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Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

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Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#81

Post by dustin999 »

sctechie wrote: post #44

I recommend buying a piece-of-shit Dell and putting an aftermarket SSD + memory in there. Personally, I develop on cheap Dell slammed full of RAM running a Linux VM inside of Windows. I know the 'cool' kids aren't into Dell and Windows and all that but you can get a faster machine for less money if you stay away from Apple. Unless you are running a server, there is no reason to be running Linux directly on your hardw…

I've tried developing on a remote dedicated server via PuTTy, VM under Windows (VMWare and VirtualBox), and a native Linux OS. The native Linux OS destroys the other two options by far. I just couldn't handle the slight delay you get in a VM when it comes to the mouse, keyboard, etc. I just really didn't care for it.

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#82

Post by pajju »

pyre wrote: post #73
pajju wrote: post #46

This decision is purely a function of cost, portability, features. And you might have to compromise on something, be prepared. My choice: Asus Ultrabooks. In my case, I couldn't afford a Macbook Air, (I badly wanted a MAC, I couldn't buy with my budget, but just somehow managed to get an ASUS Ultrabook with EMI's) About Asus Ultrabooks-- Compared to MAC's: - They are much much cheaper, ( almost half the price) not co…

(Pedant alert) MAC => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MAC_address Mac => http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macintosh

Great observation, appreciate that.

Sorry for that typo. :)

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#83

Post by BruceIV »

jhill925 wrote: post #78

I did quite a bit of research for a new ultrabook. I am a software consultant and needed a hardware update. One of the surprising things I found was that most of the ultrabooks do not have dedicated home and end keys which I regularly use for coding. I finally came across the Lenovo Yoga book, it was almost high-def, had all of the keyboard keys including home and end, however as soon as I got the laptop out of the b…

Hope it works out for you - this is purely anecdotal, but anyone I know who's owned an Acer laptop (n = ~6) has had it break on them within a year and a half or so.

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#84

Post by naner »

cjbprime wrote: post #9

I'm considering getting the Pixel and running Linux on it, but am extremely annoyed by the lack of upgradable storage. The $250 Samsung ARM Chromebook has USB3 (~100MB/s) and a fast (~50MB/s) SD card controller. The $1300 Pixel only has USB2 and a slow (USB2) SD card controller and no real PCIe slots, which means that you can never get more than ~17MB/s when trying to increase the tiny internal storage.

extremely annoyed by the lack of upgradable storage.

Do you happen to know if it is integrated into the motherboard or if they are simply using a mini pci express card internally?

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#85

Post by cjbprime »

naner wrote: post #84
cjbprime wrote: post #9

I'm considering getting the Pixel and running Linux on it, but am extremely annoyed by the lack of upgradable storage. The $250 Samsung ARM Chromebook has USB3 (~100MB/s) and a fast (~50MB/s) SD card controller. The $1300 Pixel only has USB2 and a slow (USB2) SD card controller and no real PCIe slots, which means that you can never get more than ~17MB/s when trying to increase the tiny internal storage.

extremely annoyed by the lack of upgradable storage. Do you happen to know if it is integrated into the motherboard or if they are simply using a mini pci express card internally?

It's soldered down/integrated. There is a mini pci express slot that the WWAN connects to, but it's wired electrically to the USB2 bus, not the PCIe bus, so that doesn't help.

(I wouldn't be annoyed if it were possible to swap it out for larger storage somehow.)

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#86

Post by jhill925 »

BruceIV wrote: post #83
jhill925 wrote: post #78

I did quite a bit of research for a new ultrabook. I am a software consultant and needed a hardware update. One of the surprising things I found was that most of the ultrabooks do not have dedicated home and end keys which I regularly use for coding. I finally came across the Lenovo Yoga book, it was almost high-def, had all of the keyboard keys including home and end, however as soon as I got the laptop out of the b…

Hope it works out for you - this is purely anecdotal, but anyone I know who's owned an Acer laptop (n = ~6) has had it break on them within a year and a half or so.

I should have added that to my post, I waited this long because I learned a few years ago never to buy the first-model revision. (I had a bad first-year redesign Honda Accord of all cars and will never make that mistake again) I saw the same thing on the first-gen ultrabooks (pre Asus Ultrabook Prime). (It seems the manufacturers were rushing to play catch-up with Apple).

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#87

Post by jhill925 »

BruceIV wrote: post #83
jhill925 wrote: post #78

I did quite a bit of research for a new ultrabook. I am a software consultant and needed a hardware update. One of the surprising things I found was that most of the ultrabooks do not have dedicated home and end keys which I regularly use for coding. I finally came across the Lenovo Yoga book, it was almost high-def, had all of the keyboard keys including home and end, however as soon as I got the laptop out of the b…

Hope it works out for you - this is purely anecdotal, but anyone I know who's owned an Acer laptop (n = ~6) has had it break on them within a year and a half or so.

Now that I think about it even more, I didn't think about my rule for the Yoga Book (it was a first-gen remodel) and I had problems with it.

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#88

Post by naner »

sctechie wrote: post #44

I recommend buying a piece-of-shit Dell and putting an aftermarket SSD + memory in there. Personally, I develop on cheap Dell slammed full of RAM running a Linux VM inside of Windows. I know the 'cool' kids aren't into Dell and Windows and all that but you can get a faster machine for less money if you stay away from Apple. Unless you are running a server, there is no reason to be running Linux directly on your hardw…

Unless you are running a server, there is no reason to be running Linux directly on your hardware. You can, of course, but it's not a good idea.

What a bizarre statement. It works quite well if you prefer the Linux environment and don't require specific software only available on another OS. Just because some setup works well for you doesn't mean it is appropriate for everyone.

I have both Windows 7 and Linux laptops and prefer Linux from a maintenance standpoint and from a driver standpoint. Usually, if Linux drivers are supported they are supported very well. With Windows things appear to be less uniform.

Re: Best ultrabook for linux? [April 2013 edition]

#90

Post by abelsson »

thelittlelisper wrote: post #36

My favorite options are the Air (11 / 13) and Thinkpad x220. Other options include Thinkpad x230 (newer than the x220) but worse keyboard, x1 Carbon, Dell XPS, Chromebook Pixel, Asus and Samsung. I ended up buying both an Air 11 (my own money) and a x220 (my employer). Both machines are really well supported under Linux (most hardware is Intel). The only drawback is their low resolution screen, which IMHO is not a de…

I personally would get an Air over a x220 after having used the x220 for the last 6 months. The x220 is my fourth Thinkpad over the years, and it looks just like the X30 I got 10 years ago.

And honestly, the design has not kept up with the times. For its weight class, it's pretty big, thick and clumsy. The trackpad is atrocious (that's not a problem if you like trackpoints, but my fingers end up hurting after an hour of using them). I also found the x220 quite slow, and the fan spends a lot of time running even with just basic browsing. Battery life is decent though, it probably won't break just by you looking at it sideways, and the keyboard is good - its a classic Thinkpad. But next to a modern Ultrabook it looks quite dated.

However, if I were to spend my own money, the Dell XPS 13 Ubuntu edition looks appealing. I haven't had a chance to try it though.

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