Re: [Dorset] New laptop
Hi, On Tue, Sep 20 at 05:26, Peter Merchant wrote: > I wonder if you could ask the group for any suggestions around ,£500. 256 > /512 SSD 8GB memory i3/5 or AMDr3/5, Al chassis, 14"+/- , fingerprint and > backlight UK keyboard. I used PC Specialist [1] for my last laptop a few years back, their front page prices include windows so go into configure and select No OS and watch the price drop. Their Pre-Sales support were most helpful confirming the Ubuntu/Mint would work with every thing and even pointed meot the OEM manual for the underlying hardware. The hardware warantee doesn't evaporate if you open the box either. Never had to call Post- Sales support. Intergrated fingerprint will be the sticking point with linux and many laptops. I've used a Yubico key for 2FA and login with Ubuntu before so what about using the later YubiKey Bio Series with built in scanner. [1] https://www.pcspecialist.co.uk/laptop-series/14/ -- Bob Dunlop -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2022-09-06 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk
Re: [Dorset] New laptop
I would tend to agree with John, look at getting a a new or second hand Thinkpad, I have an old single core R51 (proper IBM 2006 vintage) which I upgraded with a new battery and some more memory, for less than £80, it runs AntiX without issue. The other Thinkpad is a T530 (IBM designed badged Lenovo), this is my main machine, added 8GB to make 16GB memory, swapped out the hard disk for 500GB SSD, picked up a full docking station from ebay, quite happily runs two 24" screen plus the laptop screen and runs Linux Mint XFCE Hope it helps Tim H On 20/09/2022 18:42, John Carlyle-Clarke wrote: On Tue, 20 Sept 2022 at 18:14, Hugh Frater wrote: On Tue, 20 Sep 2022 at 18:26, Peter Merchant wrote: A friend of mine is wanting a new laptop and asked if I would post his request here - Yes he uses Linux. Does anybody know of a good source for him? I've always seen refurbished Thinkpads come up whenever this is discussed. I had a new X1 Carbon at my previous job and it was a lovely machine: everything worked well on it with Linux. When I wanted a Linux laptop recently I looked at them and there's a big range of specs, conditions and prices. In the end I splurged on a new XPS 13 though. FWIW I’ve never had much luck getting fingerprint readers to work on my laptops when dual booting - the current Machine (asus g14) is no exception. Everything else works fine though. I do remember the fingerprint sensor as being the only thing that wouldn't work on the Thinkpad initially. I think it would read with Linux but you needed Windows to train it. At some point that changed and I got it working properly. I've looked at Linux built laptops including Dell and all seem to be overpriced compared to popular Windows orientated companies. I think it's a case of "you get what you pay for" to some extent but the machines that are sold as supporting Linux like Dells and Thinkpads do tend to be aimed at software devs and therefore in a price bracket alongside Macs. It would be nice if more of the mid-range machines were also sold as Linux compatible (since many of them are to a large extent). The XPS was £1100 but it's a top spec little machine. Definitely the most I ever spent on a laptop (or any other computer come to that) but I can't fault it. The only thing I haven't tried to set up yet is the fingerprint sensor! But that's pure laziness (I found I rarely used it) -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2022-09-06 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk
Re: [Dorset] New laptop
On Tue, 20 Sept 2022 at 18:14, Hugh Frater wrote: > > On Tue, 20 Sep 2022 at 18:26, Peter Merchant > wrote: > > > A friend of mine is wanting a new laptop and asked if I would post his > > request here - Yes he uses Linux. > > > > Does anybody know of a good source for him? I've always seen refurbished Thinkpads come up whenever this is discussed. I had a new X1 Carbon at my previous job and it was a lovely machine: everything worked well on it with Linux. When I wanted a Linux laptop recently I looked at them and there's a big range of specs, conditions and prices. In the end I splurged on a new XPS 13 though. > FWIW I’ve never had much luck getting fingerprint readers to work on my > laptops when dual booting - the current Machine (asus g14) is no > exception. Everything else works fine though. I do remember the fingerprint sensor as being the only thing that wouldn't work on the Thinkpad initially. I think it would read with Linux but you needed Windows to train it. At some point that changed and I got it working properly. > > I've looked at Linux built laptops including Dell and all seem to be > > overpriced compared to popular Windows orientated companies. I think it's a case of "you get what you pay for" to some extent but the machines that are sold as supporting Linux like Dells and Thinkpads do tend to be aimed at software devs and therefore in a price bracket alongside Macs. It would be nice if more of the mid-range machines were also sold as Linux compatible (since many of them are to a large extent). The XPS was £1100 but it's a top spec little machine. Definitely the most I ever spent on a laptop (or any other computer come to that) but I can't fault it. The only thing I haven't tried to set up yet is the fingerprint sensor! But that's pure laziness (I found I rarely used it) -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2022-09-06 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk
Re: [Dorset] New laptop
FWIW I’ve never had much luck getting fingerprint readers to work on my laptops when dual booting - the current Machine (asus g14) is no exception. Everything else works fine though. I had an aluminium chassis’d huawei that worked well with mint. I believe their 14” matebook series actually have some usable ports too. My matebook x pro had just two usb-c, one of which was thunderbolt and was annoyingly unreliable. On Tue, 20 Sep 2022 at 18:26, Peter Merchant wrote: > A friend of mine is wanting a new laptop and asked if I would post his > request here - Yes he uses Linux. > > Does anybody know of a good source for him? > > I've looked at Linux built laptops including Dell and all seem to be > overpriced compared to popular Windows orientated companies. > I had a beautiful Huawei Al chassis, fingerprint and a good spec at a > marvelous price from Amazon under £500. I dual booted Ubuntu 22.04 but > could not get Sound, microphone or fingerprint to work! All I got from > Ubuntu was criticism of my post and no solutions offered. I tried at least > a dozen links from Google and made no progress, I returned the laptop on > the last day of returns and got refunded 2 months later. > I've looked at reconditioned from Amazon sellers but reductant to trust > their service/guarantee. > > I wonder if you could ask the group for any suggestions around ,£500. 256 > /512 SSD 8GB memory i3/5 or AMDr3/5, Al chassis, 14"+/- , fingerprint and > backlight UK keyboard. > > Over to you guys. > Peter > > -- > Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2022-09-06 20:00 > Check to whom you are replying > Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk > New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk > -- Sent from my iPhone -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2022-09-06 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk
[Dorset] New laptop
A friend of mine is wanting a new laptop and asked if I would post his request here - Yes he uses Linux. Does anybody know of a good source for him? I've looked at Linux built laptops including Dell and all seem to be overpriced compared to popular Windows orientated companies. I had a beautiful Huawei Al chassis, fingerprint and a good spec at a marvelous price from Amazon under £500. I dual booted Ubuntu 22.04 but could not get Sound, microphone or fingerprint to work! All I got from Ubuntu was criticism of my post and no solutions offered. I tried at least a dozen links from Google and made no progress, I returned the laptop on the last day of returns and got refunded 2 months later. I've looked at reconditioned from Amazon sellers but reductant to trust their service/guarantee. I wonder if you could ask the group for any suggestions around ,£500. 256 /512 SSD 8GB memory i3/5 or AMDr3/5, Al chassis, 14"+/- , fingerprint and backlight UK keyboard. Over to you guys. Peter -- Next meeting: Online, Jitsi, Tuesday, 2022-09-06 20:00 Check to whom you are replying Meetings, mailing list, IRC, ... http://dorset.lug.org.uk New thread, don't hijack: mailto:dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk
