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The rule of thumb for Thinkpads and Linux is that you'll be fine as long as you get an Intel wifi card (or some other known quantity) and integrated graphics.

The rule of thumb for Thinkpads and Linux is that you'll be fine as long as you get an Intel wifi card (or some other known quantity) and integrated graphics. For example, the NVS 4200M gpu hasn't really worked out of the box for me even on Ubuntu on a T520, nor the Quadro 2000M on a W520, without having to do some fiddling, or (later) knowing what specific packages to install. Optimus or certain multi-monitor setups was a lost cause, so when you do get it to work, the battery life hurts. (I've read things have improved since a couple years ago.) Wifi drivers (such as Intel's) carry proprietary blobs, which you have to install manually on Debian, but they work reliably -- that's only a problem for true open source radicals, or normal computer users that were tricked into using Debian.

vetinari 11y ago
Maybe we got lucky, but unless we do BTO, we won't get other than Intel wifi there. Maybe the local Lenovo representatives really like our market :) The last time I've seen something unsupported was T400 with ATI/Intel hybrid graphics. I disabled the ATI part, as Intel was good enough and ATI was crappy under Windows too. (the ATI part worked under Linux, but the switching between ATI and Intel didn't. So it was use one or another until reboot.) For your NVS4200M gpu, didn't Ubuntu offer you an installation of restricted drivers? I vaguely remember that when you booted on such configuration, there was an icon in upper right tray that did exactly that. The T403s (yes, Intel wifi and Intel graphics) that I'm using right now works out of the box in both Ubuntu and Fedora. On the other hand, when installing Windows 7, it's good to have ethernet driver and tvsu ready at usb stick. (Windows 8 works out of the box too).
- SamReidHughes 11y ago
  > For your NVS4200M gpu, didn't Ubuntu offer you an installation of restricted drivers? I vaguely remember that when you booted on such configuration, there was an icon in upper right tray that did exactly that. Yes, I mean, I vaguely remember that, too. But often that didn't work, and when it did, you still didn't get Optimus, and multi-monitor stuff was still annoying to set up (until you learn to install some nvidia-settings package, but even then you're manually configuring the monitor mappings in a GUI every time you start up). Now it looks like the official drivers let you turn on/off the discrete GPU, but only after restarting X. Maybe using Bumblebee is simpler too now. > On the other hand, when installing Windows 7, it's good to have ethernet driver and tvsu ready at usb stick. (Windows 8 works out of the box too). Lucky. On some Latitude I had to put that on a DVD because the USB support wasn't there.
  - froward 11y ago
    All of the Ubuntu distros have full support for many of Nvidia's cadillac video cards and it's drop in. I was literally playing CS:GO 5 minutes ago on my Xubuntu box I built to game on. I also haven't had to install a driver for any peripheral or other component in any of machines for at least 8 years now. The very few times I do have to do tier 1-2 support for someone on a Windows machine at work, it requires some driver related bullshit for even the most basic devices.
    - hatsix 11y ago
      It's the intel/nvidia combo that is the problem. Optimus isn't well supported yet, so we have to pick battery life or performance. That said, I always choose performance.
froward 11y ago
I don't know whose rule you're referring to, but Atheros has always been far more celebrated in terms of their support and openness towards Linux consumers, appliances, etc. than Intel. They had such an impact on the Linux world that Broadcom ended up opening its drivers as a result.
- SamReidHughes 11y ago
  Thinkpads typically come with two kinds of configuration options, when it comes to wifi: Intel, and "Thinkpad" wifi cards where you don't know what you're going to get.

vetinari 11y ago

Maybe we got lucky, but unless we do BTO, we won't get other than Intel wifi there. Maybe the local Lenovo representatives really like our market :) The last time I've seen something unsupported was T400 with ATI/Intel hybrid graphics. I disabled the ATI part, as Intel was good enough and ATI was crappy under Windows too. (the ATI part worked under Linux, but the switching between ATI and Intel didn't. So it was use one or another until reboot.) For your NVS4200M gpu, didn't Ubuntu offer you an installation of restricted drivers? I vaguely remember that when you booted on such configuration, there was an icon in upper right tray that did exactly that. The T403s (yes, Intel wifi and Intel graphics) that I'm using right now works out of the box in both Ubuntu and Fedora. On the other hand, when installing Windows 7, it's good to have ethernet driver and tvsu ready at usb stick. (Windows 8 works out of the box too).

SamReidHughes 11y ago
> For your NVS4200M gpu, didn't Ubuntu offer you an installation of restricted drivers? I vaguely remember that when you booted on such configuration, there was an icon in upper right tray that did exactly that. Yes, I mean, I vaguely remember that, too. But often that didn't work, and when it did, you still didn't get Optimus, and multi-monitor stuff was still annoying to set up (until you learn to install some nvidia-settings package, but even then you're manually configuring the monitor mappings in a GUI every time you start up). Now it looks like the official drivers let you turn on/off the discrete GPU, but only after restarting X. Maybe using Bumblebee is simpler too now. > On the other hand, when installing Windows 7, it's good to have ethernet driver and tvsu ready at usb stick. (Windows 8 works out of the box too). Lucky. On some Latitude I had to put that on a DVD because the USB support wasn't there.
- froward 11y ago
  All of the Ubuntu distros have full support for many of Nvidia's cadillac video cards and it's drop in. I was literally playing CS:GO 5 minutes ago on my Xubuntu box I built to game on. I also haven't had to install a driver for any peripheral or other component in any of machines for at least 8 years now. The very few times I do have to do tier 1-2 support for someone on a Windows machine at work, it requires some driver related bullshit for even the most basic devices.
  - hatsix 11y ago
    It's the intel/nvidia combo that is the problem. Optimus isn't well supported yet, so we have to pick battery life or performance. That said, I always choose performance.

froward 11y ago

I don't know whose rule you're referring to, but Atheros has always been far more celebrated in terms of their support and openness towards Linux consumers, appliances, etc. than Intel. They had such an impact on the Linux world that Broadcom ended up opening its drivers as a result.

SamReidHughes 11y ago
Thinkpads typically come with two kinds of configuration options, when it comes to wifi: Intel, and "Thinkpad" wifi cards where you don't know what you're going to get.