Thinkpads for Dummies book?

Message

dejola · #1 Post by **dejola** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 2:52 pm

Is anyone aware of anything like a "Thinkpads for Dummies" book available anywhere. I'd like to have a book of this kind written by someone who knows Thinkpads inside and out and who offers suggestions on how to get the most out of using a Thinkpad.

Is there anything like this out there anywhere?

Deckard · #2 Post by **Deckard** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:03 pm

How about the Thinkpads Forum?

Seriously, you can get first-hand help from people, who are dealing with problems on a daily basis, by posting your requests and questions on specific forums than from books.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against books, but when it comes to computers and operating systems, the problems are so individual and specific that it's impossible to be covered by a single book. Every computer has different software installed on it, so you have an infinite number of combinations there, which needs to be handled individually when trying to solve problems.

I bet our resident Thinkpad gurus can give you more information than any "dummies" book author. And they know any Thinkpad inside and out than anyone else.

Cheers

#3 Post by **Kyocera** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:11 pm

Deckard is right, just read through this forum and you'll not be a dummie long. Any questions usually get answered, you can also try the search feature, bill recently did some repair work on that.
Any and all issues regarding thinkpads are dealt with here and in a calm and civilized manner, that in itself is worth hanging around.

And we also have the dancing bananna person

.

Deckard · #4 Post by **Deckard** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:16 pm

LOL! I totally forgot that dancing banana personality. You're [censored] right

dejola · #5 Post by **dejola** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 5:40 pm

Thanks for the suggestion. I agree whole-heartedly about the Thinkpads Forum. I am, afterall, a member. But sometimes I just like to sit down, away from the computer, and read. I recall the days when you got a nice big fat Owners Manual with your new computer. I liked that. Those were the days when people would order maybe three different computers, play with them for under 30 days and then returntwo of them and keep he one hey liked best. I also liked he lifetime toll-free tech support they used to offer. But now I'm straying from the topic.

This fine Forum and all its helpful members notwithstanding, I'd still like a book of the kind I described.

Thanks again.

christopher_wolf · #6 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:22 pm

dejola wrote: Is anyone aware of anything like a "Thinkpads for Dummies" book available anywhere. I'd like to have a book of this kind written by someone who knows Thinkpads inside and out and who offers suggestions on how to get the most out of using a Thinkpad.

Is there anything like this out there anywhere?

Actually, what would you like written about Thinkpads?

Just a general book about overviews and helpful tips?

There is a FAQ and HOWTO section of the forums here about just that, it also wouldn't hurt to have a request for a book for that forum as well;it would be beneficial, to at least some, to condense some of the data into a report/book format, generate it, and then post a link to it in there.

bigtiger · #7 Post by **bigtiger** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 7:45 pm

I agree with Dejola. Sometime, it is better to sit down and read a book systmatically. It should be an enjoyable experience.

I used to ask which sites to look for ebooks (novels). I finally found it is more fun to read a real book than look at the screen.

The problem, nobody will write this Dummy book and few readers will buy it.

#8 Post by **rkawakami** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:31 pm

christopher_wolf wrote:<snip>... it would be beneficial, to at least some, to condense some of the data into a report/book format, generate it, and then post a link to it in there.

I've been toying with that particular idea given the massive posts that I submit (if you didn't notice

). My idea would be along the lines of a diagnostic guide for common problems and the resources you would need to tackle those issues. However, it might be a case of too much information

christopher_wolf · #9 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:44 pm

I know all about massive posts, believe me, like the huge thing I wrote about Parallel processing and Amdahl's Law when someone asked how useful Core Duo would be.

As long as the information is presented in a clear and concise manner within the relevant context, one can have *alot* of information.

Very well then; if you have any idea or subjects to include in the book, you can post them here or send snippets to me as I will try to get a rought draft of a functional manuscript up, with credits to the contributors/authors, for it in various formats; PDF, DVI, HTML, DOC, and more with the revisions posted periodically. Suggestions for formats are welcome as well.

This should be interesting....

bigtiger · #10 Post by **bigtiger** » Wed Oct 11, 2006 8:47 pm

Chris and rkawakami, I support your idea.

Believe me, many people will join to make it possible.

rleo25 · #11 Post by **rleo25** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:34 pm

Christopher_wolf your idea deserves an applause, I would like to contribute too, I think the begining is a breakdown scheme of the main chapters and subchapters the book might have, then get the specialized people interested in writing down those subchapters. finally some guy to edit and ilustrate the work. A general Scheme would be:

1. Thinkpad History and Models manufactured reference.
2. Thinkpad Components. and care. (For current models ... ( all? )
3. Maintenance manual and important hints to fix most recurrent problems.
4. Sofware and configuration tips.
5. FAQs.
6. Useful links.

christopher_wolf · #12 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Mon Oct 16, 2006 8:47 pm

Awesome, Rleo25.

I am outlining a flowchart/diagram of the book that I will post soon as well as laying out the TeX files for how it is organized into chapters. I am also looking around for pictures/schematics that I could convert to very useful file formats within the book such as SVG and, where needed, high-detail plus high resolution pictures of the internals.

Ray already sent me a troubleshooting guide that I think will be quite useful. I have already gotten most of the introduction, about a page, done. So it is coming along quite well.

epbrown · #13 Post by **epbrown** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 4:22 am

What about www.thinkwiki.org?

christopher_wolf · #14 Post by **christopher_wolf** » Tue Oct 17, 2006 12:35 pm

Good resource, but it can be freely modified by anything, regardless of the information being correct or at least in context...I have seen that lead to horrible things, believe me. It also doesn't have that many troubleshooting tips or hardware modifications for many Thinkpads.

In this case, a "book" of sorts would be far more efficient for the end user even though it actually requires, uhhh, real work.

Old Fogey · #15 Post by **Old Fogey** » Sat Apr 14, 2007 5:51 pm

Hi, Y'all

Newbie here and I would lov a Dummies book. javascript:emoticon(':help:')

I look through the forum but find most of the info is way out of my league. Maybe I need a "Thinkpad for Baby Dummies" book?

Hope this works out 'cause I think it would be a great reference.

....Old Fogey

#16 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 6:08 am

There's a whole slew of hardware '... for Dummies' books
http://www.dummies.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-100081.html

TP-specific info can be found by downloading and printing your specific Hardware Maintenance Manual and/or Userguide from IBM/Lenovo.

For everything else, there's http://forum.thinkpads.com , priceless!

Purcy · #17 Post by **Purcy** » Sun Apr 15, 2007 7:49 am

Hello Old Fogey, Welcome and no one is really a dummy, but the term newbie is valid

I am also a newbie, well a junior newbie now, but when I found this forum I really new little about my Thinkpad. I love to read, but some of the things that happened to my Thinkpad I am sure would never be written in a book. There are people here so smart it makes my hair curl

but that is why I come here daily just to read posts. I read posts for all the departments (sorry except OSX) because you never know when something you read might happen to you, where a book about your particular model Thinkpad, is well..... limited to your model. I personally curl up in my favorite chair sometimes with my PDA that has wireless and read this forum, and it is like reading a book - sometimes a very funny book. Books to me, as much as I love them, don't have heart; this forum has tons of heart. Hope you stick around.

Old Fogey · #18 Post by **Old Fogey** » Tue Apr 17, 2007 9:36 pm

Hi again

Thanks for all your encouragement....just takes me longer to catch up!

...Old Fogey

#19 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 2:21 am

Off topic, and out of curiosity, do YOUNG Fogeys exist?

JHEM · #20 Post by **JHEM** » Wed Apr 18, 2007 7:36 am

RealBlackStuff wrote:Off topic, and out of curiosity, do YOUNG Fogeys exist?

Certainly!

In my youth I was a young Fogey.

I eventually became an Old Fogey.

Now I'm a certified Curmudgeon!

James he Elder

interval · #21 Post by **interval** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:55 pm

Kyocera wrote: And we also have the dancing bananna person .

but not the full routine

andyP · #22 Post by **andyP** » Mon May 14, 2007 3:05 pm

interval wrote:
Kyocera wrote: And we also have the dancing bananna person .

but not the full routine

ROTFL

Nigellus · #23 Post by **Nigellus** » Thu May 17, 2007 6:00 pm

epbrown wrote:What about www.thinkwiki.org?

Oddly, I discovered that site independently just today. I find it somewhat less helpful than these forums.

#24 Post by **KristianJ** » Thu May 17, 2007 6:18 pm

interval wrote:

but not the full routine

It doesn't seem to do the Macarena though as part of said routine...

#25 Post by **Kyocera** » Thu May 17, 2007 6:18 pm

Interval, that is hilarious