[Novalug] Hello from the newest Newbie to the group, and a question!

tuxotron tuxotron@gmail.com
Mon Aug 10 21:16:26 EDT 2015


David,
I own a Thinkpad T530 and it works perfectly. It has a SSD drive, i7
quad core processor, 16gb... I bought it a couple of years ago and
never had a problem with it running Linux. My current and on OS is
Ubuntu 14.04.3.
It also has a nvidia card and it is true the drivers could be a
headache sometimes. In fact, 2 days ago I updated the kernel (3.19)
and when I bootup I ended up in a login loop screen. I had to
uninstall the nvidia drivers it worked again. I haven't re-installed
them yet and I am not sure I will do it, the Intel graphic card does
the job for me (I am not a gamer, or need heavy graphic procces), but
this is the only issue I have had period.
Previously I onwned a Thinkpad T400, which my wife inherited when I
bought the T530, and again never had any problem with it and it still
running.
The only complain I have about these computers is their battery life.
I bought last year a 6 cells battery and it never gave me more than 3
1/2 hours. I originally bought it with a 9 cells battery, and it went
up to 4 1/2.

I heard very good things about the X1 Carbon, it seems to work
flawlessly with Linux and the battery life seems to be pretty good as well.
I am very satisfied with the Thinkpads and me next purchase will
probably another one, at least Lenovo, I am very tempted to get a X1
Carbon, but I havn't found a good excuse to get rid of my T530... yet
:)

Good luck with your purchase.

Rafa

On Mon, Aug 10, 2015 at 07:51:40PM -0400, David Jensen via Novalug wrote:
> hello folks,
> I recently joined the mailing list and was able to attend the last
> meeting.  I just wanted to say "hello" and thank John for his presentation
> on MythTV at this last meeting and ultimately introduce myself to the group.
> 
> As background, I am a relatively new to the area, having moved to
> Alexandria from Fredericksburg, VA by way of the Middle East.  I was able
> to attend a few LUG meetings in Fredericksburg prior to moving overseas and
> now that I'm back in the states I was hoping to commit myself more
> diligently to learning Linux and my various cyber-related interests.
> 
> Speaking of which, after bending Peter Larsen's ear for awhile at the last
> meet up, he suggested I reach out to the group for a little guidance/advice.
> 
> I'm in the market for a Linux compatible laptop, which I'm hoping to
> dedicate solely to Linux for various computer projects.
> I've been doing my research and, as you may not know, the Internet is
> filled with excellent, although contradictory opinions. :)
> 
> Based on my research to date, I anticipate the "most" Linux compatible
> laptop appears to be the Lenovo Thinkpad T series. but at this
> point the Internet advice goes in many different directions with the
> various flavors of thinkpads (e.g. T450, T450s, T440p, W540p, X1 Carbon,
> etc).  Some forum posters  even indicate the Lenovo build quality is no
> longer as good as it's been in the past with either poor form factor
> decisions regarding touchpad buttons or function keys, etc, or NiVidia
> graphic card compatibility issues  So with that insight, I've also looked
> at other brands and have heard good things about the XPS 13, as well
> as suggestions for build your own from SAGER/CLEVOS.
> 
> So I'll answer some of the key questions first, and then seek your insight
> as to best possible fit for my scenario.
> 
> WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON USING THE COMPUTER FOR?  At the very least web
> browsing, research, email, navigating and getting smart on Linux OS, and
> learning Python...(I know nothing i've mentioned so far is resource
> intensive), but I am also very interested in Virtualization, but know just
> about nothing on the subject, and since i'm uncertain about the resources
> (memory, storage, etc) required to successfully experiment with a few VMs
> up and running, I'm unsure as to how robust my laptop specs should/need to
> be.  I would hope to begin having several VMs on my laptop, as I hope to
> build some knowledge in system administration so would like to have the
> ability to do some server management, with an ultimate goal towards an
> interest in InfoSec, and potentially work towards certifications...maybe a
> CISSP if that's in the cards.
> 
> WHAT DO YOU PLAN ON SPENDING?  Depends.  I think the more economical my
> laptop is, the more courageous I will be to tinker and break/rebuild...as
> long as it has the CAPABILITY to do the things I'd like to do (whether, I'd
> have the skilz to GET the linux/laptop to accomplish the goals i have in
> mind...well, that's on me!)  I would say I'm willing to go up approximately
> $1500.00 but would REALLY prefer to spend less than half that.
> 
> FORM FACTOR?  I think 13" is too restricting for me, so I think a 15" is
> about the right size.  I don't anticipate traveling with it too much, as
> the intent is more to move around the house vs. around town.  I already
> have experience dual booting Linux Mint and Win7 on the main desktop,with
> the intent of converting the family to the ways of open source...but it
> didn't take.  NOW, it's all about me :)  but I would like the freedom to
> work on linux projects in the living room, basement, office, etc..so the
> family doesn't forget what I look like.
> 
> I am willing to purchase a refurbished laptop from Lenovo, newegg, or a
> used one on ebay, as long as I know WHAT i should be looking for.
> i think right now my minimum requirements are 8GB of RAM, and SSD for the
> hard drive...but very open to suggestions on builds beyond that.
> (if you think VMs require more RAM, just let me know!)
> 
> Sorry for the rather lengthy email, and thanks in advance for any insight
> you might be able to provide,
> 
> David
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