[Wylug-discuss] Recommendations please: Ubuntu-compatible Cheapo laptop, no/few config hoops to jump

[Andrew 'Leny' Lindley]

The only companies I know of who do guaranteed to work with GNU/Linux
laptops charge a premium.  You won't get cheapo from them :(

However, if you mean cheapo, cheapo, the Lenovo Thinkpad T400 (which
is what Minifree.org upgrade to FSF RYF spec for loadsa £££) in its
refurbished for W$ state is ~90 quid from other *dealers* on ebay
(2.4GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB RAM, 160GB HDD).  Mine worked with Kubuntu
14.04.3 straight out of the box. 

Thing is Thinkpad's are pretty much built to the old IBM design
standards.  So no corners cut on the circuit design.  Which means it's
going to work with Linux more reliably than current cheap stuff
because cheapo circuit design defects are often fixed in the Windows
device driver. It'll also be more performant than cheap stuff of its
era which had the same spec on the box.

Go on, help save the environment - buy second user.

Leny

From: Darren Menachem Drapkin <darren.drapkin at ntlworld.com>
Subject: Re: [Wylug-discuss] Recommendations please: Ubuntu-compatible Cheapo laptop, no/few config hoops to jump
Date: Fri, 25 Dec 2015 15:07:12 +0000

> I have an upgraded ThinkPad from a company that specializes in
> ore-installed GNU/Linux hardware. There are several of these
> companies. Some companies will install open source firmware. Sorry I
> can not remember any company names.
> 
> On 12/23/2015 10:01 PM, John Robert Hudson wrote:
>> Hi Dave
>>
>> I picked up a £200 Toshiba laptop a year ago and there appear to be
>> similar
>> offers on other Toshiba laptops at present. I couldn't get UEFI to
>> work (it
>> wouldn't allow efibootmgr to write the necessary stuff) but it has a
>> 'compatibility mode' which means I can install and run stuff in legacy
>> mode.
>>
>> I've had no problem using the various features on it with Linux. I
>> suggest you
>> wander round somewhere like Staples or PCWorld and look at what they
>> have on
>> offer to see if they have what you need in the way of keys.
>>
>> Also it wasn't hard to find a Toshiba manual for it online. So if you
>> like the
>> look of a particular model, you can probably download its manual to
>> check the
>> specs.
>>
>> John
>> --
>> On Wednesday 23 Dec 2015 20:58:39 Dave Fisher wrote:
>>> We've been using Asus C720 chromebooks for teaching over the last
>>> couple of years.
>>>
>>> Only 2 significant flaws:
>>> 1. Over 50% attrition rate on SSDs ... yeah, that bad
>>> 2. Lack of Home/End PgUp/PgDn keys ... and lack of documentation about
>>> how to permanently re-map keys in modern Linux GUIs
>>>
>>> Problem 1 means that I now urgently need to replace at least 2 cbooks
>>> (immediately) and probably more in the next couple of months.
>>>
>>> I'd rather buy a stack of identical machines, so we can have one
>>> config and cannibalise if necessary.
>>>
>>> Unfortunately, I'm clueless about the current status of 'secure boot'
>>> BIOS stuff.
>>>
>>> Can you still install Linux on all / nearly all by using a 'legacy
>>> bios'
>>> option?
>>>
>>> Anyone know of recent machines (under £250, maybe  £300 at a pinch)
>>> that are known to 'just work'?
>>>
>>> Oh ... I should have mentioned, these replacement laptops need to be
>>> light-weight. Non-negiiable, cos our trainers often carry 4 or more to
>>> training sessions.
>>>
>>> So I'm looking for stuff at around the 1kg weight of our C720s, with
>>> SSDs but also  Home/End PgUp/PgDn keys.
>>>
>>> Thanks in advance
>>>
>>> Dave
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> Wylug-discuss mailing list
>>> Wylug-discuss at wylug.org.uk
>>> https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/wylug-discuss
>>
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> 
> -- 
> --
> Darren Menachem Drapkin
> 
> 
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