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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
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It comes down to price. You can buy used ThinkPads and replacement parts for them quite cheap a lot of the time.
It's been a while since I've looked at devices from places like System 76 but if I recall correctly they are still over a thousand dollars when a used ThinkPad T440P for example can be found for around two hundred dollars.
Framework laptops are interesting and I hope eventually the modularity allows the components to go down in price. Right now I was looking at a 16 (which all sold out within 3 hours of pre-order launch) but it comes out to easily over 3k CAD for a disassembled kit, skimping on RAM and an SSD.
yoo I didn't know about used/refurbished Thinkpads being that cheap, I just checked and indeed you can find a T480 with 16GB of RAM for $248 on Amazon!
T480 is solid as hell, had one as new in my last job, a bit heavier but very serviceable, would recommend.
Those linux laptops are too expensive and they are not available in some countries
Used thinkpad is much cheaper
Because of better accessibility. How so?
Because not everyone has the money to afford these new and expensive laptops designed for a niche market. They are still enthusiast-grade products, the prices speak for themselves.
Because not everyone comes from Europe / US can easily find these with affordable shipping.
Because these laptops are only normally offered new, which, for responsible and personal ownership, is excessive. There are thousands of used hardware lying around, why not put some life back into them instead?
It comes down to price, availability and ethical concerns. Unless money doesn't mean anything to you, why do you need a $1000 laptop when someone wants a device for higher education or personal casual use? The world doesn't need more rampant marketing of niche, hyped-up tech. While a fully-FOSS system may be the ideal machine for every Linux enthusiast, we live in a material world with finite resources and chasing after some unicorn laptop is unsustainable.
They can be found cheap as shit. I got a great t480 for less than $150 and another $50 I upgraded my RAM and battery. It's a really nice laptop and only cost me a couple hundred.
Cause thinkpads are cheap and easy to come by
Source: i work in ewaste
In the US a lot of business use them. It's not uncommon to see a pallet of "old" ThinkPads at the swapmeet selling for less than $200. We're talking x1 Carbons. These machines have upgradable SSDs, Wifi, and battery. For less than $300 you can get a BEAST of a machine that runs Linux very very well.
Wish i had access to such cheap hardware. Companies in my country use them till it gets junked and most refurbishers sell for maybe 20% less than brand new but with significanly reduced warranty.
Cost.
Older Thinkpads remain extremely capable and (crucially) highly repairable. The T series in particular is also better built (read: more solid chassis) than many others, including some on this list.
It doesn't make a lot of sense to support these alternatives given the absolute shock difference in cost. $300 bucks for a used T series gets you a lot from a customizability, repairability, and reliability standpoint.
Cost and availability.
Most of those laptops cost over 1000€ if not even closer to 2000. And they don't seem to ship to all countries.
While you can get a good used Thinkpad for 500€ everywhere in the world.
Price. You can find second hand Thinkpad's whereas new laptops are very expensive.
Avoid purism at all costs. Watch Louis Rossman video on Purism mobile.
Secret sauce: it's much easier to get an employer on board with buying you a Thinkpad as part of a bulk order than it is to get them to spring for any of these more obscure models as a one-off.
for a lot of people (me included), a cheap second hand thinkpad (or dell pro) with a light distro would be more than enough to cover their computing needs for years.
I usually grab a 3-4 year old Thinkpad every year or so for anywhere from free to 300 bucks. I pick them up from old corporate liquidation lots. Usually grab one that is a little dirty or beat up and then just clean it up and install my own SSD and upgrade ram from my stockpile.
I like some of the others on that list, but with how cheaply and easily I can get a Thinkpad, I just can't be bothered to spend more. I use my laptop mainly for code, and I do a lot of low-level programming so performance is usually way more than enough. The programs I write are extremely small and very efficient. Any processor from the last 20+ years will run what I am usually working on.
When I want to spend big bucks on a computer, I put that money towards my desktop where I do more gaming and some digital artwork.
They stand the test of time, used ones can be bought at reasonable prices, there is an abundance of configurations, and they still have the best (the only good) keyboards for any laptop.
Because these are small shops that have limited availability outside North America, and are fairly expensive compared to Thinkpads which are widely used by corporations, and can be found pretty cheaply.
I literally can not buy a single one of these products you mentioned in my country.
I can easily buy a Thinkpad.
Niche companies are extremely restricted when it comes to sales and customer support. Also, they're computers, there's nothing that makes them "Linux ready" other than not using weird components with driver issues.
First of all I wouldn't use a pre-installed OS (I would always wipe and install my own for security reasons).
Secondly: Thinkpads (at least when I bought mine, last year) let you buy them without an OS and don't charge you for it.
Thirdly: the linked manufacturers above tend to be either US-centric and/or more expensive than Thinkpads.
My third world country only have Thinkpad around so. It is what it is.
I have no dog in this fight, but of the brands mentioned, I’ve heard of 1, and I consider myself fairly techy. Lenovo is a brand name that most people are going to recognize and implicitly trust (whether they should or not)
For me it is mostly the price. I don't need much and a Seconds Hand ThinkPad ist enough for my needs and much less expensive than buying a New Laptop.
It saddens me to say this, but don't buy from Purism. My Librem 5, after 2 years, still didn't arrive.
None of them really match the ThinkPad reliability, cost effectiveness and after sales experience.
I bought a Framework once. The build quality was better than System76, but not great. However, Framework is not a Linux laptop. They designed it for Windows and only afterwards they were surprised to find that people wanted it for Linux.
A lot of Linux laptops don't have HiDPI displays because they're not really compatible.
Example Framework: https://community.frame.work/t/tracking-state-of-hidpi-on-linux/8301
For years people have been trying to work around Framework's poor display choice. And they're still trying.
If you have a regular DPI display, you get to avoid a whole class of bugs and issues.
If you wanna have a good time with Linux, you need some mechanical sympathy.
Btw, tbh, brb, I've had good success with the Dell XPS 13 and the Lenovo X1 Carbon. System76 build quality was meh.
I did the OG Framework's DIY build. By far the best laptop build quality I've used. I'm a little partial because I love that the hardware is accessible. Clearly marked screws! Unlike my Lenovo X1 Carbon's that are just single boards (but I still really like them).
Complaining they chose HiDPI display is pretty funny though. My X1 Carbon 7th gen has a HiDPI screen, and I had to go through all the same UI scaling issues. Each toolkit had to be scaled differently. Chrome of course did their own thing. It was a PITA, but hardly because of the screen's hardware pixel density.
And to add, my Purism was trash and literally fell apart within months.
Because getting rid of Windows on a new device is half the fun
In Denmark (maybe all of EU?), you can buy them a bit cheaper without OS.
Lenovo makes great computers. They have amazing price-to-performance ratios.
Availability for me, none of that laptops is available in my country.
Refurbished ThinkPads are awesome!
Sent from my ThinkPad T580 (with both an internal and removable battery, I get 10+ hours of battery life)
Not everyone can spend +1000 dollars on a computer.
Because I bought a Linux laptop from one of those vendors. It came with QubesOS but ran awful for it. I tried to debug but it fucking broke after 4 days.
That was 6 months ago and I'm still waiting for them to refund me after I sent back the broken device.
Never again. Thinkpad has my money for life if they keep making durable hardware.
They are cheap and durable, and they work with most major Linux distros without much headache.
I have a spec'd out S76 Lemur, which is a great laptop for throwing in a backpack as a daily driver, and really packs a punch with a small footprint.
But I also have a couple ThinkPads that cost less than $100 to replace that I use for doing experiments in the field where a laptop is more likely to get damaged. No need to needlessly drag thousands of extra dollars in kit out into a mountain trail to do radio experiments. For that kind of work, these old systems have more than enough resources, and if I fall in a stream, or get caught in rain, the worst I have to do is replace the system for $80 refurbished on Amazon.
Of course, I've never actually had any issues requiring replacement, but ThinkPads are really hard to break. I'm not as convinced about the Lemur's durability, and would rather take fewer risks with it.
I'd say lack of marketing and higher price tags. Money / Performance ratio is also better with a decent Thinkpad.
Some of these options can't (or not without high markups) be bought and shipped to Canada.
Because it use common hardware and bought "en masse" by enterprises; they tend to be more supported with FOSS than other options.
I've been happy with my used T480 so far.
