Linux-friendly laptops?

[SteveRiley]

I didn't know that. I've used Kubuntu on my wife's old HP dv7-1232nr entertainment notebook and had very little issue with it except that it didn't play flash games all that well.

Recycling electrons...

Here's the operation I had to perform on my wife's laptop:

And my own results:
* https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post269984
* https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post270045

Which ultimately failed again, one month later:
* https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post274435

[charles052]

Recycling electrons...

Here's the operation I had to perform on my wife's laptop:

And my own results:
* https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post269984
* https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post270045

Which ultimately failed again, one month later:
* https://www.kubuntuforums.net/showth...l=1#post274435

Hmm.. makes me wonder if I should go ahead and check out my own DV6 laptop and do whatever steps necessary to make sure it doesn't happen to me. I've taken a couple laptops apart before and it sure isn't fun.

[woodsmoke]

that is also kinda the root canal surgery one has to do on a Sony Vaio.

A toshiba opens from the bottom with a few screws and you have the whole shebang.

woodsmoke

[Qqmike]

I've been a desktop-guy, building my own, two PCs in the house, and have NO experience with laptops/note-netbooks or wireless. One PC just played out (the Intel M-B blew, I think.) So, I'm re-confuguring the house to include my main desktop, a laptop for the spousal unit, and then maybe some tablet/whatever. (I currently have DSL and will be upgrading this to include wireless via a router etc.)


For the laptop in the house, the needs are simple: email, Skype is very important, surfing/reading, sports scores, and very light word processing. It will be used in both modes--wired by Ethernet and wireless off the DSL.

For this laptop computer then ... Does anyone have experience or a suggestion for a good, basic, but lower-cost laptop. One that does the above list, esp. Skype, and one that is 'Linux-friendly' for Kubuntu?

Another way to say it: --> What is the least you should pay for this basic laptop and still get one that does the trick without gotch-ya's? (Btw, I checked Acer Chromebooks at Best Buy and was told they will NOT do Skype (Acer $349 C720 w/Touch screen and an Acer below it w/o Touch). But, also, I don't think you could push a Kubuntu onto one, right? Anyway, let's stick to some mainstream Acer laptop/notebook/whatever.).

Linux friendly laptop, so I have the impression after reading other threads & posts here at Kubuntu, would include mainly these: Acers, Lenovo, HPs (with possible issues), and Dells. --> Acers seem to be the safest & most affordable for Linux?

I'm sure they come with Windows, so I'm assuming I could repartition w/gparted, and install Kubuntu/Linux on a 2nd partition, install GRUB2 in the MBR, and that way keep the Windows (but never boot into it).


I'd appreciate any cut-to-the-quick advice you guys have.

[Snowhog]

What size laptop (screen size)? For myself, I insist on 17" or larger (both my laptops are 17").

I can only speak for what I have, and both are 'older' and aren't UEFI equipped.

I like HP, which is my 'main' laptop (and the new(er) one). My Toshiba is the oldest. Both have Intel integrated graphics chips. The Toshiba has an Intel NIC, and the HP a Broadcom STA NIC. Both laptops run Kubuntu (currently at version 13.10) just fine. I have Skype installed on the HP, and it works flawlessly, as does the internal Webcam (with and without Skype). Both access my wireless access point just fine (Linksys Wireless-G 2.4 GHz, using Tomato firmware).

You 'might' want to give consideration to purchasing a quality 'older' used laptop that isn't UEFI. You can get more bang for your bucks that way.

[Feathers McGraw]

If you think you could do without Windows, and want a really cheap Linux-only laptop, it's worth considering getting a Chromebook and then installing Linux on it. Most of them have small SSDs, but some have 500GB HDDs that make them a more suitable as "real" laptops (like this one).

No windows tax. Designed to be used with Linux (i.e. good drivers, even if they are proprietary), most of them have some form of Coreboot support if you're into that.

I almost bought one myself - it would be ideal for using on site: very portable and if it breaks then you've not lost all that much money - the Chromebooks are cheaper than most smartphones!

[Qqmike]

Thanks, Feathers. I can do without Windows in a NY second. The Best Buy sales rep showed me the Acer C7 Chromebook, about $350 w/Touch screen, but he didn't think Skype was available as an app, though the machine does have web cam. The Skype(TM) deal is important. I don't know anything yet about all this, but reading about it, it does not seem like a good idea to wipe the Chrome OS off and try to install another Linux. Best, maybe, to use the Chrome OS.

[Feathers McGraw]

Remember, I'm not saying buy a Chromebook and actually use ChromeOS on it. The idea of being tied to Google quite so much doesn't float my boat...

I'm saying consider buying a chromebook and installing Kubuntu on it - some of the Chromebooks are just cheap "designed for windows laptops" without windows on them, so you don't pay the Microsoft tax or ~£50 (more in dollars, I guess!). Skype is available on Kubuntu, and you can install Kubuntu on a chromebook... so it's worth having a look at them, at least.

RE "not a good idea" wiping Chrome OS and installing Kubuntu... you could say the same about Windows, but then none of us would be here (aside from a few desktop builders)! I looked into it in quite a lot of detail, people seemed to be doing it without too many problems.

The small SSD on most of the chromebooks is a dealbreaker, though...make sure you look at ones with HDDs. 16GB isn't enough unless all your stuff is on an external drive, or "in the cloud", both of which have some problems.

I'm not Google's no.1 fan, but I'd rather have a laptop with Google branding than the usual Microsoft stuff.

Snowhog asked a good question: what size screen is important for you? Most of the chromebooks have small screens, which is probably one of the reasons they have good battery life. My current laptop is a 17", and the one I ordered recently is a 14". 14" = ~A4, which I think will be plenty for me at a good resolution.

Feathers

[Qqmike]

Ah, sorry and thanks, Snowhog, I didn't see your post when I first posted a response above.

Feathers, OK thanks for that. yes, with Kubuntu installed, I could get Skype. The Acer Chrome books advertise all about getting automatic updates (to what?!), and that's why I assume it was all tied up into using the existing Chrome OS.

A smaller screen would be OK, maybe 14".

The Acer C7 you linked to above had 320 GB HDD.

"RE "not a good idea" wiping Chrome OS and installing Kubuntu... you could say the same about Windows, but then none of us would be here (aside from a few desktop builders)! I looked into it in quite a lot of detail, people seemed to be doing it without too many problems." -- Good, that is encouraging.

To be clear, for me, NO Windows. If it were pre-existing, I might just keep it by dual-booting, using GRUB 2, but never use it.

The one thing I did notice on the linked Acer is the 1.1 GHz Celeron processor! Boy, seems like that would be a show-stopper for smoothly running things like Skype.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Acer-11-6-in...rds=chromebook

Like I say, from lack of knowledge on all this new stuff, I just don't know.

[Snowhog]

Lenovo B590 Windows 7 Pentium 15.6-Inch Laptop (Black) 59410452

$399.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Want it tomorrow, Jan. 31? Order within 2 hrs 25 mins and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

• Intel Pentium Dual-Core 2020M 2.4 GHz Processor (2 MB Cache)
• 4 GB DDR3 RAM
• 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
• 15.6-Inch Screen, Integrated
• Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit, 5-hour battery life

and

Acer Aspire E1-731-4656 17.3-Inch Laptop (Steel Gray)

$379.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.

Want it tomorrow, Jan. 31? Order within 1 hr 4 mins and choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details

• Intel Pentium Dual Core 2020M 2.4 GHz Processor (2 MB Cache)
• 4 GB DDR3 RAM
• 500 GB 5400 rpm Hard Drive
• 17.3-Inch Screen, Intel HD Graphics
• Windows 8, 3-hour battery life

[oshunluvr]

Not a laptop guy (I service them, own a couple, but I have no need for one), but a couple of comments.

I think the specs on the low-end Chromebooks are very light - this includes the low res and small screens and the size of the ssd. Suitable for web browsing, email, solitaire - but not much else. Personally, I don't see the point in "upgrading" from ChromeOS (linux/android) to a KDE distro that likely won't be able to do most if the cool things KDE does - like wobbly windows, etc. I haven't researched the change-over heavily, but I recall that's it's not a totally straight forward install.

I had a low-end Acer for awhile that worked perfectly and was an easy install. I wouldn't hesitate to suggest Acer.

My Dell Vostro ultra light weight runs fine including the built in cam, but will only charge when shutdown. Must be a ACPI thing but I haven't bothered to fix it.

Re. The small ssd comment: None of my installs is over 15GB and most are under 6. If you're not going to be doing much other than what you've listed a 32GB ssd will be more than enough space. Especially once you remove all the software you don't use.

[Feathers McGraw]

Those links Snowhog posted look like very good deals.

I'm jealous of how cheaply you guys get electronics!

Yeah, the specs on the Chromebooks are light, but so is the price... I think they'll be your best bet in a very low price range, and something like Snowhog posted will be best if you're prepared to pay a bit more.

RE hard drive space, that's a good point. Most of my HDD space on this laptop is taken up with media files and data, but then that's probably more typical for a laptop user. I also have several GB of backups, and a "spare" Kubuntu installation just in case I brick one by tinkering. It's nice not to need a live CD/USB. If I break it at home that's fine, but if something happens when I'm away I need a contingency!

[Snowhog]

I'm jealous of how cheaply you guys get electronics!

No VAT here.

[Qqmike]

Yes, Snowhog's examples do have attractive prices, and I like the faster CPUs.
I'm reading and appreciate all these good posts--Feathers, oshunluvr (I tend to agree with your assessment, but Feathers seems to have a better experience with them), and Snowhog. I'll keep processing any further posts! Thanks.

[Feathers McGraw]

No VAT here.

*grumble*

They are luxury items though, I guess... so fair enough.

Plain digestive biscuits? No VAT. Put chocolate on those digestives? Now they're a luxury...+VAT!