I’ve noticed in the Linux community whenever someone asks for a recommendation on a laptop that runs Linux the answer is always “Get a Thinkpad” yet Lenovo doesn’t seem to be a big Linux contributor or ally. There’s also at least six Linux/FOSS-oriented computer manufacturers now:

So what gives? Why the love for a primarily Windows-oriented laptop when there are better alternatives?

  • @outbound
    24•9 months ago

    Refurbished ThinkPads are awesome!

    • Availability - ThinkPads are very popular in corporate environments and are generally replaced every 2-3 years. Although mostly Intel CPUs, there is a wide variety CPU+GPU available from lightweight to high performance.
    • Tough + well built + last forever
    • Easy to upgrade/repair. They’re very user-accessible and its simple to upgrade RAM or SSD/M.2 drives. Plus, because they are so popular in the corporate environment, replacement parts (from batteries to WiFi+Bluetooth chipsets to trckpads) are very available and cheap.
    • Well supported in most (if not all) linux distros. Graphics just work, trackpads just work, WiFi just works.
    • Cheap.

    Sent from my ThinkPad T580 (with both an internal and removable battery, I get 10+ hours of battery life)

    • Franzia
      3•9 months ago

      I’ve heard of potential security issues when buying them. How can I mitigate that - buying from a safe source, wiping them etc.?

      Thanks it sounds like simply wiping the system is enough to get around security flaws.

      • @outbound
        8•9 months ago

        Always wipe and do a fresh install. If you’re installing Linux, its unlikely that the refurbisher will have installed your flavour of Linux anyway. If you want to dual-boot with Windows, most business ThinkPads come with a Windows Pro licence - just download the ISO and install it fresh, then install Linux.

      • @[email protected]
        5•9 months ago

        We’re talking about Linux here. You’ll probably wipe it anyways. Chances are slim the company that used it before put Arch on it.