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Ask HN: What is the best laptop for Linux?

22 points by rayalez ↗ HN
Hi! I am looking for the best laptop that I can buy to run ubuntu on.

Macbook seems perfect, except for the fact that some people say I might have issues installing ubuntu on it(single boot).

The best alternative I could find is t440s, but there are some complaints about screen and trackpad.

Should I get macbook air, t440s, or there are some other, better alternatives?

44 comments

[ 3.0 ms ] story [ 87.3 ms ] thread
tzury
This may not be the answer you are looking for, but after more than a decade of all models of thinkpads and few dells I've realized the best Linux laptop is a MacBook Pro with virtual box that is running my Linux server.

This way I get the best UI shell and have all my Dev work done on Linux.

S4M
I really, really don't see how you can say that the Macs have the best UI when you can't change the desktop manager.
habitue
Try a tiling window manager and you won't go back to that fluffy Mac drop shadow frivolity ever again. It looks very pretty, but for getting work done, managing windows is a needless chore, and animations on everything just slows you down.
schrodingersCat
In general, macs have great linux hardware support. Also, they have an unrivaled track pad. Seriously, I will keep buying macbooks until I find another multi-touch track pad that is better. Btw, does anybody know of one? To tzury's point, the "homebrew" package manager basically makes it so a mac can act as a decent dev machine. Virtualbox will help fill in those gaps. FWIW, check out the Dell XPS 13 developer edition: http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/xps-13-linux/pd.aspx. It comes from the factory with Ubuntu loaded and supposedly good developer friendly features
habitue
This is kind of false. Thunderbolt is not properly supported in the kernel. The keyboard is funky etc. You can run Linux on an MBA, but you're honestly better off going with a hardware that isn't actively hostile to open standards.

Re trackpads: The trackpad on the thinkpad X1 series is great

schrodingersCat
That's a good point. Given that I seriously never use my TB port, I totally forgot that driver support is not great. Rumor has it that the existing patches (https://github.com/anoever/thunderbolt) will make it into the 3.17 mainline.

And I'll have to check out the X1. Thanks for the tip!

ReLrO
I agree. Macbook is the best option in my opinion. It also enables you to enjoy from all worlds - Mac OS, Linux and Windows...
dllthomas
I've been happy with the offerings from System76. Haven't done a tremendously rigorous comparison.
ollyfg
I use a Dell XPS 13 and it works like a charm :)
gtani
you could start with various hardware compatibility lists, but the only recent recurring issues i remember is with some wireless chipsets, ATI graphics chipsets and off-brand printers.

And my HP Pavilion that i couldn't get wifi to work on, seems ot have made it onto this list anyway: http://www.ubuntu.com/certification/desktop/make/HP/?categor...

superuser2
The issues you encounter installing Ubuntu on an MBA should be resolvable with Google and not a whole lot of effort.

However, hardware compatibility and installation issues are more or less what you're choosing when you choose Linux as a desktop OS. If that sounds like a fun project (and it really does to a lot of people) then you'll be fine with an MBA. If you want something that "just works" then, sadly, you want a proprietary OS.

If you get enough RAM on your MBA, running Ubuntu in a full-screen Virtualbox window all the time will get you a Linux machine without the driver/wifi/power issues.

System76 is also worth looking into, since they claim to provide a "just works" UX for Ubuntu directly on top of hardware.

collyw
I see a lot of people suggesting Macbooks.

I have a Macbook air I got from work. The lack of buttons on the mouse is a serious pain in the arse if you ask me. Then you have to buy an adaptor to plug it in to a monitor. No ethernet either (who uses ethernet these days? The hotel I was staying in in Germany supplied me with internet via ethernet).

Installing Linux was less than straightforward (the reason I am using Ubuntu and not another distribution, though I did have the same problem with an Asus laptop, and secure boot).

I preferred my more traditional Lenovo laptop that I had before this, but a lot of these are personal niggles, and depends how you want to use the machine.

collyw
No delete key either, only backspace.

None of these thing is a show stopper, but they kind of add up to a sub par experience.

meowface
Macbook Air owner here as well.

When you're talking about the mouse, do you mean the separate Magic Mouse? If so I agree; any standard PC mouse is way easier and better to use. If you mean the touchpad, then I honestly have no issues with it. It responds to clicks just fine.

The lack of an Ethernet port was definitely a downside for me, but it hasn't hurt me yet since everywhere I've gone with Internet has always had wireless.

Honestly, my biggest gripe is the Command key. The position is where the Ctrl key normally is...some applications, both terminal and GUI, have Mac keyboard shortcuts with Command serving in place of Ctrl, and then some others still use Ctrl. I constantly find myself forgetting which to use when I'm in an application I use less frequently.

collyw
I should have said trackpad.

I can emulate a second button (right click) with two fingers, but it is pretty fiddly, and I often mess up with fat fingers. And I really miss having a third button for pasting from the current buffer.

lukebaker
I like my Lenovo X1 Carbon. It's nice and light but still quite capable for my needs (web development). Everything just worked for me, with the exception of an external display which I spent about 20 seconds trying to get to work. It could easily have been user error given my lack of experience with external displays.
brickmort
I've had the opportunity to play with X1 Carbon not too long ago and found it to be pretty damn impressive. Haven't used it with linux, but if I was to get a high-end laptop, I would definitely get an X1. Nice to see that it's also linux-capable.
agranig
I'm using one since over a year, can't recommend. No proper support for the docking station (which goes via USB3 and doesn't support video output), power plug wears out really fast and causes ubuntu to reboot quite often when plugging it due to some short circuiting, disk is really slow for an ssd and working with vagrant sucks due to it, 802.11n driver doesn't work properly, etc etc.

It looks well, feels well, but it's not suitable for devs. I'm a long time lenovo x200 line user, and the X1 is really bad compared to those models.

Can't recommend.

vamega
I'd highly suggest the Dell XPS 13 developer edition [1]. It's actually sold with Ubuntu pre-installed. High end machine, and it's actually cheaper than the Windows version with the exact same specs.

Another great option is the Acer Aspire S7. According to the Arch Wiki, everything just works [2].

[1] http://www.dell.com/us/business/p/xps-13-linux/pd

[2] https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Acer_Aspire_S7-392

bartonfink
I have one of the Dell XPS 13's, and while the machine itself is great, you should take note that the power adapters are Dell-specific. I noticed this after my original power cord got cut and none of the replacement adapters I purchased worked. Dell's adapters send a signal that is picked up by a chip on the motherboard that will disable charging unless that signal is detected. This check is beneath the level of the OS or even the BIOS. Effectively, that means that you're stuck paying a Dell markup (which can be substantial - 100% was what I saw) for an official charger.
porter
I got one of these 2 months ago. It worked perfectly out of the box, but when I updated everything the trackpad stopped working. I went back and forth with the Dell Ubuntu team until they figured it out. It took a while, but the Ubuntu support team over there is awesome. Overall the machine is great. The touchpad screen is odd since it will never be used. Otherwise it does what I need it to.

On a side note, I bought a macbook pro at the same time I got this Dell XPS13. The Macbook pro is amazing compared to ubuntu.

fian
I have a Dell XPS 15z which came with Windows 7. I installed Kubuntu on it dual-boot. The only time I boot into Windows is to do my tax (Aus Tax Office tool was Windows only for a long time - that might have changed now though).

Not quite everything works on the 15z. The external HDMI out will not work unless you restart (no hot plug for an external monitor). The Nvidia/Intel hybrid graphics system was also poorly supported until recently.

Otherwise everything seems to work fine. I rarely need to reboot (usually only after a kernel upgrade).

It might be a good idea to check out the Ubuntu Hardware Support Wiki before you buy, for example:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport/Machines/Laptops/Del...

flowerpot
I have an asus zenbook and it was super easy to install ubuntu (also single boot) and no driver issues at all.
tarminian
I have a Lenovo Y500 ideapad and my partner has a Lenovo thinkpad edge (e530?). Both are great.
api_or_ipa
I just ordered a System76 galago- it's a 14' machine with a 16 gbs memory, i7 quad core processor and runs Ubuntu out of the box. On the other hand, my 2010 MBP has done me well until now.
moystard
I have wondered the same thing for quite some time now and I decided to simply install Ubuntu on my 2013 Macbook Air. Everything works out of the box (except the iSight webcam), and with a bit more polishing, you get good battery life and trackpad gestures.

Before taking that decision, I had read plenty of reviews of various models, but could not find a decent PC out there that would be both light, and powerful, with a good screen (something the MBA might not be best at to be honest). The best results I found were the Yoga 2 Pro (but Linux compatibility does not look great), and the Asus NX500 that has not yet been released, and that appeared to be disappointing based on pre-production version reviews.

gumballhead
I have a Yoga 2 Pro and can at least confirm that Linux compatability isn't wonderful, though it is usable. The main problem is that HiDPI is a serious issue for lots of software that I use everyday, like Chrome and Android Studio. I almost wish I would've bought a MacBook Pro.
notduncansmith
Buying a Macbook only to put Ubuntu on it seems like a bit of a waste. You get Unix out of the box, and the battery performance is stellar. The gesture support is awesome, but I don't know if the drivers available for Ubuntu will help you maximize that. There's also quite a lot of very good software available for OS X that's not available for Ubuntu (Alfred, Tower, F.lux, and Dash come to mind).

This isn't to say that Macs are the superior choice, but from what I can tell you'd be throwing away a lot of the above by switching to Ubuntu, and those are a big part of the value proposition of the Macbook. If you're going to shell out for the Macbook, just use OS X.

benzesandbetter
In my experience, some software installs are easier with apt, relative to brew. Also, there is some advantage to having an environment installed on my dev machine with the same package manager as in production.

That said, if you don't mind the overhead, you can achieve a similar outcome running a virtual machine inside of OS X.

notduncansmith
True on the package management point - I can see the advantage there. Still, I stand by my point that if you're going to buy a Mac, it makes the most sense to use it as a Mac. As great as the form factor is, it alone doesn't justify the price point for me.
moystard
Flux is actually available on Linux: https://justgetflux.com/linux.html. Regarding Alfred and Dash, there are some Linux alternatives (Gnome Do, Synapse for the former, Zeal for the latter), but they are far from being as good.
notduncansmith
They support Linux now? Rad, I'll have to let some work buddies know. Last I checked they didn't, thanks for the heads-up.
wtbob
I was very happy running Ubuntu on a System76 laptop (less happy running Debian on it) and have been so happy with my ZaReason desktop that I'll probably get one of their laptops in a few years.
benzesandbetter
We're running Debian on two of our MacBook Airs, one dual boot, one mono. No major complaints or issues. Quite a nice experience, and seems to be a conversation starter in cafes and coworking spaces.
ninthfrank07
I currently have a 15-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display running OS X Yosemite. I also have a Thunderbolt Display (27-inch).

I wish I could buy an open hardware laptop similar to the Novena laptop (https://www.crowdsupply.com/kosagi/novena-open-laptop), but made more for software developers. It would look like a Macbook Pro but have official support for Linux. It would have a 256GB SSD drive, a 64-bit ARM processor, 16GB of RAM, a 15-inch Retina display (touchscreen), wifi 802.11ac, USB 3.0, Bluetooth 4.0, stereo speakers, headphone port, SD card reader, HDMI, microphone and a webcam. My budget would be as much as $3000. I would install Ubuntu 14.04 on it (ideally it would be officially supported and even pre-installed).

I've seen rumors of a new MacBook Air with Retina display, a touchscreen and an ARM processor in mid-2015. It will probably be my next laptop unless someone starts a crowdfunding for an open hardware laptop.

I also have a Chromebook Pixel from I/O 13 but I wish Google would release a new version that's more polished and with better specs. It's actually a fantastic laptop.

caw
My coworker just bought a Schenker s403 because he was looking for a replacement laptop to run Ubuntu on. European company, but they ship to the US, and they'll happily throw in a US power cable if you request one in comments when purchasing. I'm pretty sure you don't have to pay VAT either, so that gives you an extra discount there.
canterburry
I redid my Lenovo T520 into a Ubuntu 14.04 machine. A few observations:

The pros: 1. Super fast boot 2. Super fast just about everything 3. Awesome command line 4. great for development

Cons: 1. Battery life sucks on Linux. No optimizations of any kind. In windows, I was able to work for 3+ hours on my battery, now I am happy if I get 1 hour on Linux.

2. Nvidia drivers are still a pain. I tried the built in Ubuntu driver and got super slow refresh rates on a dual 24" setup. On the other hand, the native Nvidia drivers freeze the machine every now and then. Guess I'll just have to live with it

3. Docking the machine sometimes screws up the resolution. Boot the machine undocked, and then dock it seems to be the trick. Not sure if other systems have this issue.