I've noticed in the Linux community whenever someone asks for a recommendation on a laptop that runs Linux the answer is always "Get a Thinkpad" yet Lenovo doesn't seem to be a big Linux contributor or ally. There's also at least six Linux/FOSS-oriented computer manufacturers now:

So what gives? Why the love for a primarily Windows-oriented laptop when there are better alternatives?

  • Corroded@leminal.space
    ·
    1 year ago

    It comes down to price. You can buy used ThinkPads and replacement parts for them quite cheap a lot of the time.

    It's been a while since I've looked at devices from places like System 76 but if I recall correctly they are still over a thousand dollars when a used ThinkPad T440P for example can be found for around two hundred dollars.

    • Siliconic@discuss.online
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      T440P is cheap for a reason. Personally I don't want a 6 pound laptop with a decade old CPU and a crappy TN screen. Something like a used T480 is reasonable though I guess

      • Autisticky [they/them]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I use an early 2010s Thinkpad, with Ubuntu, and I can play Minecraft pretty well on it. It's great. I don't often carry it places, it's a desk laptop, but I don't know of any other affordable laptop that would have such a long useful lifespan. If you know of any, please tell me, but my experiences has made me quite the Lenovo loyalist.

    • Fuckass
      ·
      edit-2
      1 year ago

      deleted by creator

  • Lee Duna@lemmy.nz
    ·
    1 year ago

    Those linux laptops are too expensive and they are not available in some countries

    Used thinkpad is much cheaper

    • ikiru@lemmy.ml
      ·
      1 year ago

      Maybe there's a better place for this question, but how do you make sure a used laptop is safe? Or would removing Windows and installing Linux be enough?

      I want to buy a laptop for Linux, and would buy a used one so that it's cheaper but I have to admit I worry about it. I know one could be worried even about new laptops and what manufacturers could be up to, but I feel like the unknown arbitrariness of a used laptop gets to me.

      • Corroded@leminal.space
        ·
        1 year ago

        You could look into a Libreboot compatible model. When buying a used laptop for Linux the big thing you need to be careful of is a locked BIOS

        • ikiru@lemmy.ml
          ·
          1 year ago

          That is a good point about the locked BIOS that I hadn't thought about. Thanks for bringing that up!

        • variants@possumpat.io
          ·
          1 year ago

          this is what Im going through right now haha, found a old laptop in our ewaste but the bios is locked, watching a few videos on how to reset the bios I have to take the whole thing apart to short out two pins, might be worth it but it is definitely a project for another day

  • lckdscl [they/them]@whiskers.bim.boats
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    Because of better accessibility. How so?

    Because not everyone has the money to afford these new and expensive laptops designed for a niche market. They are still enthusiast-grade products, the prices speak for themselves.

    Because not everyone comes from Europe / the US, so it's not easy to find these with affordable shipping.

    Because these laptops are only normally offered new, which, for responsible and personal ownership, is excessive. There are thousands of used hardware lying around, why not put some life back into them instead?

    It comes down to price, availability and ethical concerns. Unless money doesn't mean anything to you, why do you need a $1000 laptop when someone wants a device for higher education or personal casual use? The world doesn't need more rampant marketing of niche, hyped-up tech. While a fully-FOSS system may be the ideal machine for every Linux enthusiast, we live in a material world with finite resources and chasing after some unicorn laptop is unsustainable.

    • aport@programming.dev
      ·
      1 year ago

      A few years ago I bought a librem 13 and it was the biggest piece of trash I've ever had the displeasure of owning.

      • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
        ·
        1 year ago

        yes. Companies goal is to essentially take in e-waste and used stuff, sort through it and pull out decent laptops/desktops wipe(or destroy) hard drive based on instructions, and resell. The company that gives us the goods gets a cutback of what's being sold. everything else that is junk is then sorted and recycled to their respective correct facilities. Gotta use the second R in the 3 R's and the third for whatever is considered old. What's considered old goods is still very desirable to another company, especially companies outside of the U.S where computers may be more expensive, especially when you're trying to get them in bulk.

        the work laptop I use is definitely used goods, in fact relevant to thread as it is a 8th gen Thinkpad T490.

          • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
            ·
            edit-2
            1 year ago

            very rarely sell in quantities of one, but usually some of the end clients are resellers. If you're ever like on Amazon and find refurbished dell desktops, or any laptop in general (including apple products), there's a decent chance it came from an e-waste organization first before being bought by a reseller in bulk. There are some companies who "bling" old desktops and resell them in the market place.

        • miss_brainfart@lemmy.ml
          ·
          1 year ago

          With everything I hear about good stuff going to waste, I highly enjoyed reading that.

          Keep doing what you do, your workplace is cool

        • Fuckass
          ·
          edit-2
          1 year ago

          deleted by creator

          • Dudewitbow@lemmy.ml
            ·
            1 year ago

            i cant give specific numbers of course, but in the hundreds/low thousands typically per order.

    • WaterWaiver@aussie.zone
      ·
      1 year ago

      Exactly this. Second hand thinkpads are stupidly cheap -- I'm currently typing on my $180AUD laptop. I never buy new.

  • Venutianxspring@lemmy.dbzer0.com
    ·
    1 year ago

    They can be found cheap as shit. I got a great t480 for less than $150 and another $50 I upgraded my RAM and battery. It's a really nice laptop and only cost me a couple hundred.

  • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
    ·
    1 year ago

    Cost.

    Older Thinkpads remain extremely capable and (crucially) highly repairable. The T series in particular is also better built (read: more solid chassis) than many others, including some on this list.

    It doesn't make a lot of sense to support these alternatives given the absolute shock difference in cost. $300 bucks for a used T series gets you a lot from a customizability, repairability, and reliability standpoint.

    • eldavi@lemmy.ml
      ·
      1 year ago

      It doesn’t make a lot of sense to support these alternatives given the absolute shock difference in cost. $300 bucks for a used T series gets you a lot from a customizability, repairability, and reliability standpoint.

      1. bios updates leaves you at the mercy of the manufacturer;
      2. not every bios and distro works w lenovo's bios update utility;
      3. and your battery life & performance has a big dependency on your bios so using something that it's not designed to handle (eg anything that's not windows) will result in less than optimal results. 3.5) same goes for hardware eg nvidia
      • circuitfarmer@lemmy.sdf.org
        ·
        edit-2
        1 year ago

        I've had 4-5 such systems running Linux and never experienced any issues with BIOS.

        Obviously you shouldn't get a model using nvidia if you want to run Linux on it (unless you are aware of the extra time it takes to set up and the other pitfalls). I do actually have a T440p with a 730m in it -- and it's fine, I just run the open-source driver.

    • Tankiedesantski [he/him]
      ·
      1 year ago

      Even if they'll sell one to you internationally, you're probably shit out of luck if something breaks and needs to be fixed under warranty.

  • Double_A@discuss.tchncs.de
    ·
    1 year ago

    Cost and availability.

    Most of those laptops cost over 1000€ if not even closer to 2000. And they don't seem to ship to all countries.

    While you can get a good used Thinkpad for 500€ everywhere in the world.

  • BURN@lemmy.ml
    ·
    1 year ago

    I have no dog in this fight, but of the brands mentioned, I’ve heard of 1, and I consider myself fairly techy. Lenovo is a brand name that most people are going to recognize and implicitly trust (whether they should or not)

  • Mane25@feddit.uk
    ·
    1 year ago

    First of all I wouldn't use a pre-installed OS (I would always wipe and install my own for security reasons).

    Secondly: Thinkpads (at least when I bought mine, last year) let you buy them without an OS and don't charge you for it.

    Thirdly: the linked manufacturers above tend to be either US-centric and/or more expensive than Thinkpads.

      • Shinji_Ikari [he/him]
        ·
        1 year ago

        I literally spent my hard earned bucks on a Tex Shinobi from one guy in Taiwan just so I could get the trackpoint for the desktop with a mechanical form factor without having to source a 30 year old Model M.

        It's my favorite keyboard ever btw. Don't sleep on the Tex keyboards.

  • xXthrowawayXx [none/use name]
    ·
    1 year ago

    Because those laptops suck.

    Thinkpads are good and cheap. If someone has a bunch of money to spend on a computer they buy a Mac.