I'm typing this on an (unliberated) X60 which I use as a sort of netbook and which steadfastly refuses to go wrong! I'll keep it out of landfill as long as possible I think.
I'd argue that this is far from slightly outdated. Starting with RAM, four gigabytes of RAM may work for a barebones programmer machine, but once you want to start doing any sort of media work, like editing photos, video, etc, you start running into that wall real quickly. Even software development work is going to cause you to run into limitations. As the processor doesn't have an IOMMU, any vms you want to run will be limited to slower, virtualized, graphics, and that expresscard slot on the side becomes a security concern (hello, evil maid). Additionally, it only supports outputting to vga, limiting your options in monitors, and making sharing content on a friend's tv a lot harder.
So in short, its constraints in various areas really do shackle you in a lot of ways. Media creation, software creation, sharing, all suffer from the weaknesses of this machine.
Not everyone needs to do all of those things. In fact, I'd argue that very few people need to do all of them. So, yeah, it's a fraction of the machine the (not maxed out) 13" rMBP I'm typing at right now is. So? If "freedom" (as the term is used by the FSF and folks of similar ideologies) is your priority, you make some compromises. If not, some would argue, that's a compromise you're making, right there.
The x200 also unofficially supports 8GB of system RAM. Since the machine is under no warranty coverage whatsoever, running an unsupported configuration will, at worst, cost you the price of a couple of 4GB SO-DIMMs or return shipping on an RMA.
Please don't judge a thing that doesn't satisfy your priorities as being somehow objectively "bad" or "wrong". It just doesn't meet your needs. Go find a machine that does, then, and let the people whose needs and priorities are met by a Gluglug x200 satisfy theirs with this.
So I'm not allowed to discuss what these people are giving up in the name of "freedom"? That the fact that this is a refurbished machine from seven years ago shouldn't be brought up? That functionality was removed in order to, through some bizarre twist of logic, make the machine "more free"? Given that this is a machine that is built in the name of ideology, I would argue that questioning aspects of that ideology, and what is demanded to acheive their idea of purity, is more than fair game.
You're perfectly free to discuss it. Your posts read more like telling people they're wrong in finding these machines suitable for their purposes than just discussing the tradeoffs they're making. Even this comment, with clearly un-biased turns of phrase like "bizarre twist of logic" and "their idea of purity" conveys a conviction on your part that these people aren't merely wrong, but deluded.
Tone down your dismissal of other people's needs and use-cases, and we can have a discussion.
Remember, RMS uses a Libreboot-based x60, which is even less machine than the x200 under discussion here. Are you going to tell him he's wrong, too?
I feel that the machine here is borne more out of ideology than logic or necessity. The laptops in question, and the software installed, are designed to take away any ability to do things that the designers do not like. For example, the ability to update the CPU's microcode, or load firmware for numerous devices. I would argue the rational approach would be to not ship the firmware, but keep the drivers in place for a user to use them and the firmware, if they so desire.
Regarding RMS, I do not feel that he is a good spokesperson for the Free Software movement, or computing in general. He's requested people to delete Free software and pretend it doesn't exist because it could potentially be used with unwritten software to potentially allow a non-free program to use gcc as part of its chain [1]. He has criticized software because it allows interoperation with a perceived enemy [2]. Lower down on my list of criticisms would be his use of the x60, because it is in a lot of ways saying that free software is an inferior good. Instead of trying to work with a team to create a completely open laptop, like Bunnie Huang has done [3], or use a Chromebook that runs a Free software boot environment by design, he uses a very old laptop instead. Which in the end, is one of the biggest flaws with RMS's operations. He seems unwilling to show that one can use Free, modern, devices and still not limit himself.
I use sharp words because I am tired of the lack of vision, lack of foresight, and lack of creativity from the gnu branch of free/open software. Modifying a seven year old laptop and making it less functional is not revolutionary or interesting. Selling said item for a three time markup is not revolutionary or interesting. There are more than enough options out there, the Free software community needs to put up or shut up.
"but once you want to start doing any sort of media work, like editing photos, video, etc"
Its interesting how slowly use cases change and how slowly software changes, but how fast hardware increases. In the 90s I would have really been lucky to have 4 gigs to do those tasks you list.
For me, the larger fallback would be the largest SSD options seems to be 120GB, if this is a SATA2/3 interface, which I would presume it would be nice to see a 250/500GB option for SSDs which are generally more of a boost for me than going above 8GB ram.
It correctly portraits the two options we have to spend our money on a new device:
or