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Cake day: May 10th, 2025

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  • That’s not the full picture. That’s exactly the problem I was highlighting. The issue isn’t whether some of the code is “FOSS”, it’s about whether all of it is. If even small parts remain proprietary (as you mentioned), then we can’t verify what those parts are doing. And those parts could theoretically significantly affect the data collection. Also, I didn’t make up a lot of stuff. The Signal Foundation themselves have confirmed that certain UI and build components are not fully libre. As the GNU project puts it, if part of your system is closed, then you’re trusting a black box, no matter how well-lit the rest of it is.




  • No, I just buy a new lenovo 9 cell battery. I use my X200T for creativity stuff (reading/writing/drawing) and use my T500 for portable more intense work like programming that I would do on the ASUS KMCA-D8 when I’m on the go. I get about 5-12 hours on my X200T and 3-10 hours on my T500, but I do carry a docking station with me, so I can always just recharge easily, but I usually don’t use it since the 5-10 hours is more than enough for school bus rides and I don’t usually program in a place without a charging outlet nearby. Btw it’s important to note that my computer is very minimal since I use parabola open rc edition with dwm to boot emacs, libreoffice draw, and icecat, so if you have a bloated setup then ofcourse the battery life will differ.



  • Why must the device be new and still in production? The current devices that are currently in production/new both at that price point (sub 40$) and more expensive (up to 3000$) are consumer grade garbage that will last at most 2 years. They’re not repairable, not durable, not built well etc. I personally use a GNU booted Thinkpad X200T /T500 and a GNU booted ASUS KMCA-D8- both running Parabola GNU+Linux-Libre splendisly with the proprietary wifi-card replaced. The cost of the X200T was about 30$ and the T500 was about 20$. I understand that you might not care as much of freedom to get either the X200, X200T, T400, T400s, or T500, but it is important to understand that most of the operating system components you are runnning were made with freedom in mind. If you still don’t want to sacrifice performance for a cheap, libre experience, then just get a newer Thinkpad. It’s not as libre, but they still could be found (more easily) for very cheap prices. But keep in mind the newer you get the shittier it’s going to be.