From cameron.purvis at gmail.com  Fri Sep 30 19:20:24 2011
From: cameron.purvis at gmail.com (Cameron Purvis)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:20:24 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
Message-ID: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>

I've been asked about buying a laptop with Linux - specifically, buying a
laptop with *no* Windows attached.  The easiest thing in my book is pick the
one that 'feels' the best, make sure it's compatible, and run with it, but I
think that part of the point in this purchase is for him to not give MS any
money.

Dell appears to have one single Vostro 13.3" n-Series (ubuntu pre-installed,
I think).  Dell's kind of a known quantity for better or worse.  Does anyone
have any recommendation for a pre-installed Linux laptop?

It's tempting to tell him to just order a ThinkPad and have it delivered to
me to set up, then scrape the Windows stickers off and preinstall whatever
distro he wants.  I'm not sure how much of the point, as I said, is just
avoiding MS completely.
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From allen at ua.edu  Fri Sep 30 19:34:31 2011
From: allen at ua.edu (Beddingfield, Allen)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:34:31 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>

I have not ordered from these guys, but I have heard good things about 
them.  The price seems a bit high for what you get, though.  Also the 
lack of AMD CPUs is an issue for me.
http://www.system76.com/

I would never order a Thinkpad these days..  after Lenovo ate and 
digested the IBM PC division, quality and customer service has gone down 
the drain.  It is a shame, because Thinkpads were so awesome just a few 
years back.  I have had multiple bad experiences with the Lenovo 
equivalent of the Dell OptiPlex line, and have written them off as a 
never-do-business-with-again company.

Allen B.

Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
The University of Alabama


On 09/30/2011 02:20 PM, Cameron Purvis wrote:
> I've been asked about buying a laptop with Linux - specifically, 
> buying a laptop with *no* Windows attached.  The easiest thing in my 
> book is pick the one that 'feels' the best, make sure it's compatible, 
> and run with it, but I think that part of the point in this purchase 
> is for him to not give MS any money.
>
> Dell appears to have one single Vostro 13.3" n-Series (ubuntu 
> pre-installed, I think).  Dell's kind of a known quantity for better 
> or worse.  Does anyone have any recommendation for a pre-installed 
> Linux laptop?
>
> It's tempting to tell him to just order a ThinkPad and have it 
> delivered to me to set up, then scrape the Windows stickers off and 
> preinstall whatever distro he wants.  I'm not sure how much of the 
> point, as I said, is just avoiding MS completely.

From rworkman at tuxaloosa.org  Fri Sep 30 19:55:24 2011
From: rworkman at tuxaloosa.org (Robby Workman)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:55:24 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>
Message-ID: <20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>

On Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:34:31 -0500
"Beddingfield, Allen" <allen at ua.edu> wrote:

> I have not ordered from these guys, but I have heard good things
> about them.  The price seems a bit high for what you get, though.
> Also the lack of AMD CPUs is an issue for me.
> http://www.system76.com/


Sounds similar to these: http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux_laptops.html

There's another (small) company whose name escapes me, and googling
has not yielded it :/


> I would never order a Thinkpad these days..  after Lenovo ate and 
> digested the IBM PC division, quality and customer service has gone
> down the drain.  It is a shame, because Thinkpads were so awesome
> just a few years back.  I have had multiple bad experiences with the
> Lenovo equivalent of the Dell OptiPlex line, and have written them
> off as a never-do-business-with-again company.


Really?  Have they gone that far down that fast?  I bought my T400
back in 2009, and it's still got the typical "Thinkpad" look, feel,
and reliability.  

-RW

From rworkman at tuxaloosa.org  Fri Sep 30 19:57:08 2011
From: rworkman at tuxaloosa.org (Robby Workman)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:57:08 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>
	<20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
Message-ID: <20110930145708.21da6cf3@liberty.rlwhome.lan>

On Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:55:24 -0500
Robby Workman <rworkman at tuxaloosa.org> wrote:

> There's another (small) company whose name escapes me, and googling
> has not yielded it :/


Ah yes, here it is:  https://zareason.com

I think they sponsored SELF one year - I seem to recall that's how
I know about them...

-RW

From allen at ua.edu  Fri Sep 30 20:04:10 2011
From: allen at ua.edu (Beddingfield, Allen)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:04:10 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>	<4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>
	<20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
Message-ID: <4E8620BA.3080005@ua.edu>

Turnaround time on customized orders is outrageous.  The last custom 
desktop I had someone order was over a month to deliver.  It arrived 
DOA.  The replacement motherboard was DOA.  The one their tech replaced 
may not have been DOA, but was for the wrong system!  2+ months later, 
after more than losing my cool with the manager I got escalated to at 
IBM (yeah, they are still in the mix), they got a new system.  Two more 
cases like that.  I'm pretty much dealing with Acer and HP for any 
consulting work I do outside of my day job these days.
Allen B.

Allen Beddingfield
Systems Engineer
The University of Alabama


On 09/30/2011 02:55 PM, Robby Workman wrote:
>
> Really?  Have they gone that far down that fast?  I bought my T400
> back in 2009, and it's still got the typical "Thinkpad" look, feel,
> and reliability.
>
> -RW
> _______________________________________________
> TUXaloosa mailing list
> TUXaloosa at tuxaloosa.org
> http://tuxaloosa.org/mailman/listinfo/tuxaloosa

From cameron.purvis at gmail.com  Fri Sep 30 19:59:48 2011
From: cameron.purvis at gmail.com (Cameron Purvis)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:59:48 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <20110930145708.21da6cf3@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>
	<20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
	<20110930145708.21da6cf3@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
Message-ID: <CAO2Q8Oge4WGq4c9kHNQ8txw43utzk4XohCxChHZZchViXb-fmA@mail.gmail.com>

>
>
>
> Ah yes, here it is:  https://zareason.com
>
>
I'll check these out.  The problem is I kinda know Dell's problems, but have
never done business with any of these little guys.
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From rworkman at tuxaloosa.org  Fri Sep 30 20:16:39 2011
From: rworkman at tuxaloosa.org (Robby Workman)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 15:16:39 -0500
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <CAO2Q8Oge4WGq4c9kHNQ8txw43utzk4XohCxChHZZchViXb-fmA@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
	<4E8619C7.1020505@ua.edu>
	<20110930145524.7204ed0e@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
	<20110930145708.21da6cf3@liberty.rlwhome.lan>
	<CAO2Q8Oge4WGq4c9kHNQ8txw43utzk4XohCxChHZZchViXb-fmA@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <20110930151639.532fb771@liberty.rlwhome.lan>

On Fri, 30 Sep 2011 14:59:48 -0500
Cameron Purvis <cameron.purvis at gmail.com> wrote:

> > Ah yes, here it is:  https://zareason.com
> >
> >
> I'll check these out.  The problem is I kinda know Dell's problems,
> but have never done business with any of these little guys.


Indeed, and a very valid reason not to choose the little guy, at
least in this particular case.  

If it's *my* money, and I'll be the one having any potential problems,
then I can take a chance and see what happens, but it's a different
story when I'm spending someone else's money and time -- I don't want
a bad experience to reflect unfavorably on my advice/expertise.  :)

-RW

From leprkhn at gmail.com  Fri Sep 30 19:32:59 2011
From: leprkhn at gmail.com (Erik Hanson)
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2011 19:32:59 +0000
Subject: [Tuxaloosa] Linux laptop - sold without Windows?
In-Reply-To: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
References: <CAO2Q8Ogz8za0btJBVaMnJjQ5V+-=hjozK=TX=3=sNzJr=gvJsQ@mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <CAOEp0FekuvNDYxwA=7V3T7GAhwZigj5gRuss7T2aV-fmN7+gfQ@mail.gmail.com>

System76?
On Sep 30, 2011 3:26 PM, "Cameron Purvis" <cameron.purvis at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been asked about buying a laptop with Linux - specifically, buying a
> laptop with *no* Windows attached. The easiest thing in my book is pick
the
> one that 'feels' the best, make sure it's compatible, and run with it, but
I
> think that part of the point in this purchase is for him to not give MS
any
> money.
>
> Dell appears to have one single Vostro 13.3" n-Series (ubuntu
pre-installed,
> I think). Dell's kind of a known quantity for better or worse. Does anyone
> have any recommendation for a pre-installed Linux laptop?
>
> It's tempting to tell him to just order a ThinkPad and have it delivered
to
> me to set up, then scrape the Windows stickers off and preinstall whatever
> distro he wants. I'm not sure how much of the point, as I said, is just
> avoiding MS completely.
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