I’m currently learning how to code (currently Python, then maybe JavaScript), but I’m not always around my desktop, and learning on my phone is not always an option (also, it can be quite cumbersome at times). Therefore, I’m looking into purchasing a laptop just for learning how to code and stuff.
I don’t want to get a Chromebook because I want to be able to wipe the drive and install Linux on it (probably Linux Mint). Maybe it’s changed since 2013, but the last time I had a Chromebook, it was a pain in the ass to install even bog-standard Ubuntu on it.
Problem is, I’m also heavily limited by space & budget: no more than 11 in (280 mm) total laptop width and 330 USD base price.
Does anyone have any suggestions?
Please forgive me if this is not the right space for this kind of question. Lemme know if it is and I’ll delete it. :)
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If you really want to you can combine:
- a raspberry pi (with case)
- a power bank
- a small USB keyboard
- a small portable display
- a mouse
It doesn’t take more space than a laptop :))
At that point you might as well go with a steamdeck. Works with or without the mouse/keyboard/screen and can play games. The desktop environment is full kde and ready to go.
That’s a good idea! Do I need to know any coding or soldering to set up a Raspberry Pi?
No. Just have to burn the OS image to an SD card and plug everything up.
Ooh, nice. That seems like a great initial step for just being in the learning phase. I’m gonna look into this! Thank you! :)
No, just download Raspbian (Debian for RaPi) or any other popular distribution on your main computer and copy it to your RaPi’s SD card. Oh and if your mouse “lags” - you can increase your mouse refresh rate in settings.
Also while the setup obviously works and does its job (and is really fun to use) it’s probably not better than a laptop. It’s more of a thing you use because you can…
…anyway, if you already have some of the parts it’s the cheapest you can get, and it is just as practical as a laptop. I already had a pi4 with case, a keyboard and a mouse, so only was missing a portable monitor and a powerbank (but buying a powerbank never is a bad idea anyway).
Thanks for the tip! Sounds promising!
Yeah get a used laptop. Anything used in good condition is way better than new at the same or often twice the price.
Chromebooks are bad, but they run Coreboot. With MrChromebox and Chrultrabook you can get a normal Coreboot BIOS on there and run any Linux distro.
But they are often not repairable and have extremely limited storage and RAM. Also finding info on many of them is horrible.
For Linux I would just find the best ThinkPad within your budget (a used one, in this case)
Edit for an example (and re-edit to clean up link): https://www.ebay.com/itm/134956529143
That’s one of the most insane links I have ever seen. I’m scared to click it.
But I second a ThinkPad.
Should be the same link without the tracking
You make a great point, but the problem is I’ve looked at a ton of them and they all seem to be too big. I have a very limited primary workspace at only 11 inches and for example the T14 Gen 1 you linked to is 12.95 inches in width.
Oops, I missed that part. There’s the X280 and its predecessors (X270, X260, etc.). The screen is 12.5" so the overall dimensions should be OK.
12.5" is too big. If the screen itself is 12.5", then the total laptop width (if the screen is 16:9) will almost certainly be bigger than that. Like I said, my primary workspace is limited strictly to a max of 11 inches.
…Unless you knew that and I’m completely misunderstanding you. Which, mind you, is definitely a possibility. Lol. So, I’m sorry if that’s the case and I humbly would ask you to elaborate. ;)
FYI 12.5" is the diagonal, it’s going to be much narrower
Thinkpads are not cheap as they have that reputation.
But they have good Linux support
Btw that link has tons of tracking BS in it
Used latitude.
I picked up a used Latitude 7300 (I think?) last year and am quite happy with it. I appreciate that I can replace the ram and ssd myself for repair / upgrade.
I’m running Mint on it and haven’t noticed any problems.
Probably used is the right answer. Be mindful of battery life and wear.
Steam Deck. I’m half serious if you got a wireless mini keyboard with touch pad. You can play games on it too BTW ;)
Lol, that’s kind of intriguing honestly. Are Python interpreters even available on whatever fork of Linux that SteamDecks use? Haha.
steam deck is NOT a proper replacement for a work desktop, ymmv
For a desktop yes. You can dock it and forget that it’s not a regular Linux desktop. Especially if it means Python and JS, you don’t need much power for that.
For a laptop not so much, because you’ll need to bring screen+keyboard+mouse and everything to plug them so the portability aspect seriously suffers.
Yes. Steam Deck is based on Arch linux. I even have PyCharm installed.
This amuses me.
It doesn’t really surprise me, but it does amuse me.
Thank you for brightening up my week a bit. I’ve had a wisdom tooth removed and have been in a lot of pain, so my past two weeks have sucked.
I’m using Lenovo ThinkBook, which is cheaper than Thinkpad, and the keyboard layout is different. It supports upto 40GB of RAM.
ThinkBook
Ooh, that’s intriguing. I’ve never heard of that brand.
and the keyboard layout is different.
How different? Are we talking “different shape of the Enter key” or “full-on head-banging death-metal Dvorak”? Because I like me some QWERTY.
It supports upto 40GB of RAM.
Holy shit that’s a lot of RAM.
Like Thinkpad, the main brand is Lenovo. Thinkbook keyboard is like Acer and other brands.
Used ThinkPad
Used Dell XPS, Thorvalds’ own choice of laptop, and often ranked well on iFixIt reparability ratings
I’ve been using a Dell XPS-15 9560 for over six years now, the keyboard needed to be cleaned after four years and and the charging port needed to be replaced (€10 inc service) recently. The battery no longer lasts 11 or so hours but it lasts 2 or so which I’ll take, for about €100 I could replace just the battery.
All of which, for how fast devices tend to break on me, is an incredibly good mileage I’d say!And oh yeah, whatever Linux I’ve been distro hopping to has worked swimmingly!
And old ThinkPad.
Used t490 / t480. Can you elaborate on the “heavy limited by space”?
Sure, what do you wanna know elaborations wise? I’m sorry; I thought I had elaborated…
The x390/x280 are the same era as these but smaller, so might be a better fit here. The X390 has soldered RAM though, so I’d look for the 16GB version if you can find it (there’s not much of a price difference used)
Unfortunately, those are both too big, at 12.22"–12.28" for the X390, and 12.11" for the X280. I’m limited to 11". :(
if you can compromise on the width, a used thinkpad t480 is under budget, upgrade-able, works fine with any linux and is plenty good enough to do what you need.
You can usually find old(ish) refurbished thinkpada on amazon for around that price. I recently bought a refurbished t480 for $315 CAD
Unfortunately, the T480 is too big, at 14.25 inches. I have a very limited primary workspace, of only 11 inches. :(
ThinkPad, used. Only mainstream brand that cares about Linux.
I found a thinkpad with a radeon GPU for only 200 which was nice.
You sure about that?. Where does this myth come from that Lenovo cares about Linux users?
https://ahoneybun.net/blog/Thinkpad-X13s-review/
If you knew how to disable Microsoft Secure feature, maybe you could be competent enough to load Linux on it. But you will now run around calling Lenovo bad for Linux and all that, spreading the myth someone invented like a disease, even though you are the one considering these ARM devices over a proper x86 machine with freedom. Maybe avoid ARM machines for a while, and avoid MS Secure Boot crap?
You’re the one that made the claim that they’re the “only mainstream brand that cares about Linux”. It’s up to you to prove it.
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This is exactly the shit that gets me worried about ARM laptops becoming the norm. Obviously, the CPU has ✨full upstream support✨, but what some people seem to forget is that they will likely not support ACPI via Arm System Ready which is exactly how android phones work. (This is the total opposite of what we want btw) So now we will be at the mercy of OEMs releasing blobs or some people will have to spend lots of time creating DTBs for each possible SKU (Snapdragon Elite X’s Linux post even mentions booting with Device Trees, but nobody seemed to notice this for some reason?).
Like, sure, mainline support for the SoC is crucial, but most ARM processors have okayish support, even the mobile chips have say GPU support. The thing is the support of the SoC is only part of the equation when you also have a display, a boatload of controllers for charging, IO, display, etc. etc. that also need to be recognized and supported for the computer to be usable.
I have faith that Dell and Lenovo will offer DTBs for their enterprise devices, since they currently officially support Linux, but for all the other ones, Asus, regular XPS, non ThinkPad Lenovo, Microsoft surface, Samsung, Acer etc. I can almost guarantee they will be troublesome.
I desperately hope to be proven wrong when these laptops get into customers hands, but my hopes are really low.
I have faith
I don’t, linux is niche for these companies, not worth their time/money.
My ASUS laptop runs Linux well. It was around $800 5 years ago, when I bought it.
I am still using it.
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I thought Macs are notoriously difficult to install Linux on, like from a firmware level.
Is this incorrect?
The Intel ones are quite a bit easier, but still not as easy as a PC. You need to disable some FW security settings to allow for a non Apple kernel to boot.
Ah. In that case, I think I’m gonna steer clear of Macs. I’m not at all familiar with post-2013 Macs in the first place, and I definitely don’t know enough to fiddle around with its firmware security settings (or any firmware security settings, for that matter).
