.os2.ecomstation:856   
   From: "A.D. Fundum"    
      
    > knowing the type of computer you are buying, e.g., Thinkpad T60,   
    > isn't enough.   
      
   Wrong, T60 isn't the type. Look at the bottom of your notebook to see    
   what the type is (assuming it's still readable).   
      
    > The manufacturers' assembly lines don't stop when they run out   
    > of a particular chip. They just substitute whatever is in stock and   
    > keep the line moving.   
      
   Very wrong, the type will be different. Unless the part is an option,    
   or the seller messed with the hardware (I've seen a T22 in a T23 case,   
   for example).   
      
   E.g. a ThinkPad T60 with an original German keyboard is another type    
   than exactly the same ThinkPad T60 with an original Italian keyboard.    
   Both may exactly the same T60, but the different keyboard really has    
   nothing at all to do with "running out of German keyboards" in a line    
   that had to be kept moving. That's bogus, basicly.   
      
   Other manufacturers use the same principle. Without knowing the    
   details (a.o. screen size, CPU speed), you cannot tell how much a    
   Compaq Armada E500 is worth. If I tell you I've got a T42p, you'll for   
   sure have an idea what I may be using. E.g. some Pentium 4, formerly    
   high-end, business model. But you'll need to know the type 2373 to    
   know more, or 2373-A64 to know everything (but the replaced German    
   keyboard, a modification obviously not reflected in the static type    
   number).   
      
   Anyway, IBM certainly did not "substitute whatever is in stock (or is    
   cheaper)". Businesses having a lot of the same    
   brand/model/type/subtype/customizations wouldn't like that at all, for   
   one.   
        
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    * Origin: News-Service.com (1:261/20.999)