[NTLUG:Discuss] Laptop choices

[Ralph Green]

Howdy,
  This may not be quite what you want to hear, but it is my best
suggestion.  Buying the latest laptop from anyone besides Dell is
almost asking for trouble  Driver problems will be most likely on
brand new hardware.  System76 is great too, but they are so expensive.
Why Dell?  I heard Mark Shuttleworth talk about why he has the
relationship with Dell.  It seems Dell procurement people don't really
know which laptops and desktops are going to ship with Linux.  So,
they end up specifying Linux compayability for a lot of their parts.
Marketing will pick the Linux models just a bit before the model
ships.  The end result is that Dell machines are quite good at running
Linux, even if you get one with Windows(shudder at the thought).

  The two machines at the top of my list are the Lenovo X220, which is
not new.  But it is fast and supports a lot of memory.  And, I see
used ones under $150.  My dream machine is a Novena from Bunnie Huang.
It won't run Windows, which is a small plus for me.  The Lenovo has a
portential bonus in that the ARM64 Open Laptop project may target it.

  Keep an old junker for your Windows apps.  It is such a shame to
wate good hardware on that junk software.
Good luck,
Ralph