MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
My current laptop appears to have died (bios beeps indicate a graphics problem) and since it's 5+ years old I thought I might as well get a new one. So suggestions?
Must work with Linux (dual boot with Windows). I've got a netbook so it doesn't need to be ultra portable, around 14-15in screen. Budget is £400-£500. Will be used for software development and the odd bit of image processing (Matlab) or stats crunching (R), also photo editing, maybe light video editing at some point.
Despite being a bit of a geek I'm completely out of touch with modern hardware specs, so any rough ideas of what to look for/avoid would be appreciated.
Thinkpad of some description - good quality and they appear to have excellent Ubuntu support. Keyboard layout and pointing stick are easily the best for development work, too, IMO.
Thanks. The Edge range looks nice and affordable. Any other suggestions?
I hate the pointing stick.
Dell, HP and Lenovo have good Linux support.
Most importantly, check the wireless chip in them (Intel, Broadcom, etc), for driver compatibility.
Generally speaking, these days hardware support in Linux is very good, including things for bluetooth, webcams, wireless, printers, etc.
Another vote for Thinkpads, I have had innumerable ones with multiple versions of Linux that have worked flawlessly with minimal effort.
Molgrips - most have touchpads now as well as the stick. I hate them 🙂
depending on what size screen you want I may have something that would interest you from a thinkpad point of view if you're considering something (very lightly) used.