https://www.distroshare.com/distros/get/12/
If you are not a gamer this is a perfect machine for Linux users.
I really like this distro-per-hardware approach because people don't have to duplicate efforts in hunting for and following complex and lengthy tutorials and applying fixes.
They are also really nice laptops. Similar feel to the Macbook Air. (I do not work for Asus)
I had lots of issues with the graphics when I first bought it (April 2014), though, and had to run with a kernel patch to the 'quirks' code in the display-panel detection. Fortunately a dedicated developer put all this together with a kernel build script ([1]) so it wasn't too bad (... for an experienced Linux guy) to get Arch running.
In general though I think several-year-old ThinkPads are more painless because stuff like that has made it back to mainline already.
Do they work flawlessly out of the box without fiddling with configuration files?
The Arch wiki has excellent resources on a lot of laptop models. For example, here is the page on that model: https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/ASUS_Zenbook_Prime_UX31...
(Don't think of it as required reading, but it can help you set up windows-specific keyboard functionality to work on linux, for example)
I would highly recommend it. You can find it easily for around $800 on ebay.
I'm hoping more people/companies release Linux distros (as oppose to how-to-fix-broken-stuff guides) that's tailored for different laptop models (with all the keyboard shortcuts and other hardware quirks properly configured).
Re keyboard shortcuts and such, those are usually extras handled by bloatware on Windows as well. I'm not sure I'd prefer companies releasing their own distros for this kind of stuff... we all saw what happened with android customizations.
So while it's great that you got lucky in this regard, I wouldn't recommend people this particular model because of the high defect rate alone (even if they choose to use Windows).
> I'm not sure I'd prefer companies releasing their own distros for this kind of stuff
It's not just keyboard shortcuts though. For example, take a look at all the modifications made for C720 from plain Ubuntu:
https://www.distroshare.com/distros/get/12/
I just don't think it's a good idea that lots of smart people get frustrated and waste time going through hardware-specific documentation and applying fixes like these.
Writing good documentation (like the Arch one you mentioned) is a better-than-nothing solution, but in my opinion releasing distros with all the right configurations for that specific hardware is the right solution.
The second point, is that all hardware (except the webcam) is known to work fine. Asus has a ton of models, and researching which work and which don't take time. Apple has a single model per year, making it trivial to see if it works (or not).
I remembered reading about zram being enabled in ChromeOS, not sure why I didn't think to investigate it. Thanks for the recommendation, I'll definitely check it out!
I find if you don't update Arch obsessively and wait a week or two, then it is very stable.
I previously used a Macbook + Arch and had nothing but problems. But using a Thinkpad + Arch and being careful with updates and I've had zero of the issues I experienced non-stop last year.
The most important thing is hardware choice. Using good and common hardware means you eliminate about 90% of problems with Linux. Using stable software solves the other 9-10% of issues.
A counter to the wait a week or two idea: I remember the update that changed the md device numbers from 0->128 etc.. I hit that accidentally before it was on the site, then the next week didn't look at the site and it got changed back. Piddly stuff like this that you only find when you reboot starts to grate on me is all.
I'm not anti arch by any means, more just not wanting to constantly update with a rolling distro. I found a blog post about nix on the c720 and so I guess I will go buy one some upcoming week. My needs are pretty minimal though, browser+emacs+commandlineish stuff. The rest I can do on my macbook pro which is feeling to me to be more a desktop of late.
I have the c720 with arch installed. There are some problems, mainly the GPU lock https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=83677#c102 The bug is fixed in the 3.19rc kernel.
My main problem was the very bad build quality of the laptop it self. I'm used to mechanical keyboards, I never got used to the c720 one.. The screen is also really bad. Given the price tag it's hard to complain though.
I finally put chromeOS back and gave the laptop to my SO. I got a used x220 in perfect condition for a bit more of the c720 asking price. I replaced the screen with a new IPS bought from ebay. Best linux laptop I ever had.
I wouldn't say the keyboard/screen of C720 are my favorite but they are decent enough for me, especially for the price.