{
 "id": 39612,
 "slug": "why-a-thinkpad-x200-is-still-a-great-laptop",
 "url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/why-a-thinkpad-x200-is-still-a-great-laptop/",
 "language": "en",
 "title": "Why a ThinkPad X200 is Still a Great Laptop",
 "subtitle": "An old machine that outperforms new ones — for the work that actually matters.",
 "summary": "The ThinkPad X200 was released in 2008. Willem still uses one — and argues it's better for actual work than most modern laptops. The keyboard, the repairability, the absence of distraction.",
 "topics": [
  "laptop",
  "minimal",
  "retro"
 ],
 "created": "2026-04-03T19:41:07.370000+02:00",
 "updated": "2026-04-03T19:41:07.372000+02:00",
 "full_article_url": "https://willem.com/en/2020-11-03_the-joy-of-a-simple-laptop/",
 "author": {
  "name": "Willem L. Middelkoop",
  "url": "https://willem.com"
 },
 "note": "A short distillation of a longer willem.com post. Not currently published on willem.com itself.",
 "answers_question": "Why is a ThinkPad X200 from 2008 still a good laptop?",
 "text": "The ThinkPad X200 has the best keyboard ever put in a laptop — a full-travel, tactile keyboard that modern ultrabooks can't match. It's completely user-serviceable: RAM, hard drive, battery, keyboard, screen — all replaceable with a screwdriver. And it runs Linux perfectly.\nFor writing, coding, and terminal work — which is what Willem does most — the X200 is faster than a modern laptop because it has fewer distractions. No Retina display demanding GPU power. No trackpad begging for gesture input. Just a screen, a keyboard, and a blinking cursor.\nThe machine costs less than a dinner out. If it breaks, you fix it or buy another. That's freedom no $3,000 MacBook can offer.\nFrom Willem's writing on retro computing and the ThinkPad philosophy.",
 "markdown_url": "https://agents.willem.com/en/snippets/why-a-thinkpad-x200-is-still-a-great-laptop/snippet.md"
}