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One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

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Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#181

Post by z9e »

distances wrote: post #84
z9e wrote: post #64

I'm actually considering either going with the T480p or an Asus for my next work laptop (from a 2018 MBP) with Linux on it. I have a T470p though that has a broken motherboard right after the warranty expired. When picking it up to move it around, it shorts out and restarts, apparently this is a known issue with the 470's. But I really fear Lenovo's reliability these days. Has anyone else had reliability problems wit…

Lenovo has an updated ThinkPad line, T14, that has also AMD 4000 series as an option. I would definitely check that out, as AMD is running circles around Intel CPUs especially on laptops where the power consumption is more limited.

Sweet, I'll consider that. I just upgraded my gaming desktop to an AMD Ryzen 9. I'm so happy to see AMD making a comeback. If I can get an AMD on the next work machine, even better.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#182

Post by z9e »

ahnick wrote: post #111
z9e wrote: post #64

I'm actually considering either going with the T480p or an Asus for my next work laptop (from a 2018 MBP) with Linux on it. I have a T470p though that has a broken motherboard right after the warranty expired. When picking it up to move it around, it shorts out and restarts, apparently this is a known issue with the 470's. But I really fear Lenovo's reliability these days. Has anyone else had reliability problems wit…

I've been using a T480 (same as author) and it has been very reliable. I even dropped it getting out of the van a while back and it landed on a corner of the laptop when it hit the pavement. It has still been running just as well as when I originally got it. :)

Good to know, thanks.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#183

Post by wazoox »

fsflover wrote: post #70

> Can disable webcam in BIOS when not used Purism sells laptops [0] with real hardware kill switches for camera and microphone . Welcome to the future. > Maintenance: T480 is not slim and this is for the better. I can replace/upgrade most components by myself. Slimness has nothing to do with repairability / upgradeability. Purism laptops are slim and perfectly repairable. (I'm a happy owner). [0] https://shop.puri.sm…

My Lenovo IdeaPad has a sliding cover for the webcam. It's about the same size as a MacBook, sports 32 GB or RAM, an 8 core Ryzen and 2 M2 SSDs for ~900€. The trackpad is fine, and the WiFi reaches about 300Mbps. I'm quite happy with it (too bad they put a large black band at the bottom of the screen instead of a 16:10 one...)

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#184

Post by x87678r »

quadrifoliate wrote: post #165
x87678r wrote: post #71

I was looking at larger laptops to run Linux but they aren't cheap so MBP doesn't look such bad value. I want 15in screen with higher than 1080 resolution, 16GB memory, good battery life and there really isn't much less than $1500 from the main brands that will run Linux well. Any suggestions? Otherwise the MBP16 looks not such bad value as I know it'll be reliable.

I have no idea why Lenovo doesn't offer the Carbon X1 in a larger and slightly heavier configuration for people that like larger screens and use them for full-time work. Clearly the 15" and 16" MBPs show that the market exists. A 16" or 17" (remember 17" laptops?) Carbon X1 would get me to move away from the Macbook Pro in a heartbeat.

Look for X1 Extreme, 3.8lbs otherwise good but its surprisingly expensive. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpad-x1/X1... .

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#185

Post by diehunde »

krooj wrote: post #69
alexktz wrote: post #61

I recently purchased a 16” MBP despite significant personal concerns over the future of MacOS, being a strong open source advocate and Linux paying my mortgage. I did this ultimately for a few reasons. MacOS lets me run Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc), Fusion360, has a good terminal (iTerm and zsh unix like shell) and Logic. Mac hardware is still some of the best in the business, no other vendors seem to be able to…

"It just works with external displays" - ಠ_ಠ

I got the ivanky dock[1] for dual display and works like a charm. I have a MacBook Air and a MacBook Pro and I haven't had any issues with any of them so far. It's really just plug-and-play. I have a couple of other docks and connectors and I had issues with all of them.

[1]https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089GKTC5B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b...

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#187

Post by bamboozled »

alexktz wrote: post #61

I recently purchased a 16” MBP despite significant personal concerns over the future of MacOS, being a strong open source advocate and Linux paying my mortgage. I did this ultimately for a few reasons. MacOS lets me run Adobe (Photoshop, Lightroom, etc), Fusion360, has a good terminal (iTerm and zsh unix like shell) and Logic. Mac hardware is still some of the best in the business, no other vendors seem to be able to…

Sounds like you’ve not had Linux on a laptop for a while, it’s no where near as bad as you describe.

I run NIxOs on a Thinkpad X1 Extreme Gen 2.

I really love it and it “sparks joy” for me too. Especially because I understand how it’s lit together and sort of “built it” and contribute to the Platform. Very satisfying.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#188

Post by nr2x »

jononomo wrote: post #186

I simply cannot get over using non-Apple trackpads. The trackpad is such an important part of a laptop's user interface. Obviously I wouldn't drive a car with flat tires, so why would I use a laptop with a crappy trackpad?

Under appreciated is that macOS is largely a touch-based system now with the magic trackpads. If you configure three-finger drag in accessibility settings you never have to click. Granted it’s not a touch screen, but in my view it’s a touch- and gesture-based system. Using a non-Apple trackpad feels like going back in time and using touch screen devices with keyboards (eg Win 10 laptops) is incredibly annoying.

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#189

Post by se32point1 »

dhosek wrote: post #100

Things that I like about being on a Mac: - The ABC - Extended keyboard layout gives me easy access to diacriticalized letters like é or č as well as typographic characters like – and – - long battery life. I'm currently sharing a charger between my work laptop my personal laptop and my iPad and life is easy. - access to mainstream software like Office, Adobe etc. - I can easily use my iPad as an external monitor whil…

Counterpoints for Linux:

- Compose key blows your "ABC - Extended layout out of the water." It's more powerful than anything else.

- ... I never really use my XPS 13 without a charger, because I don't really travel around much, but it also has USB-C like all the "cool stuff." I would imagine with some tweaking I can get better battery life but I know it does last a while on standby.

- You won't get mainstream-mainstream stuff on Linux, which is probably a problem for some, but for day-to-day usage many Adobe alternatives exist (Blender, Inkscape, Krita, GIMP), along with commercial and professional things (DAWs (eg. Renoise, Reaper, whatever), and DaVinci Resolve)

- /shrugs VNC maybe? Although there are some pretty small monitors out there that should work. (I use HDMI monitors). Advantages of not being in the Apple ecosystem is that there is more freedom.

- Use a keyboard and mouse. It's faster. And more useful. There are only so many things you can do with a trackpad.

- You don't need to do much customization on Linux either (especially something like Pop!_OS or Ubuntu). Things are a lot better (not perfect, but better) than they were before. Nothing like Windows where you have to uninstall the bloatware though

Re: One Year with ThinkPad and Linux (From MacBook Pro)

#190

Post by AshamedCaptain »

jeffbee wrote: post #155
AshamedCaptain wrote: post #74

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am sorry, but I find it ridiculous to claim that X220Ts had "great build quality". When the X2x0 series were released we did complain A LOT about the drop in quality and reminisce about the good old Lenovo times. And of course people already complained about the Lenovo times vs IBM. And I ponder if people used to complain about the drop of quality in IBM times... But seriously, the X220T specifically is crap. We bo…

A lot of people hated the X200 and the rest of the X2__ series because they owned the X60 or X61, which were the peak of ThinkPad quality. They X200 was when they moved from the best screens in the business to the most shit displays they could find falling off the backs of trucks, from decent keyboards to garbage keyboards, and of course with the X201 they started adding touchpads, which is apostasy, and it didn't he…

Ah yes, how could I forget the damn display. It had so much ghosting, that for a while I thought I had the transparent terminals feature (this was a xcompmgr + gnome(2)-terminal feature) enabled. Imagine my huge surprise when it turned out I didn't had it enabled. It was just ghosting from when the window had been in focus, and it would stay for minutes!!

There is only one other display which I remember comparable in terrible quality: the early color Palm(Pilot)s. With viewing angles measured in arcminutes rather than degrees.

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