There have been multiple accounts created with the sole purpose of posting advertisement posts or replies containing unsolicited advertising.

Accounts which solely post advertisements, or persistently post them may be terminated.

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?

BitSound ,

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.

lckdscl ,
@lckdscl@whiskers.bim.boats avatar

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 / the US, so it’s not easy to 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.

marlowe221 ,

I buy all my hardware, laptop and desktop parts, for these reasons.

Linssiili ,

That’s good, stealing is wrong

library_napper ,
@library_napper@monyet.cc avatar

Used*?

marlowe221 ,

Hehe, yeah. Missed a word there!

zhenyapav ,

Most of these are pretty expensive. I got a used Thinkpad for less than 200 bucks, and it works great for the price and my use case.

gravitas_deficiency ,

People will say many things. But at the end of the day, it’s the keyboard. I honestly cannot think of a company that does keyboards better than Lenovo (formerly IBM).

qyron ,

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.

BreakDecks ,

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.

dudewitbow ,

Cause thinkpads are cheap and easy to come by

Source: i work in ewaste

WaterWaiver ,

Exactly this. Second hand thinkpads are stupidly cheap – I’m currently typing on my $180AUD laptop. I never buy new.

pastermil ,

Yes, exactly this. The alternatives would cost close to $1k as starter.

Decker108 ,

Out of curiosity, do you ever rescue laptops from your work and use or resell them?

dudewitbow ,

yes. Companies goal is to essentially take in e-waste and used stuff, sort through it and pull out decent laptops/desktops wipe(or destroy) hard drive based on instructions, and resell. The company that gives us the goods gets a cutback of what’s being sold. everything else that is junk is then sorted and recycled to their respective correct facilities. Gotta use the second R in the 3 R’s and the third for whatever is considered old. What’s considered old goods is still very desirable to another company, especially companies outside of the U.S where computers may be more expensive, especially when you’re trying to get them in bulk.

the work laptop I use is definitely used goods, in fact relevant to thread as it is a 8th gen Thinkpad T490.

miss_brainfart ,
@miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml avatar

With everything I hear about good stuff going to waste, I highly enjoyed reading that.

Keep doing what you do, your workplace is cool

library_napper ,
@library_napper@monyet.cc avatar

On what marketplace Are they sold? And can I buy a quantity of 1?

dudewitbow ,

very rarely sell in quantities of one, but usually some of the end clients are resellers. If you’re ever like on Amazon and find refurbished dell desktops, or any laptop in general (including apple products), there’s a decent chance it came from an e-waste organization first before being bought by a reseller in bulk. There are some companies who “bling” old desktops and resell them in the market place.

Fuckass ,

How much product do you move? I know there are enthusiasts buying old thinkpads, but I eidnt imagine it’s enough that a whole company can sell a bunch of them with ease

dudewitbow ,

i cant give specific numbers of course, but in the hundreds/low thousands typically per order.

ebits21 ,
@ebits21@lemmy.ca avatar

I love my Thinkpad.

Lots of Linux devs love their Thinkpads.

The result is that Thinkpads are very well supported. They’re also generally very well made so I hope to use it for a decade.

Soleos ,

Same reason most people recommend gettinf a Honda/Toyota when asked for a general recommendation for a car. If you need to ask the question, then your needs are probably not that specialized. So something generally reliable, widely accessible, and good value would be appropriate. Lenovo still tends to fit that description.

Mane25 ,

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.

gerdesj ,

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.

Secret300 ,

I got a thinkpad for $50 at goodwiil. Those linux laptops are so much more expensive. I do plan on buying one soon tho cause I just got a new job

projectdp ,

I agree with a bunch of the comments here but wanted to add that there’s a decades-long legacy of good FOSS/Linux support on Thinkpads. Before any of these companies existed, Linux was running pretty reliably on Thinkpads.

I do like the newer options with these newer manufacturers, but I won’t be getting rid of my Thinkpads any time soon. I’m running a Framework now too.

fakeman_pretendname ,

I’m sure it’s not everyone’s reason, but mine was “Thinkpad still has physical left, right and middle mouse buttons”.

freagle ,

Yes!

jasondj ,

Because most of these brands offer high-end laptops, the secondhand market is small and the new ones vastly exceed the needs of a lot of users.

Most people just browse the web, stream media, use productivity apps…these things don’t need much horsepower. The majority of people don’t need to run AAA games or graphics/video editing on their laptop.

Because of this, there is a great market for secondhand business laptops, and tons of great deals there. And of the big business brands (HP, Dell, and Lenovo), Lenovo tends to have the most compatible hardware (while also usually being very easily serviceable or upgraded).

I bought a Lenovo T470s with charger and a decent battery at a flea market on Father’s Day for $100 USD and he had a stack of them. Ordered some more memory and a bigger NVMe for $70, and now I have a very useful, practical, everyday laptop for less than $200, and it dual-boots a licensed Windows 10.

  • All
  • Subscribed
  • Moderated
  • Favorites
  • •
  • [email protected]
  • random
  • lifeLocal
  • goranko
  • All magazines
    •