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I'm curious about this as well, I'm looking at getting a ThinkPad for battery life. I've heard they support Linux well, but is there any component(s) that I sho

by troni 13y ago

I'm curious about this as well, I'm looking at getting a ThinkPad for battery life. I've heard they support Linux well, but is there any component(s) that I should avoid getting for Linux? I run Debian. Mac is not an option for me, I want Linux-on-hardware.

owlheart 13y ago
Well make sure your hardware is supported on the kernel you are going to use, this is where debian tends to lag behind with its stability. Try looking for people running your expected hardware with debian online and you'll probably get a better idea. Unless you don't mind using updated kernels, most thinkpads should work reasonably well. This should help too: http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/make/Lenovo/?category=Laptop http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/make/Lenovo/?cat... (Precise is close to wheezy kernel).
phaus 13y ago
Don't get anything with an SLI graphics set-up. Don't get an Nvidia Optimus card. Don't get an AMD processor or GPU.
- grumps 13y ago
  Mine has the nvidia...Its not to hard to work around.
  - phaus 13y ago
    If you don't mind me asking, which system do you have and do you find that the GPU drivers break frequently with updates? I'm in the middle of trying to decide between Lenovo and Apple too.
    - owlheart 13y ago
      It isn't hard to use an optimus card with Debian or most other distros nowadays you just need to install bumblebee (wheezy-backports for debian) with that you get improved battery life. I personally don't get GPU drivers breaking the computer but I don't use nvidias drivers I use nouveau but I also use Debian so a distro like Arch (which is more prone to packages breaking systems) might be much worse.
    - grumps 13y ago
      Sorry - I didn't see this comment. I'm running Debian Sid. I believe that have the Nvidia card disabled (in the BIOS). I haven't had a single issue with my Drivers. I have a w520.

by troni 13y ago

owlheart 13y ago

Well make sure your hardware is supported on the kernel you are going to use, this is where debian tends to lag behind with its stability. Try looking for people running your expected hardware with debian online and you'll probably get a better idea. Unless you don't mind using updated kernels, most thinkpads should work reasonably well. This should help too: http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/make/Lenovo/?category=Laptop http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/make/Lenovo/?cat... (Precise is close to wheezy kernel).

phaus 13y ago

Don't get anything with an SLI graphics set-up. Don't get an Nvidia Optimus card. Don't get an AMD processor or GPU.

grumps 13y ago
Mine has the nvidia...Its not to hard to work around.
- phaus 13y ago
  If you don't mind me asking, which system do you have and do you find that the GPU drivers break frequently with updates? I'm in the middle of trying to decide between Lenovo and Apple too.
  - owlheart 13y ago
    It isn't hard to use an optimus card with Debian or most other distros nowadays you just need to install bumblebee (wheezy-backports for debian) with that you get improved battery life. I personally don't get GPU drivers breaking the computer but I don't use nvidias drivers I use nouveau but I also use Debian so a distro like Arch (which is more prone to packages breaking systems) might be much worse.
  - grumps 13y ago
    Sorry - I didn't see this comment. I'm running Debian Sid. I believe that have the Nvidia card disabled (in the BIOS). I haven't had a single issue with my Drivers. I have a w520.