s looks appealing.  Optional trackpadless.

[Manyak]

The last thinkpad I owned was a X60s.  I bought that model, primarily, because it was trackpadless.

Nice laptop Manyak. I suppose I could look it up myself, but what is the max ram on that thing?  (I have my MBP maxed out at 8GB and my next laptop will need to at least match that due to my virtualization needs)

It's 8GB on this one too. DDR3, in case you're wondering. Only a handful of laptops can handle more than that, and most (if not all) of them use desktop LGA1366 CPUs and weigh over 10lb.

Out of curiosity, is your MBP DDR3 too or are you going to have to buy a new set? Because those 4GB sticks are expensive

[Jimmeh]

Congratulations for the good purchase!
I just recently bought a thinkpad too, the model r500.
It has served me very well for the past 4 months.

[keyb_gr]

LOL @ full size cards. It's funny seeing kids today say things like "OMG that new radeon is HUGE!".....yet it's still only 10" long. They have no idea what a long video card is. :smile:

I still remember not being able to fit one onto my scanner (a regular A4-and-a-bit sized job at the time) - ELSA WINNER 2000PRO/X-8, S3 968 based beast with 8 megs of VRAM, 250 MHz IBM RAMDAC, PCI. When this came out ca. 1995, it was primarily targeted at the high-end 2D CAD market (and whoever else needed really high resolutions) and obviously cost an arm and a leg. I bought mine in 2001 for a fraction of the price (but still a sizeable sum for my modest budget) from an ELSA employee, not very long before the company went bust. Of course I still have it. (It's not very useful under Windows 2000 and newer though, only 2.5 megs supported and like 75 Hz max with the generic driver.)
This image was stitched from 3 scans at the time.

Want to see more cool old graphics cards? Look what I found.

[iMav]

Out of curiosity, is your MBP DDR3 too or are you going to have to buy a new set? Because those 4GB sticks are expensive

DDR3. And, yes, that ram was not cheap.  

[Manyak]

DDR3. And, yes, that ram was not cheap.  

Well at least you'll be able to transfer it over to the thinkpad if you get one, so you don't have to pay for it twice