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I installed (ubuntu) Linux recently on my new HP Spectre x360. Unfortunately, there was some issues still. My webcam didn't work at all. The touchpad was bad in

I installed (ubuntu) Linux recently on my new HP Spectre x360. Unfortunately, there was some issues still. My webcam didn't work at all. The touchpad was bad in comparison to Windows drivers and the graphics drivers sucked. But overall it works much better today than like ~5 years ago. Got back to Windows and I am unsure if I will ever run linux on the desktop full time even if it is a distant dream and have been for long. The only issue is that there is still a lot of issues on many laptops. Most desktops work great and it is easier to switch hardware parts. On laptops, it seems that it's still a dice throw. I hope that changes in the future. Unfortunately, it is the chicken and the egg problem here and will most likely continue. Linux is a lot better than 5 years ago, but so is Windows and MacOS as well even if they both have stuff that sucks. I used to believe that [current year] was the year of linux on desktop, but I no longer believe that mostly because of what makes linux so great, all the choices.

brightball 8y ago
This was a concern that I also had when I switched, but I was in the market for a laptop when I jumped, which led to actively shopping for linux laptops. I ended up settling on Dell Developer Edition and the experience has been virtually perfect. The only thing that doesn't work is the built in fingerprint scanner.
war1025 8y ago
Linux on laptops really comes down to picking the right laptop. I have both a Thinkpad (work) and a Dell Inspiron (home) running Debian. Both work really well by default. I know HN folks tend to really like Thinkpads, but I honestly think the Linux compatibility of my Inspiron is as good if not better. Also just stick to Intel integrated graphics. AMD and NVidia can work, but they are a pain.
mbreese 8y ago
For laptop support, it really helps if you can get ahold of one of these “Linux-first” computers, like the OP. When the components all are supported, the experience is much smoother. But that’s also the downside — often the hardware isn’t supported. Desktop Linux devices just aren’t the top priority for developers. Honestly, if you want to go this route, it’s almost easier to just run Linux in a VM on top of Windows or macOS.
- mscasts 8y ago
  Well, I thought about that while ordering. Sent a mail to System76 which was the only company I knew about besides Dells XPS (that wasn't available in my country at the time). They didn't have chargers that fit with the european sockets and their system was still more expensive than the other options anyway. Plus, if something goes wrong, there is no real support available in my country. I would have to ship it half around the world for any support. Even on hardware that are supposed to be supported, I have many times run into problems because of it only supports x distro or something like that. Sure it often is an pretty easy fix, but you still have to dig into to config files, read forums on the internet to get help.
  - the_duke 8y ago
    Linux is certainly more hassle than Windows/OS X. Since you mentioned XPS: I've been running Arch Linux on a new Dell XPS13 without any issues. Webcam, microphone, touchpad, etc: all works fine.
sam0x17 8y ago
I've had a lot of trouble getting it to work properly on the Surface Book Pro (wifi doesn't work upon resume from sleep), and Lenovo X1 Carbon 2nd Gen (can't adjust screen brightness on OLED screen, which is really bad because it's very bright, and will burn in very quickly). Both of these problems have hacky work-arounds that I can get working myself if I really want to, but it definitely detracts from the experience. Every other laptop I've ever tried has worked perfectly though.

brightball 8y ago

This was a concern that I also had when I switched, but I was in the market for a laptop when I jumped, which led to actively shopping for linux laptops. I ended up settling on Dell Developer Edition and the experience has been virtually perfect. The only thing that doesn't work is the built in fingerprint scanner.

war1025 8y ago

Linux on laptops really comes down to picking the right laptop. I have both a Thinkpad (work) and a Dell Inspiron (home) running Debian. Both work really well by default. I know HN folks tend to really like Thinkpads, but I honestly think the Linux compatibility of my Inspiron is as good if not better. Also just stick to Intel integrated graphics. AMD and NVidia can work, but they are a pain.

mbreese 8y ago

For laptop support, it really helps if you can get ahold of one of these “Linux-first” computers, like the OP. When the components all are supported, the experience is much smoother. But that’s also the downside — often the hardware isn’t supported. Desktop Linux devices just aren’t the top priority for developers. Honestly, if you want to go this route, it’s almost easier to just run Linux in a VM on top of Windows or macOS.

mscasts 8y ago
Well, I thought about that while ordering. Sent a mail to System76 which was the only company I knew about besides Dells XPS (that wasn't available in my country at the time). They didn't have chargers that fit with the european sockets and their system was still more expensive than the other options anyway. Plus, if something goes wrong, there is no real support available in my country. I would have to ship it half around the world for any support. Even on hardware that are supposed to be supported, I have many times run into problems because of it only supports x distro or something like that. Sure it often is an pretty easy fix, but you still have to dig into to config files, read forums on the internet to get help.
- the_duke 8y ago
  Linux is certainly more hassle than Windows/OS X. Since you mentioned XPS: I've been running Arch Linux on a new Dell XPS13 without any issues. Webcam, microphone, touchpad, etc: all works fine.

sam0x17 8y ago

I've had a lot of trouble getting it to work properly on the Surface Book Pro (wifi doesn't work upon resume from sleep), and Lenovo X1 Carbon 2nd Gen (can't adjust screen brightness on OLED screen, which is really bad because it's very bright, and will burn in very quickly). Both of these problems have hacky work-arounds that I can get working myself if I really want to, but it definitely detracts from the experience. Every other laptop I've ever tried has worked perfectly though.