Here I am in Brazil, learning web development, in love with GNU/Linux, running it on an old dell (Mint Tessa was a perfect match) and with a Chromebook (you heard it right) which has Chromium OS Linux Apps Support (Beta channel, won’t go stable) with a Debian Stretch (not as bad as you may think, but that’s another story).
I would like to know, do you guys have suggestions about what to look for in a new laptop to use with probably Pop!_OS or Manjaro (might be Solus or even Mint again also)?
I don’t mean “gib recommendation on budget laptop”, I mean: what parts should I be looking for to have some nice compatibility with wifi stuff, trackpad, chipset whatever. Is there a black/whitelist on brands/models?
And yeah, I think it’s important to mention, my main focus is on the sacred triad (css, html & js) with some node backend and some errands with dotnet core, so I’m not going for a high end laptop, an i3 8130u is my main goal.
The best thing you can do when ordering a new laptop is to order one with Ubuntu preinstalled.
Other than that, most hardware older than a year is supported these days. I prefer Lenovo Thinkpads myself, but those might be too expensive for you, perhaps a TP Edge…
Dell, HP and Lenovo are in general pretty decent with Linux.
Oh… didn’t know about HP, that’s some really good news
Cheap ones look/feel good in my opinion. The Lenovo cheaper ones are a bit complicated, their exhaust is kinda messed up, pointed upwards towards the screen… (B330s)
the lenovo e585 requires kernel parameters to run, so probably wouldn’t recommend that.
Dell XPS is always a good choice, and Lenovo X1 carbons work very well in linux.
I have a gen4 carbon which runs very well.
Also, if you want touch / 2in1, I have an inspiron 2in1 and it works well with gnome out of the box. Ubuntu disco dingo worked well enough to even rotate the screen etc right out of the box.
I would never expect any brand new laptop to have good Linux support, unless that laptop had Linux installed by the OEM. The more that the laptop deviates from an all “Intel inside” configuration (CPU, integrated graphics and WiFi) the longer it may take for full Linux support. I’ve had several IBM and Lenovo ThinkPads and have never experienced any Linux compatibility issues with them.
ThinkPads:
They are readily available, both new and used.
They tend to be somewhat more rugged than average.
They are designed to be serviced in the field.
Lenovo’s disassembly manuals are quite good.
Service parts are readily available.
If I’m totally honest, I do have two gripes about ThinkPads:
1 - The speakers tend not to be very loud.
2 - Some models have a WiFi card whitelist (this isn’t unique to Lenovo, BTW), which may prevent upgrading the WiFi card without a BIOS hack.
Pretty much anything new is fairly compatible. Clevo is/was the manufacturer for system76 FYI. You could go through a lot of system integrators to get one.
I can understand not wanting to spend double the cost, but sometimes it is worth it. But then again, I recently got Linux Mint installed on my old ASUS G75, and the only complaint I have is the necessary of using old Nicosia drivers because Nividia decided not to support my graphics card with the latest Linux drivers.
Adubs Asus G75 lack of support for any Nividia driver after version 390 only prevents me from using Lutris; if I want to install Windows games, I can install my games by hand .
Thank you all for the responses, I appreciate all of this. But let1s go for some real world numbers:
(new) Lenovo Thinkpad L380 - i5 8350u + 8 gb (HD panel, yes, 720p you hear it right) R$ 5,569 (goes around US$ 1,450 and is sold out at the moment)
(new) Inspiron 14 3000 - i3 7200u + 4 gb (comes with ubuntu LTS) - R$ 2,189 (US$ 570)
HP 246 G6 - i3 7200u + 4GB - R$ 1,900 (US$ 495)
Acer Aspire 3 (i3 8130u + 4GB) - R$ 1,800 (US$ 468)
The prices includes taxes, they come embedded here in my lands, but that might give you guys a hint on how overpriced tech stuff is around here (minimum wage is about R$ 1,000 - US$ 260 and gas is US$ 1,30 per liter)
Acer is a decent brand and so long as the wifi isnt broadcom, you should have full support there. The 7200u is actually an i5 but it doesnt matter because the 8130u is still faster. I wouldnt buy anything new from lenovo. They are overpriced and no better than anyone else. HP is a meme to me. Will also never give them my money. I’ve only ever seen stuff like their probooks not be total hot garbage.