How to Choose the Best Laptop to Install Linux. Advertisement. It’s never been harder to install Linux. Don’t believe me? Just cast your mind back 1. Back then, it was just a matter of downloading an ISO, burning it to disk, pressing “next” a few times, and hoping you weren’t unlucky enough to have a Broadcom Wi. What are the "DriverPacks"? Each DriverPack is a package of drivers for a particular category of hardware. There are for example DriverPacks. Latest trending topics being covered on ZDNet including Reviews, Tech Industry, Security, Hardware, Apple, and Windows. Fi card. And if you didn’t fancy burning your own install disk, Canonical would send you one – for free. It was a wonderful time. Now, it’s less wonderful. Would- be Linux users have to contend with utterly awful hardware support, UEFI woes, and equipment designed to work with Windows, and Windows alone. If you want to break away from the yoke of Microsoft, you have to be a savvy hardware shopper. Here’s how to find the perfect Linux laptop. Buy an Old Computer. Last year, I met GNU project founder Richard Stallman in a Liverpool cafe for an upcoming Make. Use. Of feature. We sat, ate pastries, and talked about the usual suspects – software freedom, and the NSA. Funny thing about Stallman; you’d expect someone whose life is so closely based around technology to have an expensive, hyper- powerful behemoth of a computer. The type of computer toted by NSA analysts and defense contractors, capable of processing quadrillions of calculations per second. But no. Stallman uses a refurbished IBM Think. Pad. These computers have been – for over 2. They hold their value like a Macbook. The T100 is a nice little convertible tablet/netbook. My aim is to get a “perfect” Ubuntu installation on the T100, such that it can be used successfully as a. TheINQUIRER publishes daily news, reviews on the latest gadgets and devices, and INQdepth articles for tech buffs and hobbyists. Welcome to Ubuntu Studio. Ubuntu Studio is a free and open operating system for creative people. We provide the full range of multimedia content creation applications. This download contains the latest driver and application(s) for use with your Sound Blaster® X7 on Mac® operating systems. This software includes support for macOS. They’re easy to service and to repair, and they can take a beating. It is for this reason why their popularity has endured, despite the sale of IBM’s laptops devision to Lenovo, and the startling incompetence (Super. Fish, anyone? Lenovo Laptop Owners Beware: Your Device May Have Preinstalled Malware. Lenovo Laptop Owners Beware: Your Device May Have Preinstalled Malware. Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo has admitted that laptops shipped to stores and consumers in late 2. Read More) that followed. It’s even possible (and surprisingly simple) to replace the low- level, proprietary BIOSDiscover Your BIOS & Learn How to Make the Most of It. Discover Your BIOS & Learn How to Make the Most of It. What the heck is the BIOS, anyway? Is it really that important to know? We think so and fortunately it's pretty easy. Let us introduce you. Read More with one that’s entirely free, open- source software. If you’re balking at the idea of using an old, second- hand computer, let me ask you something. What do you use your computer for? You’re a Linux user so (in most cases) gaming and video editing are things you’re likely not terribly concerned with (although if you are it is simple to install Steam on Linux. How to Install Steam and Start Gaming on Linux. How to Install Steam and Start Gaming on Linux. Installing Steam on Linux computers is straightforward, and the result is usually the same seamless gaming experience you had on Windows. Read More and start downloading compatible games). No, chances are high you’re going to use your computer to code, browse the Internet, and use productivity apps. So then I ask you, why do you need to drop hundreds – if not thousands – of dollars on a brand new machine? These Think. Pad’s are cheap, solid, and do the job. If you’re based in the UK, you should consider getting a refurbished IBM Think. Pad x. 20. 0 from Glu. Glug. Including the perennially popular Ubuntu. More compellingly, it comes with the Libreboot BIOS, which offers more features compared to the standard, stock BIOS. According to Glu. Glug: Libreboot offers several advantages over proprietary BIOS/UEFI firmware; faster boot speeds, better security and customization to name a few. You can install GNU/Linux with full disk encryption (including the /boot/ directory), verify GPG signatures on your kernel at boot time, run a full operating system from the flash chip (coming soon!), and more. Failing that, Think. Pads can be found on Amazon and e. Bay at rock- bottom prices. I’ve found perfectly adequate Think. Pad T6. 1s online for as little as $5. Of course, your milage will vary, and remember you’re buying a second- hand, old computer. You might need to lower your expectations accordingly. Get A Mac. I’ve already made a jibe about gaming on Linux. Linux Gaming, an Overview: What You Can And Can't Expect. Linux Gaming, an Overview: What You Can And Can't Expect. While desktop Linux may be a tempting platform, there's one thing stopping a lot of people from making the plunge: PC gaming. Like it or not, Windows is the de facto platform for PC gaming.. Read More. Now I’m telling you to get a Mac. It’s almost like I’m trying to provoke the trolls. But I’m not. In 2. Apple ditched its IBM Power. PC processors for ones made by semiconductor titan Intel. The writing had been on the wall for a long time – Power. PC was dead. They simply couldn’t compete with Intel’s fangled dual- core CPUs, which were simultaneously faster and more power efficient. Power. PC had to go. For Mac users, this meant significantly more powerful computers. It also came with the enticing proposition of running Windows on Apple’s hardware. Eager to penetrate the business market, Apple released Boot. Camp, which allowed Mac users to dual- boot their systems, and issued Windows drivers for their hardware. But Linux got no such love. However, some enterprising hackers were able to shoe- horn Linux onto the new, x. Macs. At first, the implementations were shaky, and missing a lot of features. But nine years later, they’ve became more refined, and easier to install. Now, installing Linux on a Mac. Book Pro isn’t so much a challenge, but rather a viable option that can be accomplished by the most moderately competent Linux user. But why should you bother? Yes, Apple hardware is extremely expensive for what it is. Especially when you directly compare it to machines pumped- out en- masse by the likes of Dell and Lenovo. But that’s not a fair comparison. Apple’s hardware is – yes, I know how controversial this statement is – simply better. Their computers can withstand more of a beating, and last longer than their PC equivalents. Don’t believe me? Just go sit in a metropolitan coffee shop for a while. Count how many people show up with aged Mac. Book Pros and white Mac. Books. Then compare it to how many people show up with PCs from 2. It’s for this reason why people choose Apple computers as their Linux hardware of choice. So, how do you pick the right hardware for you? Fellow Make. Use. Of writer Mihir Patkar recently wrote a compelling endorsement of the Macbook Air. Want A Great Value Laptop? Buy A Mac. Book Air. Want A Great Value Laptop? Buy A Mac. Book Air. Unlike many of Apple's other products, the Mac. Book Air is different. It's actually better value for money than any Windows laptop at that price. Read More that’s worth reading. Other Make. Use. Of writer Danny Steiben is already running Ubuntu on his Macbook Pro Retina. How To Install Linux On A Mac. Book Pro Retina. How To Install Linux On A Mac. Book Pro Retina. Mac. Book Pros come with some very nice hardware, but some people want more. Some people want Linux. Read More. But really, most Apple laptops should do, and much like the Think. Pads of yesteryear, it’s worth investigating whether a second- hand Mac. Book. Buying A Refurbished Mac? Here’s What You Need To Know. Buying A Refurbished Mac? Here’s What You Need To Know. No one wants to lay down a wad of cash for a dinged- up, battered second- hand computer - here’s what you need to know on your search for a pristine, but affordable, refurb. Read More will fulfill your requirements. The only Apple laptop that should be avoided at this time is the latest, fashionista- focussed Macbook. This looks the part, but the drivers aren’t there, particularly for the new (and atrocious to use) butterfly keyboard, and for the force trackpad. Perhaps in a few month’s time. Dell can’t seem to make their mind up about Linux. At times they’ve embraced it with open arms, and at times they’ve turned their backs on it. Their tumultuous history with Linux starts in 1. Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader asked Dell (and a number of other major hardware manufacturers) to offer Linux as an alternative to Windows. At the time, lawmakers were concerned Microsoft was developing a monopoly in the operating- system sphere. Dell became the first PC manufacturer to offer Linux as an alternative on its entire range of computers. But its flirtation with the fledgling open source operating system was short lived, and by 2. PCs. Fast forward to 2. Dell CEO Michael Dell announced that it would start selling machines with Ubuntu pre- installed. People who accidentally bought laptops sans- Windows were less enthused, however. Initially, Dell sold a broad range of machines with Ubuntu pre- installed, at a variety of price points. But that number dwindled to the point where today Dell only sells two Linux laptops, with both being expensive, high- end machines. Two models are available: The Dell XPS 1. Both come with oodles of RAM, and sufficiently beefy processors. As you’d expect, both are aimed at developers. The Dell XPS 1. 3. Simultaneously svelte and well- built, it boasts impressive specifications and the customizability one expects from a Dell. Those with deep- enough pockets can add 4k touch screens and zippy Core i. CPUs. But that comes with a price though. The most tricked- out XPS 1. The cheapest model is still quite expensive, costing $7. The M3. 80. 0 Mobile Workstation is similarly impressive, and similarly expensive. The cheapest model costs $1,5. Intel Core i. 7 4. HQ CPU as standard, clocked at 2. GHZ and packing HD 4. Graphics. Throw in a beefy Quadro K1. M GPU and the optional 4. K touchscreen ($9. But as you will have noticed, this isn’t the cheapest option. What happens if you can’t afford a Dell, don’t fancy a Mac, and want a new computer? Do Your Research. If you’re hoping to use Ubuntu exclusively, have a look at Canonical’s list of Ubuntu certified hardware. These are computers guaranteed to work with Ubuntu out of the box.
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