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Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

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Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#321

Post by JonnieCache »

Twirrim wrote: post #319
phaedrix wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently switched back to Linux (ThinkPad/Arch/Kernel4.8) after 5 years using a Macbook Pro (after using linux for 5 years previously). Linux hardware support has become much better without a doubt. However just in the last couple days I've had the following sporadic issues: * External usb keyboard/mouse simply wouldn't work (and doesn't show up in lsusb). Restart fixed. * If left overnight, occasionally won't wake…

>* Macbook takes relatively forever to come back from sleep; thinkpad is practically immediate. Waking up from sleep has been nice and fast in Linux for a while, but I have to say that regardless of all the frustrations I've found using OS X over the last year, waking from sleep isn't one of them. It has been nice and fast every time. >* Macbook wireless constantly has issues connecting, to the point of having to tur…

It has a user definable order of preference across all SSIDs which you can tweak in network preferences.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#322

Post by andrepd »

sytelus wrote: post #308

I'm using Lenovo P50 for Linux development with duel boot to Windows. The trick to get duel boot right is to have two SSDs and install each OS on its own SSD. P50 supports two SSDs + 1 spinning drive. Besides this, its very likely only laptop with 64GB option and 4K display with descret NVidia GPU with 4GB memory so you can even do local deep learning!

>Besides this, its very likely only laptop with 64GB option and 4K display with descret NVidia GPU with 4GB memory

It's isn't. Clevo, MSI, Razer, all offer high-performance options in their high-end models. The Clevos and the MSI with these specs don't start at $4k, I might add :P

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#323

Post by fencepost »

ianamartin wrote: post #315
sytelus wrote: post #308

I'm using Lenovo P50 for Linux development with duel boot to Windows. The trick to get duel boot right is to have two SSDs and install each OS on its own SSD. P50 supports two SSDs + 1 spinning drive. Besides this, its very likely only laptop with 64GB option and 4K display with descret NVidia GPU with 4GB memory so you can even do local deep learning!

Thank you for this. I think this is very likely to be my next hardware purchase. Didn't know such a thing existed yet.

I'll note that the T460p can also take an M.2 2242 format SSD in the WWAN slot. It's short (42mm not the normal 60+) and Transcend appears to be the main manufacturer for SSDs in the 2242 format. Up to 512GB, and of course since it's the WWAN slot you lose the ability to have a cell radio in there.

Reportedly a little fiddling in the BIOS to get it booting from the M.2, but I'd expect that to be the normal question of setting the boot order.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#324

Post by mahyarm »

Twirrim wrote: post #319
phaedrix wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I recently switched back to Linux (ThinkPad/Arch/Kernel4.8) after 5 years using a Macbook Pro (after using linux for 5 years previously). Linux hardware support has become much better without a doubt. However just in the last couple days I've had the following sporadic issues: * External usb keyboard/mouse simply wouldn't work (and doesn't show up in lsusb). Restart fixed. * If left overnight, occasionally won't wake…

>* Macbook takes relatively forever to come back from sleep; thinkpad is practically immediate. Waking up from sleep has been nice and fast in Linux for a while, but I have to say that regardless of all the frustrations I've found using OS X over the last year, waking from sleep isn't one of them. It has been nice and fast every time. >* Macbook wireless constantly has issues connecting, to the point of having to tur…

You can change your sleep mode to get rid of the hibernate restoration. I have to warn you although, your battery life of your sleeping laptop will go down:

http://www.macworld.com/article/1053471/software/sleepmode.h...

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#325

Post by mahyarm »

runn1ng wrote: post #271
mangecoeur wrote: post #190

As an ex-linux user and current mac user, I'm still frustrated by linux laptop hardware support. Ethernet ports that need to be re-plugged, suspend-to-disk not working... lots of glitches things that were already annoying 6-7 years ago but now are hard to justify compared with the polish you can expect from other systems. I could never go back from my macbook because I need everything to just work - no glitchy touchp…

I still run Linux despite all the challenges and all the hardware constantly breaking and working just-not-right, because I just love the openness and I don't understand how can Apple (and windows) users survive without "apt-get". Homebrew is a poor substitute for me. I am basically using linux just for apt-get, the configurability and the ability to test server-side software in the same-ish environment as it will ac…

Homebrew has been pretty great for me. You can install desktop apps with brew cask, dump your current app install state with brew bundle and then reinstall it all with one command on a new machine. You can even manage mac store apps with brew bundle with the `mas` app. It has been pretty central in my dotfiles script.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#326

Post by y_u_no_rust »

macinjosh wrote: post #270
ronjouch wrote: post #239

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> So which is it, they're spreading "Fear, uncertainty and doubt" or they're right? They're spreading the FUD that Linux laptop hardware support is frustrating, no questions asked. It's FUD because it's a fear-inducing oversimplification of the current state of things, which is that Linux laptop hardware support is enjoyable -if you do your homework- .

I think the point was that most would rather just have a machine that works out of the box so they can do their actual work instead of 'doing their homework' on how to get their machine to hibernate, connect to wifi reliably, etc...

My last linux laptop would have the it's backlight levels change randomly over time, every workaround and fix (changing the acpi settings in grub, different kernels, different xorg settings) did not work

all of this only happened a few window managers (xfce4 was fine as I recall)

I forget the details but it ended up being some rogue xcb messages or something

All of this has lead to just using linux for my desktop and keeping it off my laptop

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#327

Post by mahyarm »

ianamartin wrote: post #315
sytelus wrote: post #308

I'm using Lenovo P50 for Linux development with duel boot to Windows. The trick to get duel boot right is to have two SSDs and install each OS on its own SSD. P50 supports two SSDs + 1 spinning drive. Besides this, its very likely only laptop with 64GB option and 4K display with descret NVidia GPU with 4GB memory so you can even do local deep learning!

Thank you for this. I think this is very likely to be my next hardware purchase. Didn't know such a thing existed yet.

There are a lot of laptops like that in the PC market, more skewed towards gamers. I like Dave 2D's youtube reviews (no affiliation) of laptops: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLsDn59fxdQ

He has a whole bunch more on his channel about others similar to that lenovo.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#328

Post by y_u_no_rust »

lucaspiller wrote: post #309
michaelmior wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a current Linux and former macOS user, I actually miss Homebrew sometimes. It's much easier to get recent versions of software and also easier to set up your own repository (tap).

This is one of the reasons why Arch is so popular, AUR + a client has a very similar feeling to Homebrew.

opensuse tumbleweed is also pretty slick

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#329

Post by fencepost »

dfc wrote: post #293

Did lenovo get rid of the ThinkLight? (The keyboard illumination from above)

I don't have a newer one to check right now, but on the Tx30 series they had both the ThinkLight and the newly-introduced backlit keyboard, with lighting cycling from off - keyboard dim - keyboard bright - ThinkLight.

ThinkWiki is unclear on its presence - The T460s is listed as a model with it, but the Tx50 models seem absent.

Re: Lenovo ThinkPad T460 – A Good Linux Laptop for Development

#330

Post by eplanit »

sorokod wrote: post #165
2bluesc wrote: post #12

I've owned Thinkpads in the past and almost bought the T460 last month, then I discovered the Dell XPS / Precision line and fell in love. I picked up a manufacturer refurbished XPS 15 on eBay and wound up swapping in a Dell Precision E3-1505M motherboard I stumbled across. The line has Intel quad core CPUs, minimal bezel (my 15" is almost the same size as the 14" System 76 Galago Ultra Pro it's replacing), reasonably…

The Thinkpad p50/p70 also have the Xeon option and can be configured with ECC.

I just got through installing Ubuntu on my p70...love it so far. I've lost count of how many Thinkpad Linux Laptops I've gone through over the years, but not a single one ever failed or had compatibility issues with Linux: my 6 year-old w510 is my DHCP server has been up and running for 467 days running Ubuntu (it was powered off due to a power outage). There's a w540 and w520 sitting idle, and other T-series ones that are unusable only because the batteries are shot. Well-built and reliable.
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