How durable are those laptops when compared to other brands? Do you engineer those laptop a little like ibm did for thinkpads (if I remember, some of them had military rating for dust, temperature etc)? How repairable are they?
How difficult was it for those companies to provide components that were OSS friendly? What is the main hurdle? Does it increase costs? Did you experience fightback from providers to make this project happen?
They're certainly no less durable than most consumer laptops. Our hinges in particular have a reputation for being nice and tight for a long period of time. They aren't ruggedized or anything (like a toughbook), but they'll last a good long while if you aren't super rough with your electronics. Mine gets tossed in a bag at the end of the day and toted around on my back via motorcycle, and I've never felt nervous about that at all.
They're also really repairable; there are no proprietary/uncommon screw heads and no glue holding parts down. All of the major electronic components which can be socketed are, CPUs on mobile when soldered a few years ago unfortunately, and you can't really get them socketed anymore). Memory, Wireless, Storage, Battery, etc. are all user-replaceable, and generally repairs don't require bringing the laptop into a service center for repairs.
> Mine gets tossed in a bag at the end of the day and toted around on my back via motorcycle, and I've never felt nervous about that at all.
Glad to hear that you are using your devices outside of a clean room. Whenever I throw my work-issued Macbook in my bag and ride home, it's got dirt in the keys by the time I get home. I was the first in the office to need a keyboard replacement...
I have this phenomenon too: The macbook 2013 has a sealing rubber around the screen when you close it down to the keyboard, yet after transport, there is dust on the screen. I’ve always wondered whether something about the shape or the design sucked the dust into the screen-keyboard void when the lid is closed.
How difficult was it for those companies to provide components that were OSS friendly? What is the main hurdle? Does it increase costs? Did you experience fightback from providers to make this project happen?