On Thursday, 13 August 2026 01:48:46 AEST Jason J.G. White via luv-main wrote:
Russell Coker via luv-main <luv-main@luv.asn.au> wrote:
If you are determined to have ECC RAM then your options will be very limited. I like ECC but have given up on the idea of having laptops with it. I just ssh somewhere else to do compiles etc.
Having a separate machine with ECC RAM for file storage and heavier work would also be a feasible option. I wouldn't need to travel with it as long as it remained on the network.
My home workstation is a HP Z640 and I regularly ssh to it for compiles. I also have a Z840 for bigger tasks that I share with friends and a Z4G4 for playing with ML. Contact me off-list if you want access to them.
The X1 Carbon series is great for portability but ECC is not an option. Probably all laptops with ECC will be bulky ones.
Would a phone form factor be a better option for you?
Maybe with Android's Debian environment. Also, some of the newer braille devices on the market run full desktop operating systems - Linux in one
I was thinking of a PinePhonePro or similar. https://wiki.debian.org/MobileApps#Things_We_Need I added voice capabilities to the above page as things we need. If you have some ideas of how to make a phone running Debian into a platform you could use effectively then please add something to the page. If the wiki interface doesn't work with your braille setup then please file a bug report and let me know of your suggested changes and I'll add them. Also if you just don't want to create yet another account on a web site then you could just send a description of what you want and I'll add it to the page.
case. There may be more interesting products in this category over the next several years, depending on what manufacturers decide to develop with emerging multi-line braille display technologies. The disadvantage is that the way manufacturers combine the (very expensive) electromechanical braille display hardware and the computing capabilities in a single device typically does not allow the latter to be upgraded. Someone needs to build a modular system enabling the board to be replaced easily while retaining the display component.
Do braille readers really have to be so expensive? They are all repeated modules in a single unit, the mechanics isn't that complex. Is there scope here for some engineering students to design something better and force the prices down?
That's what I do. Instead of buying a $2000+ new system I buy a second hand system for around $300. The second hand systems usually last a few years and I get on average better hardware than buying a $2000+ system every 14 to 20 years which would give the same overall cost. Also if I break one I'll be much less unhappy than if I broke a $2000 system.
Yes, exactly, and it's inexpensive enough to replace without dealing with warranty claims.
https://etbe.coker.com.au/2022/12/08/thinkpad-x1-carbon-gen5/ It's inexpensive enough that you can stuff up and break the motherboard and still have it be in an acceptable price range.
Reputable refurbishing companies are supposed to test the hardware thoroughly, which should reduce the short-term failure risk of buying a used system from a reliable source.
I don't think that the testing they do will reduce the probability of future failures. I think that the real benefit that refurbishing companies offer is that they take a dozen identical systems from a corporate network and swap parts. So they sell systems with every part fully working and batteries with a good lifetime which suit my use. Then they sell the damaged stuff in separate lots of broken systems. They also accurately describe things. Home users tend to tune out certain types of damage and if one home user has a laptop with a cracked screen and another has one with a broken keyboard trying to match bits is more pain than I'm willing to get involved in. For your use laptops with broken screens may be good options though. -- My Main Blog http://etbe.coker.com.au/ My Documents Blog http://doc.coker.com.au/