Questions about TP before buying...

[atomMan]

From everything i've read so far it looks like the TP is the way to go. I'm considering the T60 and have a few questions if anyone would care to help me out...

1) IPS - i've seen this LCD spec before, but don't recall what it means. Is this a different technology than TFT or something? Is this available only in the 15 in. displays?

2) LCD Brightness - am not at all impressed with the brightness specs on the TP panels (150/200 nits). How well do they work in direct sunlight?

3) 200 nits LCD's are only for the 15 in., is that right?

4) what the heck is "flexview"? Just a wider viewing angle?

5) just ran to Office Depot hoping to get a glimpse of a TP, but they didn't have any. What they did have were ~3 models of Lenovo machines (one was a 3000 something) and i sure hope the TP's are a LOT better in quality. The Lenovo's were no better than any other machine there, and worse in some cases. Is there a significant difference between the Lenovo and IBM/TP machines?

6) how dependent is the hardware, say on a T60, on the preinstalled OS? The reason i ask is because i have a copy of XP Pro with a corp license and when i build an installation (i use nLite) i remove a LOT of the Windows bloat (OE, WMP, MSN, parts of IE, etc., etc. - my installs are ~1/2 the size) and i'm wondering if the preinstalled OS has any proprietary s/w or drivers? So what i'd want to do is wipe the drive and install my own customized OS.

I read a lot of other posts here and am pretty pleased with what i've read regarding the T60, but i'd love to hear more from newer owners as well as any old-timer TP users. Thanks! And HI!

[atomMan]

anyone willing to contribute?

[tomh009]

From everything i've read so far it looks like the TP is the way to go. I'm considering the T60 and have a few questions if anyone would care to help me out...

2) LCD Brightness - am not at all impressed with the brightness specs on the TP panels (150/200 nits). How well do they work in direct sunlight?

5) just ran to Office Depot hoping to get a glimpse of a TP, but they didn't have any. What they did have were ~3 models of Lenovo machines (one was a 3000 something) and i sure hope the TP's are a LOT better in quality. The Lenovo's were no better than any other machine there, and worse in some cases. Is there a significant difference between the Lenovo and IBM/TP machines?

6) how dependent is the hardware, say on a T60, on the preinstalled OS? The reason i ask is because i have a copy of XP Pro with a corp license and when i build an installation (i use nLite) i remove a LOT of the Windows bloat (OE, WMP, MSN, parts of IE, etc., etc. - my installs are ~1/2 the size) and i'm wondering if the preinstalled OS has any proprietary s/w or drivers? So what i'd want to do is wipe the drive and install my own customized OS.

I'll answer what I can ... but I'm out of my depth when it comes to IPS/FlexView, so someone else will have to pick that one up.

Direct sunlight is bad for ThinkPads, as it is for all laptops with antireflective screens. The high-gloss screens will generally work better in direct sunlight, but then they have other issues. And ThinkPads don't offer high-gloss as an option.

The Lenovo 3000 quality is nowhere near even the low-end ThinkPads. The company may be the same, but it's kind of like comparing a Dodge and a Mercedes-Benz. The level of design and quality of construction is just at a totally different level.

And, yes, you can install a copy of vanilla Windows XP, and then just add the drivers from IBM's web site. However, I found that the amount of bloatware on my X31 was rather low (unlike a lot of consumer PCs), and it was easy enough to uninstall the bits I didn't want. The only nuisance with the standard install is that it's a hassle getting rid of the IBM rescue/recovery partition on the disk.

[dfumento]

Get a TP, but I for one used to have the IPS panel but find I don't need it as it is 1) heavier and 2) more power consuming than a typical panel and I can see just find with the regular panel.

[atomMan]

thanks guys.

how does one know which panels are IPS? does this correspond with size?

about the TP verses other Lenovo units, i'm becoming more aware of the differences. i suspected the TP's were pretty much entirely different machines, but i just wanted to be sure because the others scared me

as far as bloat, as individuals we all have a different definition of what bloat is and what we need. for me, i evidentially consider about 1/2 of a vanilla XP install bloat because that's how much i remove before i install i've read in other topics that problems can be caused by installing a non-TP OS. i assume this has to do with proprietary s/w such as drivers. i had a problem when i dumped XP Home at work and installed my own copy of Pro -- the on-board sound chip would never function after that (i just installed another add-on card). in the case of a laptop however, i just want to be fairly sure that i don't loose needed functionality (power saving, touchpad, etc.) that i can't get back with a simple driver install. with the HP at work, there were NO drivers to get it's on-board chip working again. i don't want to run into the same problem here is all.

on another issue, i've been reading about these "TPM" (trusted platform module) security chips and i'm not liking what i'm reading. it appears a lot of freedom loving, privacy advocacy folks, like myself, are up in arms over this. it looks like IBM was a leader in this department and many other manufacturers are following suit. anyone have any comments on TPM or knowledge as to exactly how it works?

[tomh009]

on another issue, i've been reading about these "TPM" (trusted platform module) security chips and i'm not liking what i'm reading. it appears a lot of freedom loving, privacy advocacy folks, like myself, are up in arms over this. it looks like IBM was a leader in this department and many other manufacturers are following suit. anyone have any comments on TPM or knowledge as to exactly how it works?

There is no reason to be afraid of TPM ... you can use it to protect your data, or just choose not to use it at all.

For more reading about the concept behind the TPM, take a look here:
https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/

[christopher_wolf]

As far as I have played around with it, it seems to be simply more for encryption and nobody has really implemented anything on it a la DRM. It has drivers for BSD and Linux, so it is generally harmless and you can take advantage of it on other operating systems as well.

[atomMan]

The fact that drivers are available for Linux, BSD, etc., is no indication whatsoever as to the privacy concerns with TPM as anyone can write drivers for those platforms.

Whether or not it can be simply disabled is still unclear to me. Right now it claims to be a hardware/software solution, but there is still a chip on the main board that may have the potential to communicate with other components regardless what the intentions of the user are.

Who should your computer take its orders from? Most people think their computers should obey them, not obey someone else. With a plan they call "trusted computing," large media corporations (including the movie companies and record companies), together with computer companies such as Microsoft and Intel, are planning to make your computer obey them instead of you. Proprietary programs have included malicious features before, but this plan would make it universal.
source

There are many that support TPM as well, that's just an example of how it could be misused.

Here's what an AMI BIOS guy has to say.

One of the pitfalls of the TPG (trusted computer group, the crew that sets the specification) is that you have to buy your way into the group and, of course, MS is a member. That's scary enough but, on the other hand, who needs it most

Trusted Computing Frequently Asked Questions - a 2003 FAQ by Ross Anderson, University of Cambridge -- scary stuff

From Wikipedia:

A number of prominent security experts[1][2] have spoken out against Trusted Computing as they believe it will provide computer manufacturers and software authors with increased control to impose restrictions on what users are able to do with their computers. There are concerns that TC would have (or may even covertly be intended to have) a large anti-competitive effect on the free software markets, private software development, and the IT market in general.

My impression at this point is that it could be a very good security solution, but that it certainly has the potential to be misused, and with major corporations calling the shots, there is little doubt it will be misused.

Having said that, "trusted computing" is upon us and it doesn't look like it's going to go away. I just wish it was being developed by people that had the consumers best interests in mind instead of their own.