Ask HN: Recommendations for a Linux Distro and Laptop?

Assuming you're in the US, System76[0] and Framework[1] both make laptops that support Linux as a first-class OS.

I tried both and ended up preferring Framework. I especially like that they're repairable.

I bought the DIY version of Framework worried I'd hate building it, but it was super easy to put together. You're only putting together a few pieces, not the entire laptop. It ended up being one of the best unboxing experiences of my life.

[0] https://system76.com/

[1] https://frame.work/

w4rh4wk5 · a year ago

Living in EU, had no problem getting a Framework laptop. However, there might be comparatively higher shipping costs if you order parts without also ordering a laptop from their store.

smartbit · a year ago

Last time I checked, in EU Framework has no option for companies to order without paying VAT. They offer to rembours the VAT afterwards though.

nextos · a year ago

How is the build quality and cooling compared to Thinkpads? I saw some praise (e.g. from DHH) as well as some very critical Reddit posts.

In EU, Thinkpads are sadly very overpriced, except cheap E/L models. The price gap compared to the US is substantial. Whereas MacBook pricing is not too different across markets.

stop50 · a year ago

Plus you can save some money by reusing ram or m2 ssds th you already have.

If you want to learn more, don't make the transition easy. Get a second laptop that is Linux-compatible and get a difficult distribution. It will force you to learn more faster. Linux From Scratch is the most hardcore (and, imho, fun!) way to deep-dive. I'm not familiar with the newer, more expert-level distros but I'm sure others can give suggestions.

If you don't want to learn more and just want a "working computer", use either Ubuntu or Fedora, as they have the most support. If you use Ubuntu you'll want to use Kubuntu or one of its derivatives as the default Ubuntu desktop is one of the most unusable and featureless things I've ever used.

Laptop wise, look up distributions' officially supported laptop lists, and laptop vendors' laptops that officially support linux. Lenovo and I think Dell have some officially supported Linux laptops. Then there's a smattering of vendors who sell laptops with Linux as the only OS. Any of these will save you lots of headaches; an incompatible laptop can leave you struggling for weeks to get it to work, if it'll work at all. Generally stay away from brand-new gear as it's the most likely to use something that doesn't yet have good Linux support, or may require the newest Linux software which isn't supported on slightly older stable Linux distro releases. Finally, always look up reviews of that laptop with Linux, as you may find quirks like poor performance, overheating, battery issues, wifi/bluetooth connectivity issues, non-working keys, and more.

I recently got a ThinkPad T14s Gen4 and it works very well with Ubuntu 24.04. You need to check the generation of the laptop, though, as the internals change and may make it not compatible anymore. In general I would suggest buying a laptop which you can return within 30 days, as you may find you either don't like the laptop itself, or its Linux support is too quirky.

mtlynch · a year ago

0xbadcafebee · a year ago

As for distro, if you want something that works out-of-the-box, with modern desktop features, I'd give Linux Mint (Cinnamon Edition) a try. Personally, I enjoy tinkering and learning, so I set up Arch with Wayland on my laptop. I wouldn't consider it super stable, but I've had surprisingly few issues. There is a learning curve, but it's certainly do-able.

For laptop: I got myself a Framework 13 with Intel 13th gen. I am very happy with the machine and with the Linux support. So, definitely have a look at that.

montroser · a year ago

I don't know why I never see anyone recommend it, but plain fedora with the default gnome is pretty great. In terms of design and usability, it's solid. You can't customize every little thing, so compared to other setups it's not as flexible in that way. But if you want something that is stable and boring so you can get to the stuff you actually have to do, fedora is a decent choice.

larntz · a year ago

This is what I'm using on a old-ish Dell Latitude. Everything works except the fingerprint reader, but I knew that going in and I'm ok with it.

docsaintly · a year ago

Another vote for Linux Mint. It's very easy to use and has a good blend of recent software and stability.

As long as you don't pick a brand new CPU/chipset the hardware support is nearly flawless as long as the laptop isn't from an overly proprietary manufacturer.

I do like performance, and a 2-in-1 form factor, so I went with an MSI Summit. They have cheaper models without discrete GPUs in a smaller form factor.

ptsneves · a year ago

What is the battery life of the 2-1? Also any issues with drivers or everything worked without manual configuration?

nzeid · a year ago

Echoing mainline Debian + DE of your choice. Switched away from Ubuntu a few years ago and never looked back. If I remember correctly, the Debian setup allows you to specify GNOME, KDE, or Cinnamon.

EDIT: Forgot to mention I'm running this on an Acer Swift 3 flawlessly.

NixOS is something to consider. It is easy to use if all you need is packaged inside NixPkgs (which is enormous). A bonus point is stability. You can upgrade without fear, including changes that would be pretty risky in other distros. You can always roll back to previous system states, unless you have garbage-collected them to save space.

It's also great that everything is declarative. You can define your entire setup in a few LOC. There's a bit of a learning curve for harder things, but IMHO you can get going in an afternoon. On the contrary, if you need to package your own software or install things that have messy build processes, it's probably not worth the effort.

darkwater · a year ago

I recently assembled a home server/NAS and decided to try NixOS on it and I have to agree. Using it normally (install packages and use the system) is VERY easy, much easier than I expected. I recently upgraded the main channel from 24.5 to 24.11 (because I noticed I had no more packages update in over a week...) and it was quick and smooth.

But the nix language is scary to say the least. For now I didn't deep dive into it, maybe in the future...

All considered , IMO for a terminal beginner like OP, I think NixOS is too much as the first approach on a laptop.

INTPenis · a year ago

Pick an image-based distro. I personally use Atomic Fedora Sway but there are many others in this vein.

The point is that out-of-box you get the ability to not only rollback to a previously working state of your distro, but also to run container images you build yourself on your computer. You can boot container images now with bootc.

This makes managing a Linux distro super easy, and rolling back experimental changes or package issues even easier.

Because you have to make the assumption that something will go wrong, sooner or later, you will have to use the commandline to troubleshoot and workaround issues. Unfortunately this is the case in every OS.

That's why a simple rollback process is the best gift to ordinary users.