[userbinator]

I'm still using an X60 which is several years before that. It turns out that if you avoid the bloated "modern" software (which unfortunately includes much of the web stuff these days), it's perfectly usable. I use it for native development, browsing lightweight sites like HN, and the usual "office" stuff like email, IM (IRC), taking notes, etc. Likewise, my desktop is a first-gen i7 from roughly 10 years ago, only slightly newer than that, and also feels more than adequate.

[cmxch]

How do you get around the issue of parts rarity? The Penryn/Merom generation is quite hard for parts replacement, especially so if you have anything Flexview (in my case, a T61 in a T60 4:3 chassis).