I get to choose a new laptop for work. I'd like to switch back to Linux as I think it does 95% of what a Mac does, and it's better at some things. What are people using?
Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
1–10 of 163 posts
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#2Most are going to suggest a Dell XPS Developer Edition or a ThankPad.
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#3ThinkPads generally run Linux very well. I use an old X220 with Mint 17 and it fits my needs. ThinkPads are also well suited to business use and will last many years. X series for ultraportables with small screens, T series for high performance machines.
This site collects info on people running Linux on their ThinkPads: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#4I haven't installed Linux on it yet, but I've been really impressed by the Microsoft Surface Book - even leaving aside the tablet functionality it's just a really nice laptop, with the best features vs size/weight I've seen going.
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#5I don't know if it's the best, but I've been hungering for a Think Penguin laptop for some time:
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/gnu-linux/korora-penguin-gnu-li...
The fact that it works with Trisquel is a good indication that the hardware support is good.
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#6I recently bought a gen4 ThinkPad X1 Carbon. Despite a couple of issues first getting started with Linux (I've been using OS X for years aside from running Ubuntu on my web servers) I'm now happily on Fedora 23. There was a kernel bug that I think is being patched atm, requiring booting with intel_pstate=no_hwp but no problems with Fedora other than that.
When discussing this on the ThinkPad subreddit a Red Hat employee mentioned that their standard issue work laptops are ThinkPads with Red Hat Enterprise installed, but most engineers then switch to Fedora. As a result Fedora tends to run very well on ThinkPads (according to him and in my so far limited experience), as they have many Red Hat engineers working on that OS every day.
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#7I'm using an ASUS Republic of Gamers Laptop with Linux Mint. My only issues are the Nvidia GPU, thankfully it has an integrated GPU from Intel so I can switch off to that and avoid the odd issues, that and an odd config that has my hard drive reading nonstop, a simple terminal command fixes it, but I have to do it anytime I come back. I might try openSUSE which is my favorite distro to see how all of these "issues" play out. I'd say spec the hardware for faults related to GPU, look for a GPU that has great support, if you prefer a specific distro as on their IRC channel etc.
Top two hardware issues that ruin Linux for me: * GPU drivers support is either broken or non-existent. * Wi-Fi drivers non-existent or not included in a particular distribution out of the box (seriously?)
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#8Not using it and haven't bought it, but the Lenovo T460 looks like a good option.
The T460p is due out in the next few weeks and is geared toward performance with the use of discrete graphics and Intel core i5/i7 processors from the HQ line.
The T460s is geared for mobility, and can be bought today.
And also available today, the regular T460 model is a compromise between the two.
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#9I tried going with System76 after having a good experience with one of their earlier models. Unfortunately the keyboard experience was _terrible_ - so as a portable it failed hard. Everything else was stellar.
By terrible I mean actually missing keystrokes noticeably often, even around 60wpm.
Re: Ask HN: Best linux laptop right now?
#10ThinkPads generally run Linux very well. I use an old X220 with Mint 17 and it fits my needs. ThinkPads are also well suited to business use and will last many years. X series for ultraportables with small screens, T series for high performance machines. This site collects info on people running Linux on their ThinkPads: http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/ThinkWiki
Came here to say this.
My thinkpad works great with Linux mint. Planning to switch to Ubuntu 16.04 when it comes out.