From: "Rick R." Received: from mxout3.mailhop.org ([63.208.196.167] verified) by 2rosenthals.com (CommuniGate Pro SMTP 5.0.9) with ESMTP id 396232 for os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com; Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:08:22 -0400 Received: from mxin2.mailhop.org ([63.208.196.176]) by mxout3.mailhop.org with esmtp (Exim 4.51) id 1GTPan-000PSb-0P for os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com; Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:08:21 -0400 Received: from web60611.mail.yahoo.com ([209.73.178.194]) by mxin2.mailhop.org with smtp (Exim 4.51) id 1GTPam-000Pwc-U8 for os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com; Fri, 29 Sep 2006 17:08:20 -0400 Received: (qmail 33811 invoked by uid 60001); 29 Sep 2006 21:08:15 -0000 DomainKey-Signature: a=rsa-sha1; q=dns; c=nofws; s=s1024; d=yahoo.com; h=Message-ID:Received:Date:From:Subject:To:In-Reply-To:MIME-Version:Content-Type:Content-Transfer-Encoding; b=U6sKslUUq9wcGy5jy3q8LgQ6ROgbrz7z1aDj4IiwQAuqQeDMSPYKC3SncfdYiC1AJlit349Hu5wuxbGzG/ZMHM6hvdOpzeOPM1ZSYbZvIB3KzJvBm2UwpU2UbJhbjzwRFGUA1bGSa134Ezw22heuZxhawCnSMhUzPScbMyT6Yys= ; Message-ID: <20060929210814.33809.qmail@web60611.mail.yahoo.com> Received: from [208.252.246.35] by web60611.mail.yahoo.com via HTTP; Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:08:14 PDT Date: Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:08:14 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Re: [OS2Wireless]Re: Lenovo battery recall affects several models To: OS/2 Wireless Users Mailing List In-Reply-To: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0-1625306907-1159564094=:33800" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit X-Mail-Handler: MailHop by DynDNS X-Spam-Score: -1.7 (-) --0-1625306907-1159564094=:33800 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit I couldn't agree more with all you said: >no particular value to a name other than service or ego. You might as well buy a SystemMax or CyberMax kit as much as a DELL if it has the components that you want. Indeed, all that TV hype about certain brands starts to look like laundry detergent adds. What's the freaking difference, other than vanity and (mis)perception? >IBM/Lenovo laptops have not been noted particularly for their speed/performance or price. Indeed I noticed a steep decline in quality over the years. Except for the hard disks and the display, the general mechanics of these units has gotten worse and worse. I'm typing this on a keyboard with two keys broken off! My previous Thinkpads withstood begin swiped of the desk, smashed in baggage handling or hit by a fist. Every key that flew off could be popped back in right away. But now TWO keys broke of, just because I typed a bit to hard. Also, this unit starts giving me FAN ERROR messages all the time. The other day my HPFS chkdsk blew away the whole file system (after one of those crashes, but w/o much disk I/O happening at the time). I'm sure there was some error in the ATA connection or some memory issue, as HPFS recoveries are usually the safest I've ever seen. Heck, by now I'm even willing to attribute my AFINETK crashes to some HW screw up on this box (even so I stopped working in OS/2 on this baby ever since that last crash). >"WE" bought them because they are generally more OS agnostic than some others - >but we have modems, bluetooth and fingerprint scanners that don't work >There are lots of people with BAD thinkpad experiences, Agreed, agreed. But I did find solutions for all but the fingerprint reader. I got a modem dongle so small it is almost the size of a big thumb drive. I found a portable WiFi printer and WiFi cell phone (no need for Bluetooth) and now I got the Linux sources for the fingerprint reader. But if my T60p gives me any grief like this T42p, then that Thinkpad might well be my last one. Stanley Sidlov wrote: On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:34:33 -0700 (PDT), Rick R. wrote: > Is anybody still really producing their own computers or are we already living in the brave new world where even brand name manufacturers only pillage the OEM market and then slap their respective label on the assembled box?!! Years ago, there was big news about IBM suppling DELL with components. http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9903/08/nofear.ent.idg/index.html?eref=sitesearch We all know that when we open up our laptops the HHD are Hitachi, Fujitsu or Toshiba or someone else. IBM doesn't make HDD anymore they sold it to Hitachi. Intel is OEMing thier wifi and other cards under DELL, IBM, Toshiba and other names. The list is endless. Up until now, SONY certainly has been a reliable provider of the batteries' PARTS. (They supplied the INTERNAL portions of the batteries, not the assembly or casings.) They have lost a lot of prestige over this, articles in Japan are appearing asking what happened to the vaunted Japanese production values. IMHO, most computers are now generic things (especially desktops) and there is no particular value to a name other than service or ego. You might as well buy a SystemMax or CyberMax kit as much as a DELL if it has the components that you want in it (it is easier to find out what the MB and other parts are in a third-party builder than a first tier company). IBM/Lenovo laptops have not been noted particularly for their speed/performance or price. "WE" bought them because they are generally more OS agnostic than some others - but we have modems, bluetooth and fingerprint scanners that don't work (which would be unacceptable to a 'windows' user). There are lots of people with BAD thinkpad experiences, just as there are people with bad DELL, Gateway, Toshiba or Sony experiences. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to the mailing list . To unsubscribe, E-mail to: To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to Send administrative queries to To subscribe (new addresses), E-mail to: and reply to the confirmation email. This list is hosted by Rosenthal & Rosenthal P.O. Box 281, Deer Park, NY 11729-0281. Non- electronic communications related to content contained in these messages should be directed to the above address. (CAN-SPAM Act of 2003) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= --------------------------------- Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out. --0-1625306907-1159564094=:33800 Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
I couldn't agree more with all you said:
>no particular value to a name other than service or ego. You might as well buy a SystemMax or CyberMax kit as much as a DELL if it has the components that you want.
Indeed, all that TV hype about certain brands starts to look like laundry detergent adds.
What's the freaking difference, other than vanity and (mis)perception?

>IBM/Lenovo laptops have not been noted particularly for their speed/performance or price.
Indeed I noticed a steep decline in quality over the years.
Except for the hard disks and the display, the general mechanics of these units has gotten worse and worse.
I'm typing this on a keyboard with two keys broken off!
My previous Thinkpads withstood begin swiped of the desk, smashed in baggage handling or hit by a fist.
Every key that flew off could be popped back in right away.

But now TWO keys broke of, just because I typed a bit to hard.
Also, this unit starts giving me FAN ERROR messages all the time.
The other day my HPFS chkdsk blew away the whole file system (after one of those crashes, but w/o much disk I/O happening at the time).
I'm sure there was some error in the ATA connection or some memory issue, as HPFS recoveries are usually the safest I've ever seen.
Heck, by now I'm even willing to attribute my AFINETK crashes to some HW screw up on this box (even so I stopped working in OS/2 on this baby ever since that last crash).

>"WE" bought them because they are generally more OS agnostic than some others -
>but we have modems, bluetooth and fingerprint scanners that don't work
>There are lots of people with BAD thinkpad experiences,
Agreed, agreed. But I did find solutions for all but the fingerprint reader.
I got a modem dongle so small it is almost the size of a big thumb drive.
I found a portable WiFi printer and WiFi cell phone (no need for Bluetooth) and now I got the Linux sources for the fingerprint reader.
But if my T60p gives me any grief like this T42p, then that Thinkpad might well be my last one.
 


Stanley Sidlov <os2-wireless_users@2rosenthals.com> wrote:
On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 00:34:33 -0700 (PDT), Rick R. wrote:

> Is anybody still really producing their own computers or are we already living in the
brave new world where even brand name manufacturers only pillage the OEM market and then
slap their respective label on the assembled box?!!

Years ago, there was big news about IBM suppling DELL with components.
http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9903/08/nofear.ent.idg/index.html?eref=sitesearch We all
know that when we open up our laptops the HHD are Hitachi, Fujitsu or Toshiba or someone
else. IBM doesn't make HDD anymore they sold it to Hitachi. Intel is OEMing thier wifi and
other cards under DELL, IBM, Toshiba and other names. The list is endless.

Up until now, SONY certainly has been a reliable provider of the batteries' PARTS. (They
supplied the INTERNAL portions of the batteries, not the assembly or casings.) They have
lost a lot of prestige over this, articles in Japan are appearing asking what happened to
the vaunted Japanese production values.

IMHO, most computers are now generic things (especially desktops) and there is no
particular value to a name other than service or ego. You might as well buy a SystemMax or
CyberMax kit as much as a DELL if it has the components that you want in it (it is easier
to find out what the MB and other parts are in a third-party builder than a first tier
company). IBM/Lenovo laptops have not been noted particularly for their speed/performance
or price. "WE" bought them because they are generally more OS agnostic than some others -
but we have modems, bluetooth and fingerprint scanners that don't work (which would be
unacceptable to a 'windows' user). There are lots of people with BAD thinkpad experiences,
just as there are people with bad DELL, Gateway, Toshiba or Sony experiences.




=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
This message is sent to you because you are subscribed to
the mailing list .
To unsubscribe, E-mail to:
To switch to the DIGEST mode, E-mail to
To switch to the INDEX mode, E-mail to
Send administrative queries to
To subscribe (new addresses), E-mail to: and reply to the confirmation email.

This list is hosted by Rosenthal & Rosenthal
P.O. Box 281, Deer Park, NY 11729-0281. Non-
electronic communications related to content
contained in these messages should be directed
to the above address. (CAN-SPAM Act of 2003)

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=


Stay in the know. Pulse on the new Yahoo.com. Check it out. --0-1625306907-1159564094=:33800--