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Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

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Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#221
post #30
post #20

So they did lie when they said "Microsoft Loves Linux". https://blogs.technet.microsoft.com/windowsserver/2015/05/06... Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.

They love Linux ..as long as you only use it through their products..

Fuck their products

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#222
post #97

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is this gibberish about being "on the wrong side"? Please don't make vacuous statements.

It is not gibberish. They put it in quotes to imply that it is not literally true that they are on the wrong side, but that for the purposes of Microsofts efforts they are on the wrong side in the sense that they are not Microsoft customers and are not likely to be swayed by this or anything else so they are not worth targeting for Microsoft. So the only real outcome from this would at first glance appear to be to an…

Ah, thanks for clarifying. Guess it was my impulse reaction as a long-time Lenovo + Linux user / dev. Should've asked before jumping the gun too soon. Sorry, Yaggo.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#223

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Could you expand a little on what kind of issues you've had with it?

The screen itself mainly, is incredibly dull. it has a matt covering that i thought I wanted, but turns out i don't. When compared in indirect sunlight with the mRBP i can't read the text in a terminal. Practically unusable in certain situations. Often I like to work sitting outside on my balcony and couldn't. Battery life is quite poor despite considerable tweaking. Rarely get more than 2-3 hours of reasonable (low…

I had similar issues with the screen on a HP ProBook I bought last year. The matte screen was way dimmer than my Dell M6500's. When I sent the laptop in for warranty service on the screen (unrelated), the replacement screen was even dimmer.

Next time I can afford an arbitrary laptop, it will me another Dell Mobile Workstation like the M6500.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#224

Microsoft is in a bad shape, isn't it? So this is what we see when titans like MS, Google, Apple, etc. are falling. I expect even more coming...

"Falling" is an interesting description, considering all 3 corporations you listed doubled or almost tripled their market cap within the last 5 years.

If anything they're falling upwards.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#225
post #47

The other HN thread suggests this not actually a dark conspiracy by Microsoft but simply a case of missing linux drivers for the storage devices. This sounds believable to me. But I'll put my tinfoil hat on just for fun and pretend it was an intentional move. Could this make sense as a new twist on the old strategy, making it "Embrace, Extinguish, Extend"? With the WSL, they made it theoretically possible to run Linu…

If you read the original reddit thread, you would understand that this is not just a drivers issue. Lenovo intentionally programmed their BIOS so that it reverts any changes to RAID mode making it impossible to install Linux.

Is it meant as contra Linux though? Or just pro RAID?

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#226
post #2

It sounds like Lenovo's BIOS is using a RAID mode with the internal SSD that Linux does not understand. Lenovo apparently provides a driver for this RAID mode for Windows 10. If you want to install something else (Linux, Windows 8) you are out of luck until someone produces a driver for that operating system.

RAID mode? WTF? Why would they be using RAID mode on a machine with a single SSD, and according to the other posts here, deliberately make it nearly impossible to change?

Maybe because good-old-IDE or even AHCI was too simple and open.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#227

I see lots of folks referencing the Dell XPS laptops. Just as a FWIW, here is another option: https://system76.com/ As per my opinion on this, I'd rather see people not have knee-jerk reactions to Lenovo screwing up Linux support and people rushing for "alternatives", but rather make a concerted effort to support companies focused on Linux-supported hardware (for the long-term). Also, this story combined with the HP…

Thanks for the link. Seeing such companies makes me confident that there will be always alternatives whatever the limitations put by so-said-brand manufacturers are.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#228

The worst part is the reaction from Lenovo in my opinion. They just locked the thread reporting the issue on their forum, not saying anything about the problem itself but instead threatened the community to turn the pre-approval option on. This really makes me angry and makes me want to boycott their products. I really hope this issue will spread so that Lenovo learn that they made a bad move on this one. It also mad…

> It also made me realize how important it is to have a community on which one can rely to spread problems like this one. Several people on their own can't do much against big companies, but a big tech commnity can.

I never think that a support forum should be owned by the company.

There is a clear conflict of interest. The company does not want you calling them out on product flaws or their behaviour, on a site that they own and that reflects on their brand and products.

It's a shame that fora frequently are not financially viable, as they do need to exist to provide a centralised place for consumers to gather, share problems, diagnose and solve them.

Companies shouldn't run their support forums. Instead, companies should offer a better level of support by default.

Re: Linux can’t be installed on a recent Lenovo laptop

#229
post #205

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why did a Lenovo employee say there is an agreement? http://imgur.com/a/niewu

They might be misguided. Until there's an official announcement one way or another, I wouldn't pay too much attention to some random Lenovo customer service guy.

Right, but there isn't going to be an official announcement, unless a hundred thousand people jump to premature conclusions and bring out their pitchforks. I agree that it's not terribly smart to draw a conclusion at this point in time, but it's potentially more malicious, if we don't.
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