[GLLUG] Cheap source for good laptops

[STeve Andre']

On 11/22/10 11:00, Clay Dowling wrote:
> I recently purchased a refurbed laptop directly from IBM, and I have to
> say that so far I'm very happy with the results.  I purchased my
> previous laptop from Buy.com, and while the price was good, the hardware
> was older.  The machines directly from IBM have nearly the same pricing,
> but are newer machines, and come with a warranty from IBM, so you don't
> get funny surprises like non-working mouse pointers or sound.
>
> https://www-304.ibm.com/shop/americas/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/default/CategoryDisplay?storeId=1&catalogId=-840&langId=-1&categoryId=2576396
>
> If you can find a current employee to give you a username and password
> for the store, you can get an additional discount on your machine, but
> even without the discounts the prices were really good.
>
> Life's too short to deal with crappy hardware.  Do yourselves a favor
> and get a machine manufactured in the last 5 years.
>
> Clay
Being a ThinkPad snob, let me say that I agree with this.  I maintain
that ThinkPads are the best made laptops and have been since they
first came out in 1993.

Their hardware components are generally very reasonable, such
that running Linux or BSD's works very well.  I've been using them
for OpenBSD since 1999, and other than drivers needing to catch
up with the latest pci cards (ethernet, wireless), the five TP's I
have used have worked great.

If you can convince IBM that you are a small business, you can
usually get an extended warranty for the laptop you've just
bought.  New laptops can get up to a five year warranty, and
you can get an all-inclusive type, such that spilled wine and
all that is covered.

No hardware is as well built today compared to 5 years ago,
but ThinkPads are still a whole lot better than their competitors.

--STeve Andre'