Thinkpad T480 is the last of the good Thinkpads and should be more than your Budget
Edit. Corrected typo.
this post was submitted on 04 Feb 2024
168 points (92.4% liked)
Linux
48315 readers
1012 users here now
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
Rules
- Posts must be relevant to operating systems running the Linux kernel. GNU/Linux or otherwise.
- No misinformation
- No NSFW content
- No hate speech, bigotry, etc
Related Communities
Community icon by Alpár-Etele Méder, licensed under CC BY 3.0
founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
Too bad they don't make the old keyboards anymore, last of those was the T#20 (T420, T520,etc) line. New one is still better than most, but the old one was hands down the best laptop keyboard
That's true. Nothing beats the 7-row. Luckily you can mod T480 with T25 keyboard if you can source the parts.
Do you mean T480?
Yes. Thanks for pointing out my mistake. I corrected my typo.
Could you elaborate on why Thinkpads that came after the 480 are no good? I'm looking to get a laptop and am probably getting a thinkpad. Is it the easily removable battery?
T490 is the first model with only internal battery, but removal is fairly easy. 2020 lineup changed the F9-F11 function into osme MS Teams crap, which didn't (or don't) work with MS Teams out of the box. The old layout for function keys (keyboard lsyour switch, bluetooth toggle on/off and settings) were super handy in daily use.
I don't know about 2022 lineup since I don't own one, but 2023 lineup don't have option for simple bios UI and don't allow user to disable unneeded hardware, which was a feature since the first Thinkpad ever released.
Thanks!
Debian! As far as hardware you'd probably have an easier time with an AMD GPU but otherwise most everything works. Get intel wifi if you can/want wifi.
bunches of refurbished t-series thinkpads out there - t480, t430, etc. apparently the 490 is one to avoid. I got a t470 some months back for $150 - put mint on it and have been very happy with the performance.
I'm adding to the pile of Linux Mint recommendations, though I recommend the XFCE version, as it's lightweight. For hardware, if you want a laptop, definitely go with a refurbished ThinkPad. If you're wanting a desktop, look for something cheap and used. If you aren't gaming, the specs aren't super important
Hey for me it was the same. For Hardware you can use anything. The optimal is a full AMD build Or Intel AMD build but Nvidia could give you a headdic. For distros I recommend something Arch based like Manjaro or EndeavourOS. As DE I recommend Kde Plasma because out of the box it looks pretty much like Windows but is highly customizable.
I think I need to narrow some things down;
My current Windows PC isn’t what I’m looking for; it’s a big and powerful gaming laptop from a few years back. I’m looking for something light and portable, but with a full keyboard for coding.
Pricewise I’m looking for something around $350; if this is unreasonable let me know.
As I understand it, Steam Deck uses KDE, so I’d like to stick with that for now.
But literally any PC that’s within your budget. OK maybe that’s not true, there might still be some crap WiFi cards out there with weird firmware that don’t support Linux very well. Find an older name-brand PC within your budget. Before buying it Google “[make and model] Linux WiFi” and see whether there’s tons of complaints about the WiFi. If not, go ahead and get it, put Ubuntu or Linux Mint on there, start banging out JavaScript projects, profit.
Start anywhere, being interested in it is all you need (and a decent search engine, and learning how to describe the problems you have to the search engine). Whatever you do, I think it's a good idea to pick something that will be your project on Linux so that you have a concrete goal that makes Linux useful.
For hardware I'm a cheapskate so I recommend using whatever you already have, but I'm sure others here will point you in the right direction 😹
I recommend dual booting at first with grub, so it's more of a departure from windows. Using a VM like Virtualbox or Hyper-V is a bit safer and easier, but you're probably not interested in Linux for safety or ease of use.
We're lucky to live in a time where if all you have is a Linux tty (no gui, just a text mode shell) you still usually have a phone with Internet to look for help. It's a good exercise when you have the time to try and get the system back up in those situations without external help for at least a few minutes. Most distros still install manpages just for times like these (man and info commands view them)
Thank you.
Even a smol potato like the Orange pi zero 3 (which -still- has zero linux support) can run Linux, so don't worry about it.