Switched from desktop Ubuntu to a 2012 ThinkPad with plain Debian

Back in 2020 I had a new desktop with all the bells and whistles, Ubuntu with a custom theme, tons of RAM. But something felt off, I kept messing with settings instead of writing code. So I dug out an old T430 from a closet, put Debian with just the basics on it, and forced myself to use that for a month. The screen is 1366x768 and the fan sounds like a small jet, but I stopped tweaking and actually shipped my first CLI tool. It taught me that limitations can do more for a beginner than a powerful setup. Anyone else ever downgraded hardware on purpose to learn better?

2 comments

2 Comments

troy_wilson823d ago

Man, I USED to think bigger was better but this totally flips that!

blake30223d ago

Got a drawer full of old stuff that's way too big now, it's almost sad. But yeah, bigger is definitely not always better, especially when you're hauling it around everywhere. My back learned that lesson the hard way last year. These days I'm all about the compact option, makes me feel like I finally figured out what everyone else already knew. Still kind of wild how much easier life gets when you stop trying to prove something with size.