Thinkpad on FreeBSD: OpenBox Veterans Clash with Sway Advocates Over Modern Display Dreams
A user documented a specific FreeBSD 14.3 setup on a Thinkpad r61 using OpenBox, ZSH, Tint2, and Hermit font, establishing a 'classic' operational baseline.
The argument splits sharply on display protocol viability. Some prioritize established stability, citing OpenBox on older hardware. Others push back, with 'pomelo' stating Sway worked well on a similar Thinkpad X61 running FreeBSD. 'ORFLEM' advocates for 'Just Enough Shell,' stressing practicality over trends. Meanwhile, the original poster flagged immediate hardware failures, noting a DVI connection to the dock failed.
The core divide rests on stability versus modernity. The established preference favors battle-tested X11 managers like OpenBox for dependable performance on constrained gear. However, 'pomelo' provides a specific counter-example showing Sway's potential on similar hardware, keeping the debate actively contested.
Key Points
X11/OpenBox is reliable for old hardware.
The documented FreeBSD 14.3 setup on the Thinkpad r61 using OpenBox supports this stable approach.
Wayland alternatives (Sway) can succeed on older hardware.
'pomelo' reported positive personal experience using Sway on a Thinkpad X61 running FreeBSD.
Setup philosophy should prioritize necessity over trend.
'ORFLEM' explicitly designed the 'Just Enough Shell' (JES) setup to avoid following trends.
Modern display connectivity proved difficult.
The original poster reported that a direct DVI connection to the Thinkpad dock did not work as expected.
Hardware constraints limit window manager choices.
The initial setup was heavily scrutinized for performance limits, with questions raised about Niri support on the R61.
Source Discussions (3)
This report was synthesized from the following Lemmy discussions, ranked by community score.