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Why do people still recommend Thinkpads for Linux when there are Linux-oriented manufacturers now?

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?

Fuckass ,

Thinkpads cost a couple hundred dollars and works fine. If you don’t do anything intensive, there’s no reason to buy a near $1000 laptop. I also dropped mine from like 3-5 feet and the only damage was a slight paint chip on the battery. My 2012 MacBook would’ve been done for.

bigboopballs ,

Thinkpads cost a couple hundred dollars and works fine.

I’m looking on their website and the cheapest ones are like $600, and it gets into the $1000+ range quickly.

Fuckass ,

Oh yeah newer models will be on par with the Linux laptops. I meant the classic models. T4 models are usually a hundred to a couple hundred dollars

ChronosWing ,

Pretty sure he meant used models which is what most people recommend.

BURN ,

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)

library_napper ,
@library_napper@monyet.cc avatar

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.

_cnt0 ,
@_cnt0@lemmy.villa-straylight.social avatar

one of those vendors

Which one?

TheButtonJustSpins ,

Looks like Purism is the only one of the six that has Qubes as an option for preinstall.

pH3ra ,
@pH3ra@lemmy.ml avatar

Because getting rid of Windows on a new device is half the fun

humanplayer2 , (edited )
@humanplayer2@lemmy.ml avatar

In Denmark (maybe all of EU?), you can buy them a bit cheaper without OS.

Edit: It’s a Danish ruling from 2011, according to this. But it’s not that you can buy the machine without Windows, but that you can get a refund for Windows if you haven’t activated it.

The story mentions that that’s been Microsoft practice for several years prior, but that consumers rarely use the opportunity.

kaito ,

Would be nice if everywhere in the world you could do that and not deal with the bullbloatcrap manufacturers push onto you

humanplayer2 ,
@humanplayer2@lemmy.ml avatar

I’ve edited my comment. Maybe you can, but you might have to call Microsoft and hear them out.

nickapos ,

@const_void 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.

sounddrill ,

Give me something less than 15k INR and I might consider it

nestEggParrot ,

Where do you get usedlthinkpads for that price? All i find are 4th gen mini pc refurbished at at price. Best hw was a 8550u, 8gb ram Asus chromebox. Would love to get a decent used thinkpad for 15k.

sounddrill ,

Intel 4th gen is alright imo

MXX53 ,

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.

library_napper ,
@library_napper@monyet.cc avatar

Where do you buy them from?

MXX53 ,

I usually look for corporate office liquidations in the paper or on social media. Other than that, I stop into colleges and businesses and ask them if they have hardware they need to recycle. Companies usually pay for recycling, so sometimes they will just give you stuff to lower their recycling cost.

And lastly, ebay if all else fails.

Surreal ,

Would love a reputable Canadian source for a T series. Importing anything kinda sucks in terms of brokerage fees and additional tax levies, etc.

MXX53 ,

The T series is probably my favorite. Currently I am running a P52 I got for free that was a recycle. A little big, but plenty of performance. Prior to this one I had a T460s with the i5 I got for free, it was just missing one of the two internal batteries and had a couple screen imperfections. Maybe in a year or two I will get lucky and get another T series.

danielfgom ,
@danielfgom@lemmy.world avatar

Price. You can find second hand Thinkpad’s whereas new laptops are very expensive.

falsem ,

Had a bad experience with System76 in the past.

MrNorm ,

The second hand market for Lenovo laptops is usually pretty good. Lots of corporations have hardware cycles and recycle the things in huge waves. I’ve picked up an X230 and X270 for fractions of what they were worth new. Accessories too.

starclaude ,

yeah good luck getting those brand outside of US

rog ,

You can also find secondhand thinkbooks for very reasonable prices.

I havent bought a brand new laptop in over a decade now, dont think ill be starting any time soon either.

RagingToad ,

Tuxedo is German? I had a laptop from them and it was perfect:-)

(It was a company laptop, unfortunately had to return it when I got a new job)

estebanlm ,
@estebanlm@lemmy.ml avatar

yes, it is.

Zatujit ,

No problem getting a Framework in France

jg1i ,

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: community.frame.work/t/…/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.

treadful ,
@treadful@lemmy.zip avatar

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.

Gecko ,
@Gecko@lemmy.world avatar

As someone running a Framework 13 with Fedora 38 with 1.5 fractional scaling using Wayland I cannot say I experienced the same issue. Everything kinda just worked out of the box.

Personally I couldn’t go back from HiDPI screens. The lower resolution just makes stuff look blurry IMO.

M68040 ,
@M68040@hexbear.net avatar

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)

raven ,

Do any of these have:

  • As nice a keyboard, that I don’t have to worry about spilling a cup of coffee on.
  • Track point or similar.
  • Ability to survive a fall down a flight of stairs.
  • 4:3 or 16:10 aspect ratio.
  • Ports.
    While being built with repairability in mind?

I day dream about stuffing the guts of a modern laptop inside with a USB hub and an enormous battery, but that’s a huge undertaking.

BobbyBandwidth ,
@BobbyBandwidth@lemmy.world avatar

Linux is DIY by nature. Buying a fancy, brand new laptop is not.

Not saying you can’t do both. I’m just saying the Linux ethos lends to more crafty people.

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