Post #381490

2026-01-13 01:10 UTC

🛠️ 💻 In the spirit of repairability and keeping good equipment alive, I&#39;ve gathered up a few retired Thinkpads from local surplus auctions. I&#39;m upgrading the RAM and drives and will be making them available in the next few weeks. These will be cozy little Solarpunk machines, older equipment preinstalled with a lightweight linux desktop and all the software you need for browsing, writing, docs, email, managing passwords, and videoconferencing. I would like to find each one a good home with a nice person who will appreciate and take care of it. If you know of someone in the USA who would be a good fit, please put them in touch. I will be sending these for the cost of shipping (estimating about $40) with a completely optional tip jar to help cover the cost of upgraded parts. When I have more details together I&#39;ll send out a link but for now ping me with any questions. Thanks! 🙏

Replies (22)

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io 2026-02-18 15:11

Shipped out the first two rehabilitated Thinkpads this morning. These have SSD drives, upgraded RAM and are running Linux Mint instead of the usual bloatware/spyware. Light and lean. Yay for repairability. 🛠️ If there's someone in your life that needs decent laptop for general use, let me know. I will refresh and ship one at no charge. (Donations are welcome, to cover the cost of shipping.) More info at the top of this thread. #SolarPunk #RightToRepair #Linux #EthicalTech #reuse #EthicalTech

Open ##3083883
@jeffmcneill@hachyderm.io 2026-01-13 01:41

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io which Linux distro?

Open ##3083884
@piper@sunny.garden 2026-01-13 01:48

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io you're doing god's work

Open ##3083885
@csalzman@a2mi.social 2026-01-13 02:33

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io lemme know when the tip jar is live!

Open ##3083887
@digichelle@hachyderm.io 2026-01-13 02:49

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io I would love one of these laptops! Thank you for doing this!

Open ##3083888
@Oggie@woof.group 2026-01-13 02:56

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io This is fantastic. Can I ask what types of laptops you're talking about? T420s or similar? Great machines, really just a fantastic thing, and I hope that they get some solid second life in the hands of people who could use them.

Open ##3083889
@caban4@mastodon.online 2026-01-13 03:49

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io I'm very interested in adopting! We've been limping along with an Acer with a broken hinge for years and would welcome this as a replacement. It would be treated with much love and appreciation.

Open ##3083890
@astifter@mastodon.astifter.com 2026-01-13 05:10

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io Posted about the same time as you, funny... https://mas.to/@SmudgeTheInsultCat/115885550557698632

Open ##3083891
@FourT4@mastodonapp.uk 2026-01-13 09:56

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io excellent idea, I would evangelise this approach to my family but their educational establishments appear tied to Windows. So instead I get their tired laptops and put Mint on them.q

Open ##3083893
@LeoKirke@retro.social 2026-01-14 05:25

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io I would be very interested in one of these! I really appreciate that you're doing this.

Open ##3083898
@flypaper@autonomous.zone 2026-01-15 16:22

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io I recommend Nixbook

Open ##3083899
@onebyte@mastodon.sdf.org 2026-01-31 11:45

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io THIS IS AWESOME! As a user of old thinkpads (x230 fam!) I wholly approve and support this message. I should look into doing the same in my area. #thinkpad #solarpunk

Open ##3083900
@BrambleBearSnoring@mastodon.ie 2026-01-31 19:53

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io 🌞🌻🌞 Brilliant!!! Tagging for #SolarpunkSunday I would love one of these, and would love to learn how to upgrade and install Linux as well, to spread this work.

Open ##3083905
@Derek_DIY@mastodon.ie 2026-02-15 09:17

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io A pity I am not in the US to help you find someone. In germany is a organisation, that collects old laptops and do them up like you. They ship them to poor people in Africa. Even slow machines to their job for the from you mentioned purposes.

Open ##3083906
@Derek_DIY@mastodon.ie 2026-02-15 09:20

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io A little advice for all here searching for devices. A skip can be sometimes be a real treasure chest, too.

Open ##3083907
@amd@gts.amd.im 2026-02-20 03:09

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io you seem like a good human. keep it up.

Open ##3083920
@deborahh@cosocial.ca 2026-02-20 12:46

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io i'd like someone to do this with my antique thinkpad, in Canada. I hesitate because I don't know how to wipe the hard drive of my data :-(

Open ##3083921
@nerb@techhub.social 2026-02-22 02:03

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io Looked and no way to send this private so. Want some memory? Not sure if it will fit your thinkpads but they look to be about the age these were from. (2 )DDr3 4GB Kingston KVR1333D3N9/4G If you are in the U.S. I could drop them in the mail to you.

Open ##3083922
@jcroly@twit.social 2026-02-23 06:18

Hi Corey. Do you have any left? - Justin

Open ##3083923
@ianrbuck@mspsocial.net 2026-02-24 03:01

@coreysnipes@hachyderm.io I'd like to get on your list! I'm trying to build a collection of secondhand computers for a Linux class I'll be teaching with a nonprofit next summer. You wouldn't even need to load Mint on them, I'll be tasking the students with installing various distros themselves!

Open ##3083924
@xxyxxy@sfba.social 2026-02-24 03:48

This is an awesome idea, @coreysnipes@hachyderm.io!

Open ##3083925
@jcroly@twit.social 2026-03-07 06:30

I’d being interested in one of the Thinkpads.

Open ##3083926