Serious question: why are Thinkpads THE laptop of choice for Linux users?
Sure, I get that they are built to last, have great battery life, OK/decent keyboard, the hardware is all supported... but, let's be honest, they are outdated as fuck.
At this point I'm starting to think these Thinkpads are just a meme when other great laptops are out there.
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Because they're cheap
Sure, most I've seen them go for is like $200.
But when you factor in replacement parts you about break even with other good/decent Notebooks/Laptops
A good thinkpad will run fast as hell with current distros while windows 10 can be a slow, bloated fucking
lag fest. Add that to all the other advantages to your post and you've got your answer.
I hear you. So, say, if Linux users were to pick another laptop OTHER than the beloved Thinkpad, what would that be?
idk why exactly but I'm told they come mostly Linux compatible out of the box, and it's also caused somewhat of a feedback loop that older thinkpads especially are almost guaranteed to be compatible with newer libre projects (libreboot for example only really works with old thinkpads)
thinly veiled choose a laptop for me thread?
>But when you factor in replacement parts
I never needed replacement parts.
And why would I need replacement parts for Thinkpads but not for other Laptops?
Fuck off consumerist shill.
HP elitebooks.
Reason? Both old Thinkpads and old elitebooks support Coreboot.
Want something newer? Purism
puri.sm
Nah, not that. Just seriously questioning why Linux users seem to like the Thinkpad.
>they are outdated as fuck.
What? How? Current ThinkPads have current hardware.
After the ThinkPad Mac has the best build quality. Too bad the hardware is trash.
I let my gf use my ThinkPad and she said it is the best laptop she has ever used and she used to own a MacBook. That said, she is a girl.
Linux community over the years created tons of Thinkpad centered software for various thinkpad components. Also, people who use Linux usually use it for work - that means that the most important atributes of a laptop are durability, good keyboard and good battery life - and what better candidate than Thinkpad. They have the best keyboard on the laptop market (not an OK keybaord but the best), insane durability and nice battery life, pair that with the fact that Thinkpads are built to support Linux and Linux is built to support Thinkpads and you have a match made in heaven
>assuming dated products work out of the box
>being this new in 2018
>no schematics
>Open-source and free
no. I ain't buying purism. It has zero advantages over proprietary apple.
I bought an SSD and ultrabay hard drive caddy and that's all you really need to get a great functional and fast laptop.
> why are Thinkpads THE laptop of choice for Linux users ?
because they were cheap and unwanted a few years back
>OTHER than the beloved Thinkpad, what would that be?
It would be my 512gb macbook air sweety....
BUT ITS NOT PAPER-THIN SO ITS OLD! TO BE MODERN YOU MUST BE THIN LIKE APPLE PRODUCT
I used X220s/T420s and T430s for years now and all of them worked out of the box for years.
What the fuck are you on about Mr. Shekelstein?
it's a meme. But, because it's a meme, it has the best linux support
Clear and concise.
How about having an Open Source boot firmware?
How about shipping with me_cleaner?
How about hardware killswitches for camera
>inb4 use tape
How about hardware killswitch for the mic (and no, tape can't fully mute a mic)
How about shipping with a wireless card that is fully supported by GNU/Linux and GNU/Linux-libre distros with no binary blobs?
>dat feel when using old/nostalgic hardware
>let it rest granpa
Nice Facebook memes boomer.
Not ripping on the Thinkpad at all, just saying that Linux users seem to be locked on that shit.
>doesn't own a Mac but will consider other options
fuck off, apple shill
I would support them if they didn't look like paper thin mactoddler toys
until then, they're absolute shit and ruined just because of design alone.
It is though
Did you see "Apple" ever being brought in the conversation?
>Broadcom wifi
>think pads pair so well with linux
>I'm starting to think these Thinkpads are just a meme
They are and thinkpad threads are cancer
To each their own I guess.
Thinkpads have somewhat of a "cult" following it seems, but sure, if they work they work.
Just raising the question that there are other "alternatives" out there.
>Broadcom wifi drivers
I still break down in a laughing in a fit when after using my trusty live linux usb stick for years the only time it never "just werks" is when its thinkpad wifi needing a broadcomm driver.
Literally every fucking time....
here, take two (You)'s
Had 2 thinkpads and switched at least 10 different distros and never had a single problem with Wi-Fi. First time I hear this has ever happened to anyone. Don't be a fucking brainlet, if it doesn't work it's probably your fault
>they are outdated as fuck.
>Because they're cheap
If you buy a used 5 year old computer cheap then yes, you're going to get 5 year old hardware. I don't see the problem.
If you want a Thinkpad with brand new modern hardware then go buy a brand new Thinkpad. That's .. not cheap, though. They are among the most expensive laptops you can buy. If you look at the pure hardware specs of what you're getting then they are - new - as overpriced as the Macbook imho.
Make your voice heard on the forum. Try contribute with some dated-as-fuck design that's libre and with manufacturers that have the tooling to do those designs
>Serious question: why are Thinkpads THE laptop of choice for Linux users?
For one, they're standard issue to RedHat employees. All of them, not just engineers.
Shit gets fixed when it doesn't work.
>Had 2 thinkpads
probably all old... every lenovo thinkpad POS i touch is broadcom
This explains a lot.
>Serious question: why are Thinkpads THE laptop of choice for Linux users?
>they are built to last, have great battery life, OK/decent keyboard, the hardware is all supported
answered your own question OP
>failing for marketing BS
Maybe I did fall for a lenovo ad, but hey?
I don't mind if I am not paying full price, but merely a fraction
can't imagine that lelnovo profits much when you're buying them second hand for sub $200
top hardware meets top software.
Can it run YouTube at 480? How does it do homework-wise? Is the wifi signal strong?
you're aware there's a general thread in Jow Forums for thinkpads?
Why ThinkPad?
>Used machines are plentiful and cheap
>Excellent keyboards - tactile feel and quiet
>Great durability: magnesium rollcage for structural integrity, with high quality plastic body panels
>Utilitarian design: e.g. indicator LEDs, 7 row keyboard layout on older models
>Docking stations that easily turns your laptop into a desktop
>Easy to repair (most models), upgrade & maintain thanks to readily available service manuals for every model, spare parts easy & cheap to obtain
>The best TrackPoint™, great for those who type a lot or hate swiping their fingers all over a touchpad
>Excellent GNU/Linux & *BSD support
I use Elitebooks
fuck yeah puri.sm!!
>outdated as fuck
What did he mean by this?
used to have x220 that I gave to my younger brother and now use T450
Elaborate why Broadcom is so bad ? As I said, until now I never heard of such problems
he said: "man, I a retard, look at me being retarded".
>but, let's be honest, they are outdated as fuck.
I don't think anyone denies that. The point is, most users just don't need new fancy expensive hardware, definitely not on a laptop.
If you happen to need (want) it, though, modern ThinkPads are still very good choices (see the P series), although of course not cheap anymore.
i should never of listened to Jow Forums, i brought a t420 and the screen is just horrible, scrolling is just a constant brightness pulse
Thinkfan and tlp Thinkpad specific features
>they are outdated as fuck.
Define "outdated" 'cause I'm able to do anything right now - aside from playing the latest top tier games but I don't play games anyway so it's a moot point - with a 7+ year old T420s that anyone with the latest and greatest T-whatever model is, maybe just a bit slower to do it, but in terms of getting shit done the T420s is fully capable.
SSD? Samsung 860 EVO, check.
11ac Wi-Fi? Intel 7260AC, check.
IPS display? LG IPS panel with upgrade kit, check.
Keyboard? Better than anything available today except the keyboard on the T25, check.
Battery life? What the fuck do I care with AC outlets everywhere I go, check.
Usability? Better in my opinion than the latest T-series model, check.
Works for me? God damned right it does, check.
Outdated? Well, that kind of stupid thinking is, sure.
You're dismissed.
Bitch.
>they are outdated as fuck.
Irrelevant. To a programmer, the computer in front of him is just a terminal to where he's actually getting his work done. A good keyboard is far more important then COMPUTAN POWAH or MUH PIXELS.
What does the panel upgrade kit involve? Is it just a connector pin converter?
Basically this.
There is a 1080p ips mod available.
>lenovo thinkpad POS
What? I have yet to see a Lenovo Thinkpad with anything but Intel WLAN.
Buying a old Thinkpad is like buying a 8 year old BMW.
Of course it's dated, but the car was once very expensive and still holds up the qualities that made it a premium car.
>why are Thinkpads THE laptop of choice for Linux users?
They are not.
See Librem, system76 and others for that.
librem is an overpriced meme.
>he thinks that only certain brands support Linux
>in AD 2018
My new cheap Acer Swift 1 runs Linux very well. Move on, we're not stuck in 1997 anymore.
Dell Latitude/Precision series