Hacker News Reader

Comment by agwa | Hacker News Reader

I (and many other Linux users I know) would strongly recommend Thinkpads. In addition to generally working well with Linux they're pretty well-built machines. Everything about my T420 just works out of the box with Debian Wheezy (disclaimer: I don't have a fingerprint reader or camera so I don't know how well they would work; but WIFI, Bluetooth, SD card reader, and smartcard reader all work).

Also. http://www.thinkwiki.org/ is a very good resource for running Linux on Thinkpads (though everything worked so perfectly with my T420 and Wheezy I actually never needed it!).

View on HN

Heres a list of all Thinkpads certified by Ubuntu to run it.

http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/make/Lenovo/

I have a T430S running Ubuntu 12.04, and it's easily the most enjoyable laptop to use that I've ever owned.

I replaced the HDD with an SSD, added RAM, and replaced the DVD drive with an extra bay battery. If you gave me a pile of cash to spend on hardware, the only thing I'd do is trade out for a bigger SSD.

I have 2 T410S. Great linux support, terrible screen but can be had for about 300$ on ebay.

Another vote for ThinkPad. I have a W530 running Ubuntu 13.10, and everything works.

Please, could you test your camera? Almost all USB webcams use the "uvcvideo" module (and built-in webcams use USB in most cases), so it would be noteworthy if your camera _didn't_ work.

T420 and X220 built-in cameras work on Ubuntu 12.04 for me.

Using the fingerprint reader requires adding a ppa and installing a package:

http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/How_to_enable_integrated_finge...

On my system the webcam works without any fuss.

I use a Thinkpad T430 with Debian unstable. All hardware works as intended. I purchased mine with the Intel wireless, and that requires a non-free firmware blob. Optimus works, but if there are issues it can be disabled in the BIOS.

We just did an informal survey and most people (of a handful) with an x230 reported some kind of audio problem related to the internal mic or USB soundcards.

Apart from that the webcam works and audio output as well and we're all pretty happy. (Ubuntu, Debian wheezy, Arch, OpenBSD)

I've had a succession of Thinkpad laptops, don't think I would pick any other for Linux. I have had various other laptops but none was comparable for Linux.

I installed Slackware 64bit on a ThinkPad T61 and it works out of the box, completely (though I haven't messed with the fingerprint reader). It also performs extremely well, much better than the Dell Inspiron it replaced, even though the hardware (processor, etc) isn't necessarily much faster on paper. It also doesn't get so hot. These things are just so good in so many ways. :)

The only caveat is using acpi_call to lengthen the lifecycle of your battery. https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Lenovo_ThinkPad_T420

I'm on my third or fourth generation of Thinkpad myself (T520i). Wireless has been a problem, but other than that, it's an excellent device. And Lenovo can have its TrackPoint when it pries it from my cold, dead fingers.

The distribution doesn't really matter here. I mean, the drivers (modules) are the same: If they work on Debian they will work under Gentoo, Arch, You-Name-It.. Since the kernel is ... the same :-)

Plus, if I recall correctly, Thinkpads are the only brand certified for use in space by NASA.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com