I am a Linux user since 2012, more or less, and I always use Ubuntu on my computers, and my last 2 laptops have been used Thinkpads, where I installed Ubuntu alongside(dual-boot) the already installed Windows 10.
I am not a fan at all of lock in, thus Mac are not even slightly considered as an option, not even to swap the OS with Linux as I see some doing nowadays.
I am thinking in buying one with 32GB or 64GB RAM, with SSD in the motherboard slot, and maybe 4k screen resolution.
Now, I am curious to know what laptops exist that developers are using with a Linux OS for development purposes.
NOTE: You can also suggest anything that runs with Windows 10, because Ubuntu will run on it without any issues.
I donāt know much about Linux laptops but most non-Mac users I know seem to love Dell laptops. I think this is in part because of their excellent warranty, so if itās a work machine that may be something to consider?
Or something I saw recently on YouTube - someone bought an older 15" MBP forā¦ Linux I know you said no Macs but perhaps that is worth considering? Nice looking machine, affordable and (usually) reliable.
Yes, I can consider them. They even have a track point(the red circle in the middle of the keyboard) like Thinkpads have.
In my experience anything that runs windows, runs Linux. Before 2012 I know that was normal to not be the case, but nowadays with Ubuntu it just works.
No Macs, to much money for the hardware specs it runs on, that as you know are less powerful then what you get outside Apple. The only thing they excel in is in the screen, the rest of the hardware is under-powered(here we goā¦ I have started a flame war).
If I want reliability I just go with Thinkpad, they have military grade specs, that MACs donāt have.
The major risk is when you need warranty repairs, thus a brand without official representation in UK is out of question for me.
Also, saw here that System76 is just not worth in terms of quality/price:
For the money that I have spent on this machine, I would say that the overall quality of the material, keyboard and overall feel of the laptop it not what I would expect for a laptop in this price range.
To start, there is a fair amount of flex when you press the back the laptop when the lid is closed. You may think that this is a bit picky, but when I walk around carrying the laptop with your hands over the back section, I can feel the case flex a little and I canāt help but worry that I may be doing some damage.
And, the same guy, says you can find the same laptops under other brand in a UK reseller, just not with the same customization level:
This probably comes down to this laptop model being relatively cheap. I found the same laptop available at pcspecialist.co.uk for around Ā£305.00. However, the options they offer for custamisation are lower spec than those offered by System76 e.g. there are no i7 processors available for this model.
Iāve had pretty good luck with Dell XPS 13s. My main complaint on this last rev of the 13" is that the Linux model is capped at 16GB. The consumer model goes up to 32GB and I donāt understand why.
My nephew bought one of them and I was really impressed by the specs, build quality and battery life - it was solidly built too didnāt feel at all ācheapā.
Memory limit is usually dictated by the motherboard, do they have different motherboards? Maybe thatās the reason?
Just get a Mac
Just kidding! I donāt think there is an easy answer, other than to say compile a short-list then maybe go see them in person at PC World or something?
Latitude 5480 (16GB RAM) running Ubuntu for the last two years.
I canāt say itās the best as itās what Iāve been using since I started and have no means of objectively comparing experiences. However, no major issues with the exception that I had to disable the trackpad when the lid is closed. Other than that itās done well and I hope it continues to do so.
I know you said no Macs but perhaps that is worth considering? Nice looking machine, affordable and (usually) reliable.
