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Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

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Re: Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

#21

Post by zdragnar »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #13

The dell xps 13 is a really nice laptop, and it's fully compatible with linux because dell even has a 'developer edition' of the laptop that ships with ubuntu.

I was really unimpressed with mine. I've never quite figured out what got the XPS such a good reputation. By comparison, the lg gram Just Worked, though I don't know if they make a 13" model.

Re: Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

#24

Post by sandworm101 »

I've owned a few Acer laptops over the years. Linux runs well on them. They don't run Linux perfectly but nor would they be perfect under windows. Anything as complex as a laptop will run into software v. hardware issues from time to time. If you want seamlessness, pay up for an Apple. If you aren't rich, buy a generic laptop, install linux from a thumbdrive, and be ready to occasionally fix things. Don't buy some weird Chinese machine with an esoteric multi-CPU setup with a third LCD screen built into trackpad and a keyboard that shoots RGB lasers. If you get the most common laptop in your price range from Amazon then there is a 99% chance that it will run linux about as perfectly as it will run windows.

Re: Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

#25

Post by pmontra »

ggr2342 wrote: post #7

I have used Asus, Dell and HP Laptops with Ubuntu on them. The battery management is so pathetic that within a few months the battery is fried. Now, I have Ubuntu on my Desktop and Windows 10 on my laptop although I hate it.

Which line of HP laptops? The battery in my ZBook from 2014 lasted until the end of last year before dropping to 75% overnight and lasting about two hours unplugged. As a reference, the new battery I replaced it with drops only to 95+%.

I used Ubuntu all those years before switching to Debian

Re: Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

#26

Post by jokethrowaway »

wing-_-nuts wrote: post #13

The dell xps 13 is a really nice laptop, and it's fully compatible with linux because dell even has a 'developer edition' of the laptop that ships with ubuntu.

This is the flimsiest laptop I've ever had.

It's a big no for me.

Re: Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

#28

Post by jokethrowaway »

I tried pretty much everything except the Framework and I have no hope.

Personally I'd go for a MacBook and run Linux in a VM because I'm afraid the battery life on Linux won't be good enough.

If you can stand the look of Thinkpads they're quite durable. I'd give Framework a chance, albeit I've heard conflicting reviews.

Dell, Surface, Lenovo, HP: utter garbage.

My current setup is an old MacBook running Mac for travelling and a Linux desktop PC.

I used to have a MacBook 2015 running Linux and it was pretty neat, but Linux support is just not there with my current MacBook.

Re: Ask HN: I Want to have a small Linux laptop. What are my options?

#30

Post by 0atman »

itomato wrote: post #22

Refurb M1 Air + Asahi. Wait a cycle then maybe do the same with the M2.

This is it - nothing beats my asahi m1 air on anything: price, battery life, desktop cpu grunt, no throttling either thermally or on battery. I can't believe the best arm machine is made by Apple, 3 years on.

Eventually we'll have arm machines made by other PC manufacturers, I'm most excited by Lenovo, but till then. $600 gets you a powerhouse of a machine.

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