this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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I've noticed in the Linux community whenever someone asks for a recommendation on a laptop that runs Linux the answer is always "Get a Thinkpad" yet Lenovo doesn't seem to be a big Linux contributor or ally. There's also at least six Linux/FOSS-oriented computer manufacturers now:

So what gives? Why the love for a primarily Windows-oriented laptop when there are better alternatives?

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[–] BitSound@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The X1 Carbon series is popular with Linux kernel devs, so it's had a lot of TLC. It makes a big difference for some stuff like sleeping. My Thinkpads handled sleeping really well, and I could expect to leave it sitting for at least a week and come back to somewhat low battery. My Framework laptops, as nice as they are otherwise, will drain the battery during sleep in 24h, no matter what I've tried. The situation is apparently better on the newer-gen Framework laptops, and IMO Framework's open nature will lead to a similar situation to Thinkpads, but it's not quite there yet.

Apart from sleep, I've heard complaints about the manufacturing quality of some of the other options, but haven't used them myself so can't verify. Might be why some people recommend the Thinkpads, though. I do really like the quality of the Framework, and I'd recommend people take a look at them over Thinkpads now, unless they care about sleep battery usage.

To chime in with some of the other answers, price also makes a difference. Thinkpads have been around long enough that there's a nice large used market. I got a rock-solid Thinkpad T480 for a few hundred dollars from some dude on Craigslist. My Framework is higher-specced and was paid for by my work, but it still starts out ~$800. I think it'll just take time before other manufacturers have a similar situation.

[–] gerdesj@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago

I tend to use other people's cast-offs at work. Win 10 slow? JG gets an upgrade! I whip the SSD or M.2 or whatever I'm using out of the old one and pop it in the "new" one.

[–] tal@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Last time I was looking, they were one of the few laptops that I've seen that come with a trackpad with three mechanical buttons. Linux makes better use of three buttons than some other environments, and I like mechanical buttons.

There may be other vendors out there now that also do so.

[–] fakeman_pretendname@feddit.uk 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Absolutely. It's a shame that this has become so rare. Even the Framework laptop, which is put together in a modular manner, allowing pieces to be swapped in and out, doesn't give the option of having a touchpad with actual buttons.

I could have a full rant about it, but based on their lack of availability, I suspect I've got a minority opinion.

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[–] 0xeb@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

They still do a good job with build quality and I use them for work. I also use framework 13 as my personal computer, it is great and I like it but it does not feel as premium as my work laptop. It is probably a trade off for modularity though

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@const_void@lemmy.ml because of quality of construction. I have thinkpad a running Linux that are more than 10 years old and all this without vendor support. Being able to find parts even after so many years is also important.Do any of these Linux friendly vendors have similar quality and similar prices?
Whenever I think about getting one of those systems I really don’t know if the company is going to exist in the next few years.

[–] Revan343@lemmy.ca 3 points 1 year ago
[–] morhp@lemmy.wtf 3 points 1 year ago

Framework has some quality problems, not everyone is a fan of the keyboard, and it's relatively expensive.

Tuxedo is quite good, but they often use stock Clevo models and customize them, so they might be cheaper and not that well designed than one by a "proper brand".

Not sure about the rest.

There's very little alternative if you want a ThinkPad style keyboard and track pad/trackpoint for the price of a used or older ThinkPad.

[–] MonkderZweite@feddit.ch 3 points 1 year ago

I have some preferences in hardware (Vendors are still riding the 4k-in-laptop-size bandwagon) and Thinkpad has good customizability.

Just looked into Malibal, they have no less than WQHD currently and i get a top of the line customized Thinkpad for less than their 2000+.

[–] M68040@hexbear.net 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I've always kinda wondered what System76's stuff is like. Battery life'd be the main priority for my use case. (I really like my M2 Air for this)

[–] qyron@sopuli.xyz 2 points 1 year ago

The first machine I ever installed with a distro was an MSI Ultrabook and Linux, out of the box, visibly improved the overall performance of the machine, with no need for benchmarking. After tweaking and fine tunning, it only improved.

After that came a long series of Asus, a few HP, one or two Dell. Always flawless installs, out of the box. The only exception I can remember of was a very specific HP model where the modem had to be manually installed.

Having a hand full of companies designing and building for linux feels like being part of an exclusive, Apple-like club; the prices are high, the choice limited.

We should be pressing the industry to recognize the linux ecosystem for what it is: a stable OS, with an ever growing user base with money to spend that want quality support for the equipments they buy.

[–] falsem@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago

Had a bad experience with System76 in the past.

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