wanted: suggestions for used Linux compatible notebooks

[Robert Heller]

At Thu, 7 Nov 2019 17:01:22 +0100 "Ubuntu user technical support,  not for general discussions" <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com> wrote:

> 
> On Thu, 7 Nov 2019 at 16:46, Marco Fioretti <mfioretti at nexaima.net> wrote:
> >
> > Until your email, I had not realized that 15+ inches screens on laptops have become
> > very rare,
> 
> My impression is that in general the rise of tablets is driving the
> laptop market towards thinner/lighter laptops. Even things like VGA
> and Ethernet RJ45 sockets are getting too big to fit onto modern
> laptops -- even big corporate portable workstations -- and USB sockets
> are too big to fit onto slimline laptops now, driving the move to USB
> C.
> 
> >  and albeit I've seen and used them many times, I had no idea that certain types of keyboards are called "chiclets".
> 
> It's named after an American brand of chewing gum.
> 
> I do not know any mainstream laptops that still offer traditional
> keyboards now. Everything has switched to "island" or chiclet designs:
> very flat, flat keys with no rake (the step between rows), very little
> key travel, and gaps between keys.
> 
> For people like me who strongly dislike this design of keyboard, it's
> a problem. I am slowly stocking up on the last generation of Thinkpads
> with conventional keyboards. I have an X220 and a T420 so far, and am
> considering a W520 and maybe even a W700 or W701 as well.

I think *I* will be moving away from a "conventual" (x86_64 based) laptop
(currently I have Thinkpad R500 running CentOS 6) to an ARM-based SBC with
battery power. I will probably have a "conventual" (normal [desktop], or as
normal as is still available) keyboard and a mouse (with a drop of superglue
in the scrollwheel bearing, since I loathe scrollwheels -- basic 3-button mice
are pretty much impossible to get anymore.). I am currently considering the
Banana Pis, since some of them include *SATA* ports, allowing for a good sized
2-1/2" SSD drive (>= 256G), rather than be limited to a 32G MicroSD card.
Mount everything in a small hard-shell briefcase...

> 
> 
> > 4) considering all this, and all the feedback received so far, it seems the best /less risky solution for me is to buy ANY Lenovo Thinkpad... as long as it has 14 inches screen, small SSD, 4GB RAM minimum, and it's not older than 4/5 years, so it may last just as much. Am I right? If yes, please just point me to the best series/model of Thinkpad, and I can take care of finding the right buyer myself. That's not a problem, what "kills" me is spending lots of time to figure out what the best model(s) is.
> 
> So not X2** series (X220, X230, X240 etc): screen too small.
> T4?0 (410/420 etc.) series are 14" and quite portable.
> X1 is thin and light but with a big screen.
> W5?0 series are portable workstations with 15+" screens. Nice, but not
> very portable.
> W70? series are huge battleship machines with a 17" screen and a numeric keypad.
> 
> I'd consider an X1 or a 4?0/5?0 series. If you buy used, both a 4?0
> for on the move and a 5?0 for on the desk are doable.
> 
> Look for 8GB RAM or at least only 1 4GB SO-DIMM so you can add your
> own without replacing what's there.
> 
> An SSD is easy to add later and will give you a supply of 2½" external
> backup drives.
> 
> My X220 takes 2 drives: an mSATA SSD plus a 2½" HD. I have SSDs in
> both bays. I think this is possible on all the larger machines too, or
> you can have an mSATA SSD for the OS and a big spinning hard disk for
> /home and swap.
> 

-- 
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