I didn't care for PuppyLinux as it didn't run well with even just Firefox open. I also didn't care for the updating structure that seemed to be the idea that you just don't update packages between releases. I could be wrong on that, but that was what I got from reading on how to keep things up to date. I did like how small it is and how it loads into memory on boot.
AntiX wouldn't let me install any packages or update. It would keep telling me I needed to wait a few hours to access the repos. I did like how you could swap between several desktop environments easily.
The lack of systemd was something I couldn’t get over. I mean the alternative service managers are good but a few apps I really need have a strong dependency on systemd and the adapter packages just weren’t working. Otherwise I highly recommend AntiX. It made my old netbook feel useful again.
AntiX wouldn’t let me install any packages or update. It would keep telling me I needed to wait a few hours to access the repos. I did like how you could swap between several desktop environments easily.
Just manual change the repo and problem solved…
And I need to clarify this because AntiX IMO, under category Permacomputing for low power consumption without too much sacrificing the function than others [in my experiment].
Weirdly, my (five year old) Microsoft Surface runs Ubuntu perfectly. (Edit to clarify, after some initial hassle.)
I’m eying a Framework 16 next.
Edit: To clarify, I would not recommend purchasing a Microsoft Surface to put Linux on it. As others have pointed out, it’s not the smoothest setup experience.
If anyone already has a Surface and wants to extend it’s life with Linux, that I recommend wholeheartedly. With the disclaimer that there was some weird nerdy deep-dive extra setup needed.
Certain surface models run linux fine, but I wouldn’t recommended it as a linux laptop as it requires solving several issues before you get a working computer.
Agreed. Windows’ HDR support is rough. It’s fine for gaming, but you can’t display SDR and HDR content together like MacOS. I think that’s why Apple holds a big part of the market for creatives.
Framework. I’ve run Debian, Fedora and for a while now NixOS, all of which have worked flawlessly.
I did have to replace the heatsink/fan part on mine because the fan bearing started clicking, but I’m sure that was just a first generation product issue (I was one of the first batches). I was glad to be able to do the replacement myself at relatively low cost and the process couldn’t have been easier (took about 30 minutes).
My previous machine was a 2013-ish ThinkPad X series and the Framework absolutely blows it out of the water. I’m looking forward to upgrading mine to a Ryzen motherboard sometime in the not so distant future.
Influence is a curse in today’s world. I’ve made this final selection of brands based on personal choice and for reasons exposed in this post. But it’s all personal so you may disagree with some/all candidates and that’s perfectly fine. I’ve posted here to actually collect as much opinions as possible so thanks for sharing yours.
Companies always find a way to justify for higher price to sell you not that good hardware or to overprice their stuff for non sense reasons. As anyone else (except fan boys of any given brand) I’m running away from that. In my personal views, companies on this list have reasonable offers considering their history, clients pool, philosophy…
Framework is maybe the best deal here because it has good price and all parts of their machines are replaceable. And again, prices for the parts are fair. So in the long run, users may be winners if the company doesn’t crash. If it does then it won’t be worth than having bought from another company. With all the options to build the laptop you want for your needs it really make me feel like customizing my Linux system but from a hardware standpoint. It’s a big plus for me to pay only for what I want/need and with them you can go even further by physically positioning your ports on the fly. That’s an unseen degree of freedom and it has real world applications.
I just installed kubuntu on my daily driver. That didn’t go super well so I tried endeavor, also didn’t go well. It could be kde plasma, but it did not feel like Linux is ready to compete for something that is ready out the box.
That said, I run endeavor on my little netbook tablet and it works a wonder, so no idea. I couldn’t even get steam to load on my desktop for some reason. I tried Linux on my desktop for half a day, then decided to run back to Win11 with my tail between my legs. It just wasn’t with the hassle. Steam didn’t work, permissions for my second hard drive for Plex were messed up. I just didn’t want to have to figure it out. I’m back comfy with windows, and just experimenting with my netbook for the time being.
I really wanted Linux to stick this time… Oddly, I was using Ubuntu on my daily driver back in 2012 without a problem.
Its crazy how polarizing the Linux experience can be. Was it a desktop or laptop? For me it was just a few clicks (Manjaro then Endeavour) on the first try and be done with it on my desktop PC. Also with dual booting.
Hopefully next time you will have more luck! “Sadly” I cannot go back to windows now, I got Linux-pilled. Linux just treats my right without any Microsoft ads.
But for real, I selected to update my firmware from within Windows update. I tried for a couple days, but was not able to recover it. Since I had an HP pre built, I used it as an opportunity to upgrade. I got a new motherboard and a couple parts and I’m back on my feet.
Thanks. That does not not really address my question but I certainly share your view as to not be married to a brand. My personal history and this post question are actually going that route.
If I would not get so many old computing devices that fulfill my needs (I don’t game on PC/Linux) I guess I’d buy one of those. I live in Switzerland and having a german company for support would be superior to me. And I heard that build quality should be great 😇 😂I guess I’d really like to have one, but as I said, for my needs, my macbookpro5,3 running arch does the job.
If you want to see what the world would look like without the GPL, just look at how the BSDs are getting shanked by Apple (and many other companies too, but they’re the biggest).
If it weren’t for him, I have no idea what Linux would be today. No doubt in my mind, RMS is #1 on my list of most important software developers to have ever lived.
Added some info to the post. Firewall is blocking 3289 UDP from my printer, so I added 3289 UDP to open ports for “home”, “public”, and “internal” zones. However, I’m still seeing filter_IN_public_REJECT entries in dmesg, so it seems the firewall is still blocking these. Is there a different way I should be telling it to allow requests on this port?
Firewall also allows mdns service (again, in “home”, “public”, and “internal” zones), but I also see entries like this:
Just today I started experimenting with Hyprland and this repo for installing and configuring all the additional software. The easiest flow seems to be “install EndeavourOS with Gnome, clone illogical-impulse, run install.sh”
Unfortunately, Hyprland runs like trash in a virtual machine so it’s difficult to try out such a setup without going through a full install.
Honestly, just use Debian. It can run under 200MB of RAM (default install), so it beats all distros on the list except for TinyCore and SliTaz, and it actually has packages.
Added “mdns” service to allowed list for public zone, still get the SANE error. (Previously added 5353 UDP per another suggestion – sounds like this is the port for mDNS)
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