23 ms·

4th Gen KDE Slimbook – Linux Ultrabook with an AMD Ryzen 7 5700U

341 points by jrepinc 4y ago

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
maverick74 4y ago
I wish there were more initiatives like this!
- pjmlp 4y ago
  Check also Tuxedo, and several Amazon stores in Europe do sell laptops with Linux pre-installed (that is how I got my Asus 1215B back in 2009).
  - maverick74 4y ago
    Tuxedo!!! I had completely forgotten about Tuxedo!!! Thanks for the tip :)
kiwijamo 4y ago
Interesting that they're building hardware specifically for KDE. Can't be a large market for that. As a GNOME user I love the look of the hardware but find it strange they are not simply supporting one of the common Linux distros and allowing users their choice of desktop environment.
- krageon 4y ago
  More importantly the keyboard is Spanish by default and cannot be changed to a US layout - only the weird localised layouts that (almost) nobody likes. That's easily the weirdest thing about this store for me.
  - JaumeGreen 4y ago
    On the US layout it says "Agotado", which means they have run out of them. BTW, almost no one in US may like those layouts, but for each of the speakers of those languages they are quite important.
    - jacereda 4y ago
      Try again, looks like they fixed the page.
    - krageon 4y ago
      I disagree. Most people do fine with US-intl keyboards, perhaps with extensions to specific keys such as alt gr to type a few dedicated diacritics or other altered letters. The trouble with regional keyboards is that they frequently move special characters around for very little actual reason (and that isn't saying anything about the whole AZERTY thing, which is incomprehensible).
      - fmoralesc 4y ago
        AZERTY is plainly the worst.
  - nixcraft 4y ago
    You need to see the laptop page and scroll down to get a Keyboard section. Now you can select en-US https://slimbook.es/en/store/slimbook-kde/kde-slimbook-16-comprar https://slimbook.es/en/store/slimbook-kde/kde-slimbook-16-co... I think folks outside the EU zone need to pay customs duty on imports. So, if you are in the US, go for System 76 (AMD/Intel), HP Dev One (AMD), or Dell Dev Edition XPS (Intel).
    - krageon 4y ago
      Those keyboards were listed as out of stock when I looked. Perhaps this has changed in the meantime.
  - boopmaster 4y ago
    https://slimbook.es/en/us https://slimbook.es/en/us Good callout. The about page says they are based in Spain + the prices are in Euros.
- Shadonototra 4y ago
  gnome is not the most popular and you can install what ever you want
  - 3np 4y ago
    > gnome is not the most popular That's a surprising statement. Got any reference?
    - Shadonototra 4y ago
      Among gamers it is not: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey And among everyone else it is not: https://distrowatch.com/ https://distrowatch.com/ Ubuntu for desktop stopped being popular the day they switched to Gnome3 It coincides with the rise of Manjaro (and Arch) wich comes preinstalled with XFCE, mint also showing strong presence
- circularfoyers 4y ago
  I don't think there's anything specific about the hardware for KDE besides the logo. I think this is more about giving back to the community, which I personally think it admirable and makes me look upon Slimbook more favorably. > Remember that with every purchase, KDE receives a donation from Slimbook and KDE Community members get a generous discount! https://dot.kde.org/2022/07/06/new-kde-slimbook-4-now-available https://dot.kde.org/2022/07/06/new-kde-slimbook-4-now-availa...
- elcritch 4y ago
  Because it's a laptop built in co-operation with the KDE Project. It's mean to give KDE developers a "showcase" laptop platform. From the original Slimbook 1 release: The KDE Slimbook allows KDE to offer our users a laptop which has been tested directly by KDE developers, on the exact same hardware and software configuration that the users get, and where any potential hardware-related issues have already been ironed out before a new version of our software is shipped to them. https://dot.kde.org/2017/01/26/kde-and-slimbook-release-laptop-kde-fans https://dot.kde.org/2017/01/26/kde-and-slimbook-release-lapt...
- allenskd 4y ago
  I feel like if KDE really wanted to build hardware specifically for KDE then they would and SHOULD bring in Qt Developers (The QT Company) onboard for the best optimizations of the desktop environment....
- padraic7a 4y ago
  They ship reskinned Ubuntu too. It's called Slimbook OS for IP reasons. You can also install vanilla Ubuntu yourself and add the Slimbook PPA for hardware specific stuff. I have the Slimbook Pro X 15 and have found their service to be very good.
minimaul 4y ago
Is there some hardware limitation of AMD Ryzen laptop processors that prevents a high-res display? Every time I see one of these laptops (like the recent HP linux laptop, etc), I think they look really interesting except that I wish they had a higher res display - I've not seen any Ryzen laptop with what I'd call a premium display - something high DPI.
- azangru 4y ago
  > Is there some hardware limitation of AMD Ryzen laptop processors that prevents a high-res display? It's probably a limitation of the company they source the laptops from (Clevo?) :-) The recently announced Tuxedo Pulse 2 [0] has a 1440p display; and the teased Starlabs Starfighter [1] is expected to come with a 4K display. Both are AMD laptops. === [0] - https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Notebooks/15-16-inch/TUXEDO-Pulse-15-Gen2.tuxedo https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Notebooks/... [1] - https://9to5linux.com/star-labs-teases-the-starfighter-linux-laptop-with-4k-display-amd-or-intel-processors https://9to5linux.com/star-labs-teases-the-starfighter-linux...
  - _odey 4y ago
    The Tuxedo Pulse 2 looks amazing. They really addressed all of the complaints we had (purchased at the beginning of the year for our company). I still have minor nitpicks with it, but those pale in comparison with the display port upgrade they did.
    - mariusor 4y ago
      For me the worst on the Pulse is the battery. Had to change one after one year and the new one is losing charge at a seemingly higher pace than other machines. :(
      - lhl 4y ago
        I have a 2y old PF5NU1G (a second run Mechrevo CODE 01) as well, and the battery has decayed to ~73Wh (from a 91Wh original design). The one bright side is that the replacement battery, PFIDG-03-13-3S2P-0, seems to be pretty cheap ($60, shipped by boat from China) if you know you're going to stick to the same laptop for a while... https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256803017144797.html https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256803017144797.html
darrenf 4y ago
Similarly, since a couple of weeks ago Starlabs Systems offer their Starbook with Ryzen 7 5800U: https://starlabs.systems/blogs/news/the-starbook-now-comes-with-the-option-of-ryzen https://starlabs.systems/blogs/news/the-starbook-now-comes-w...
ho_schi 4y ago
I appreciate this effort, even as GNOME-User and while I prefer smaller ThinkPads (13').
thanatos519 4y ago
Which of these comes with a 4K display?
- sscarduzio 4y ago
  None. I cannot understand why. Like all linux-preinstalled laptops. The only exception are Dell XPS line.
  - 3np 4y ago
    There are other exceptions from Tuxedo Computers and Starlabs Systems mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Though yeah, Clevo and others improving their display game would be a gamechanger.
  - philliphaydon 4y ago
    X1 Extreme.
  - twaw 4y ago
    I have HP Chrome 13" with 4k IPS. I love it. But it has one bright pixel now.
  - ajvs 4y ago
    I have an older XPS and I'd never buy a newer one with 4K display - too much battery life consumption for marginally better results.
- charles_kaw 4y ago
  I don't know why this is getting down-voted? It's a serious question. 1080p density on a 15in display looks horrible.
  - 3np 4y ago
    Because it should be obvious that there is no such option, so the question is not in good faith. Currently the most top-voted comment raises the same issue with different words.
jokethrowaway 4y ago
Incredible to see Wayland on a laptop out of the box, just 13 years after their first release
allenskd 4y ago
I may or may not be super knowledgeable on the subject have the KDE Slimbook team considered going full with ARM chips instead of the x86_64 processors? I keep reading how ARM is more "efficient" and lower power consumption altogether. I also noticed that some Windows-laptop devices are shipping with ARM as well. (Windows on ARM not being new if you have been following Microsoft closely)
- 867-5309 4y ago
  this looks like it's aimed at creative types, graphics rendering and video editing on ARM would be painful ARM is situated firmly within the efficient end of the efficiency-power Venn, whereas this pushed towards sharing the middle with powerful
  - allenskd 4y ago
    Out of curiosity Apple M1 Chips being ARM-based (I own a m1-powered laptop) I... honestly haven't really noticed any slow down while using ffmpeg but granted I don't do encoding/transcoding a whole lot and my usage of editors like Affinity Designer/Photos is pretty basic. But on that note I feel like a budget laptop for the masses with ARM-chips would be quite the spot for many people include my father. he doesn't need any application just being able to use a browser. ( I guess, a more open, less shady Chromebook-like equivalent). Well, I guess I just say this because my experience with the m1 chip has been way over the top to the point I haven't really noticed any slow down with docker/vscode/etc etc.
    - deleted 4y ago
      [deleted]
    - yywwbbn 4y ago
      Apple seems to be a couple of generations ahead of every other ARM vendor. e.g. the Qualcomm SQ2 doesn’t seem to bad on paper but it’s several times slower than the m1 and barely competitive with the more power efficient AMD chips.
  - scythe 4y ago
nicolas_t 4y ago
They block any connections from HK so I'm not allowed to access the site. The number of sites blocking any connections from certain countries like Hong Kong as increased lately, it's becoming rather frustrating and I can't really see the reasoning behind it.
- bloopernova 4y ago
  In my experience, China and Russia get blocked by many corporations' web application firewalls (WAFs) or other firewalls. You may be caught by that restriction.
- triknomeister 4y ago
  The number of spam connections emerging from China and Russia are huge. For small firms who might not have the expertise or the budget to host things on CloudFlare, wholesale blocking off IP addresses from the two countries results in almost 100% decrease in spam. I have a VPS which I maintain for myself to experiment with different services, and I do the same. The number of spam attempt to connect on my ssh port went down from around 10k per day to 1 per week.
  - b112 4y ago
    Yup, for all my clients it is Russia, China, Brazil, Vietnam. It's all floods, spam, hacks, bots, malware, with zero market for my clients. All downside, zero upside in accepting any traffic from those places.
- philliphaydon 4y ago
  I'm in Taiwan and am also blocked. What did Taiwan do wrong?
  - bmacho 4y ago
    It's strange, clicking the "International websites"[0] at the bottom right, they explicitly state that they'd allow calling the Mandarin version Taiwan instead of China, if the translator wanted. There is a public mail list[1][2] of the webmasters at the bottom of the page as well, if you want to talk them. [0] : https://kde.org/support/international/ https://kde.org/support/international/ [1] : mailto://kde-www@kde.org [2] : https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/kde-www/ https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/kde-www/
disposedtrolley 4y ago
I'm disappointed that the three photos in the Gallery with the laptop in use aren't actually showing what the screen would look like IRL; they've been cleverly doctored by overlaying screenshots on top of the display.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
capableweb 4y ago
Is there any high-end Linux laptops with matte displays? Everything seems to be using glossy displays, which after being used to use a matte one, is simply impossible to use, especially when using the laptop outside or in a sunny room.
- tomclancy 4y ago
  Check out System76 laptops, they have matte displays (at least my Lemur Pro does)
- mateuszf 4y ago
  https://pl.starlabs.systems/pages/starbook https://pl.starlabs.systems/pages/starbook
- acomjean 4y ago
  System 76 laptops tend to have matte screens.
- sofixa 4y ago
  Depends on what you mean by "Linux laptop", but Dell XPS Developer Edition (comes with Ubuntu) have matte display options.
- bartvk 4y ago
  I have the same problem with MacBooks. I always apply a matte screen protector. If you live in The Netherlands: https://www.smartfolie.com/ https://www.smartfolie.com/
  - Silica6149 4y ago
    Macbook displays, although glossy, are generally better compared to other glossy displays with respect to reflections. Do you use your macbook in a particularly bright room/outside?
    - bartvk 4y ago
      No but I've got macOS usually set to dark mode. So the whole thing is really a self-created problem :-)
dochico 4y ago
Would be great to have a 16/10 aspect ratio but what is even more important is a decent brightness. Does someone know if the RAM is glued in or easily replaceable ? Wondering when we will finally see a good ARM-Notebook with high memory >=32GB RAM
- red_trumpet 4y ago
  The ThinkPad X13s runs a Snapdragon and allows up to 32 GB RAM. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadx/thinkpad-x13s-(13-inch-snapdragon)/len101t0019?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fduckduckgo.com%252F https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadx/th...
- lhl 4y ago
  You get 2 x SODIMM slots. I run my last-gen (4800H) version w/ 64GB of DDR4-3200 w/o any issues.
IYasha 4y ago
> KDE Slimbook 4 > The most popular HTML, CSS, and JS library in the world. What??
- srevinsaju 4y ago
  looks like KDE Slimbook uses bootstrap for the website :P
gabereiser 4y ago
Doesn't exactly look very slim, Bob. I'm not expecting Macbook Air level slimness but we can definitely do better than this. I'm not a fan of older display technology as well. A glossy 1080p screen just isn't good enough anymore. I need more pixel density so I can have more code up on screen (sure, at smaller perceived font sizes). It's almost like all these Linux laptop makers are using older, discarded, excess inventory the factories had lying around.
- vimsee 4y ago
  I can not really tell pixels apart with 1920 by 1080 resolution on a 14 or 15.6 inch monitor as often seen on laptops. For reference. I am using a 24 inch monitor (8 to 10-ish more inches) with 1920 by 1080 and I am not to upset about that.
  - sk0g 4y ago
    And for a differing point of view, I had a hell of a time finding 1440/1600p laptops with the specs I was after. Not 1080p, I'd like screen real estate, and not 4K, because fractional scaling on Windows is not that great. So many good laptops have only 1080p options, but I ruled them out instantly because it's a pixelated, rough experience. Laptops are usually used with the screen much closer to you, so for me at least 1440p is the lowest I'd accept.
  - gabereiser 4y ago
    I can tell. Edge aliasing, font crispness, pixel density. I don’t want 4k in 14” but we can do better than 1080p now.
- tasuki 4y ago
  How slim do you want your laptop to be? Slimmer than 17mm? Why? What advantage does this give you? Your backpack is 30mm thick and wouldn't fit a sandwich anymore? You want to slide your laptop under the door and there's only a 12mm hole? You want to look hip in a café and 17mm doesn't cut it? Weight makes a difference, sure. Apart from that I care about the thermals and ability to replace parts, both of which are better on thicker laptops.
StillBored 4y ago
Does anyone have a full bios manual (and/or the bios unlock sequence to get to the hidden menu's)? While this is shipped with Linux, I'm not sure I trust the slimbook people to have put a lot of work into assuring, particularly that it doesn't drain an unnecessarily amount of battery in standby and/or that it hibernates properly.
- lhl 4y ago
  You can search for the keywords on PF5NU1G, BIOS, AMIBCP, EC and find plenty of discussions there (w/ info on making your own unlocked BIOS if you want), although the Tuxedo/Schenker people have also done a fair amount of work making sure the laptop works well with Linux. The point general of buying from a Linux computer mfgr is to get a supported machine, so if you don't trust Slimbook, you can order basically the same laptop (w/ a slightly better display) from Tuxedo or similar class Linux laptops from Star Labs, HP, System76, or Framework.
virtualritz 4y ago
A 2k screen in 2022? I haven't used a non-HDPI laptop since a decade (bought the first retina MBP at the time). I can't understand how people can still use such displays today. Also the CPU. It's from last year. I just ordered a Xiaomi RedmiBook Pro with R7 6800H and additional Nvidia GPU – 1.200€. It will Linux just fine but with more 2022ish hardware specs. :) It's also slimmer than the 'Slimbook' (14.9mm vs 16.7mm).
- t-3 4y ago
  Is 2k bad or good for '22? I still haven't moved past 1080p, so I'm not sure how to take "can't understand how people can still use such displays today."
  - Silica6149 4y ago
    I think most consumers haven't experienced/don't care about high DPI. Programmers on the other hand look at text all day so it's understandable we prefer crisp text.
- sk0g 4y ago
  Confusingly, 2K typically refers to 2560*1440. By that logic 4k would be a resolution greater than 3840*2160 of course, so I'm not sure how sound the naming convention is.
atemerev 4y ago
1920x1080 display? In 2022?
black_puppydog 4y ago
Wow this looks amazing. Non-soldered RAM would be a feature but I'm not sure from the description... If anyone from the team is reading that: add that info to the page, it's a really nice feature. Non-soldered SSD is the really important one though for me. And not sure why I can't select two non-samsung 2TB SSDs but that's details anyhow.
- Silica6149 4y ago
  The second m.2 ssd slot can be configured to be empty so I figure that at least that slot is non-soldered to allow for users to put in their own ssd.
- ognarb 4y ago
  KDE team member here: I asked internally to our contact at Slimbook and both the RAM and SSD are non-soldered. This should indeed be on the website, I will try to squeeze some time tonight to do so :)
  - WASDx 4y ago
    Is the "8 GPU cores" a typo?
  - jseliger 4y ago
    Problem is: https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/1542529665449226240 https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/1542529665449226240
- innocenat 4y ago
  The spec page said "Has 2 sockets, dual channel from 16GB". Not sure if it was just recently changed though.
GrantZvolsky 4y ago
Does the lid open a full 180 degrees and is the hinge sufficiently strong to support the lid if propped up against a wall?
- waynesonfire 4y ago
  Gosh I really hope so. That's how I laptop.
- ognarb 4y ago
  > Does the lid open a full 180 degrees? No, only around 150-160 degrees > is the hinge sufficiently strong to support the lid if propped up against a wall? Looks strong enough to me for my 3th Gen KDE Slimbook
waynesonfire 4y ago
So many great laptop options out there besides mac. Wish there was like a laptop conference where one could sample all the offerings. I could never buy a laptop without first trying it.
- schaefer 4y ago
  Make use of the 30 day return window. I tried hp dev one, but the screen’s viewing angle was so bad I couldn’t position the screen so that I could see all four corners at once without color shift. I owned it less than one week.
kogepathic 4y ago
The Ryzen 7 5700U is Zen2 based: https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Zen/AMD-Ryzen%207%20Mobile%205700U.html https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Zen/AMD-Ryzen%207%20Mobile%20... Not that great a deal when Zen3 based notebooks (5400/5600/5800U) have been out for over a year already. It is baffling to me why AMD chose to have the odd-numbered 5000 series (5300/5500/5700) with Zen2, and the even-numbered 5000 with Zen3.
- javajosh 4y ago
  In the 80's the IEEE determined that CPU part designations must be sociopathic or manufacturers would be heavily fined.
  - Wohlf 4y ago
    I don't think anything can top how bad GPU naming from the 2000s was.
- formerly_proven 4y ago
  > It is baffling to me why AMD chose to have the odd-numbered 5000 series (5300/5500/5700) with Zen2, and the even-numbered 5000 with Zen3. Oh no, it's actually even worse than that. 5300U/5500U/5700U are Zen 2 (Lucienne, Renoir Refresh). 5300G/5400U/5700G/5700H are Zen 3 (Cezanne). I find it remarkable how AMD started a completely new, fairly sane naming scheme from scratch and screwed it completely up within two generations (Remember 3200G/3400G? Pepperidge Farm remembers).
  - webmobdev 4y ago
    I remember reading somewhere that this kind of convulated naming convention is intentional (both by Intel and AMD). Consumers prefer to buy the latest and fastest CPU they can afford. Such convulated designations confuse the consumer on what is the latest, and ensure old / previous generation stocks can still be sold for a good price.
fareesh 4y ago
Wayland is usable as a daily driver?
- Lio 4y ago
  Yes. Fedora and Ubuntu are both Wayland by default now. I've been using Wayland for years now and it's pretty rock solid at this point. I occasionally see a few apps that don't seem to play nice with a HiDPI/1440 mix of displays but that gets better day by day and is now pretty rare for me.
- WuxiFingerHold 4y ago
  Not if you need fractional scaling. But that's the only limitation I'm aware of. As these days many users have HiDPI displays I'm really surprised that Wayland still doesn't support it properly (please don't tell me to scale my font size ...) and why so many distros use Wayland as default.
  - mixmastamyk 4y ago
    Doesn’t do screen sharing for video conferencing I’m told.
    - ajvs 4y ago
      It does, just not every app has updated to support PipeWire (which is necessary for Wayland screensharing). Zoom has, Teams hasn't for example.
rowanG077 4y ago
CPU base GHz(lower is better)? This is a mistake, higher is better.
- Silica6149 4y ago
  I think they mean that lower base GHz is better because the laptop drains less battery when idle or doing low effort tasks.
  - rowanG077 4y ago
    Those are orthogonal really since your laptop clock can still go below base clock when idle.
totallyblasted 4y ago
I'd be interested in this if the display had a 2k or higher resolution and 120 hz or higher refresh rate.
- lhl 4y ago
  Here's the version you want: https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/vrb1me/tuxedo_pulse_15_gen2_successor_with_wqhd_display/ https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/vrb1me/tux...
qwerty456127 4y ago
How much Gbps does the USB-C port support? Does the HDMI port support 4K displays?
hedora 4y ago
Arghhh! Why can’t Linux laptop manufacturers center touchpads under the keyboards anymore? Also, this is lower resolution than the display I was using with Linux 20 years ago.
- turbinerneiter 4y ago
  Why would they? Your hands are not in the center of the keyboard in the base position either. I'm seriously asking, I have no idea right now what the more ergonomic option would be.
  - hedora 4y ago
    Oh, you’re right. The keyboard is off center too. However, the trackpad isn’t centered under the base position. I’d prefer the center of the screen, case, alphanumeric keys and touchpad to all be along the same vertical line — like literally every laptop I have ever owned.
    - innocenat 4y ago
      It take your comment for me to realise that the laptop I am typing this on, Thinkpad Carbon X1, doesn't have its trackpad on the exact center either. And it doesn't bother me one bit.
    - turbinerneiter 4y ago
      Why tough? For looks or for ergonomics?
okp2o3ji23j 4y ago
Linux as a desktop machine is horrible. Dozens of package managers, distros, UIs, everything. Instead of creating one thing right and bug-free, linux devs prefer to waste their time reinventing the wheel.
- b112 4y ago
  No, choice is far better, for there is no single solution for all. There just isn't. It is as if you are arguing that there should only be one motorized personal transportation device. No small or large cars, no trucks or motorcycles. Different people have different needs.
- fortyseven 4y ago
  Yes, dad.
- smoldesu 4y ago
  Correct. Somehow, though, Linux does "everything" better than any other OS I've used in the past. Relative to MacOS and Windows, Linux really can be the best of both worlds. Linux still plays the games that MacOS and even Windows do not. Linux is still getting regular updates on my laptop from 2007. It hosts my Plex server, handles the majority of my work-related tasks, and generally it doesn't really complain. Having spent dozens of hours working around roadblocks in MacOS and tweaking Windows to just barely be a dev environment, I'm perfectly happy to use Linux even if though it is total garbage, because the kernel is almost undeniably better than modern NT or XNU. I still think the world of Linux desktop development is a total disaster, though. GNOME is out for blood, KDE is building great stuff on a terrible library, and everyone else is just shifting uncomfortably because Wayland still isn't desktop-agnostic (much less hardware-agnostic, for that matter). The way things are headed, I wouldn't be surprised if Linux was almost entirely unsupported by Slack/Spotify/Discord in 2025.
- ezekiel11 4y ago
  what I really dislike is some linux user trying to brush those things off as a non-issue, it sure is for non-seasoned users. and this to me is the biggest hinderance to its wide adoption. it caters to a specific crowd.
hedora 4y ago
Wayland would break my workflow (evilwm does not work with it). Any idea if these can run X11? Separately, what about OpenBSD?
- lhl 4y ago
  X11 works fine w/ the 4800H version. The 5700U uses the same iGPU so I'd expect it would work fine as well.
stakkur 4y ago
I love that there are many offerings like this. But when it comes to laptops and Linux, I never buy a 'good Linux laptop'--I buy 'a good laptop that also runs Linux well'. There's really no such thing as a 'Linux laptop' for me--I want a great laptop first, Linux compatibility second.
- acomjean 4y ago
  I love that there are offering like this too. When I bought the The main thing for me was "is this thing linux compatable", so pre-installed linux was worth the extra $ for me. I just couldn't bring myself to try and figure out which notebooks where compatible. I couldn't figure out how to determine if a machine ran linux. There are so many models and subtle differences. So I ended up with a "Clevo" rebranded notebook, without actually seeing it physically first. Its big, oddly decent (I came from a 2015 macbook pro, which is a high bar) and besides one fan grinding, its been solid. (That might be on me.. but I could get a spare and replace it..) It plays steam and over the 4 years I've owned it linux has gotten better and better.
sto_hristo 4y ago
Something like that but in the clothes of a XPS (but not as thin for the sake of thinness by sacrificing cooling). I'd eat it right away.
gorgoiler 4y ago
This looks lovely but I’m over pretty slim things, at least for personal use. I have an Apple device for work but at home I want something for hacking. What’s the closest thing I can buy to a cyber-deck laptop, these days?
- krolden 4y ago
  https://www.mntmn.com/media/reform_md/2020-05-08-the-much-more-personal-computer.html https://www.mntmn.com/media/reform_md/2020-05-08-the-much-mo...
  - gorgoiler 4y ago
    Very nice. These ARM socs work best when they can run stock OSs. The best ones can, the worst ones need GitHub curl hack after hack. I wonder how MNT’s product stands up to this test?
- user-one1 4y ago
  https://frame.work/ https://frame.work/
ezekiel11 4y ago
a thousand euros for a linux ultrabook is a bit of a stretch. there are many alternatives AND I can run both operating systems via dual boot.
convery 4y ago
> CPU base GHz (lower is better) Ehh.. Seems like an odd inclusion when every OS will downclock and put cores into idle..
chirau 4y ago
Can I eventually install Windows on this machine to replace this OS? Or these devices are like Macs where I can't install another OS as primary. If I can, what is the value preposition of 'Linux out of the box' if I can install exactly the same OS from a USB?
- tuetuopay 4y ago
  The assurance that all hardware works properly and is compatible with Linux. It’s always a gamble to buy a laptop and expecting everything will work with an alternate OS.
- 8K832d7tNmiQ 4y ago
  The same exact reason you've never seen an average person tried to even manually upgrade windows using flash drive. Why is this still need to be discussed again?
ruined 4y ago
1080p why
tlhunter 4y ago
I love KDE. I've used it as my daily driver for several years now. Despite having so many features it's surprisingly lightweight on the resources. I've used it on everything from beefy Lenovo T- series to little netbooks that I would otherwise run OpenBox on. KDE Neon was really buggy when I tried the last LTS. Lots of programs had theming issues. The Kubuntu LTS, on the other hand, left me with a much smoother experience. Neither are perfect, sadly. A core issue with KDE is that of theme installation (Cursors, Window Decorations, etc.) KDE ships with utilities to discover, download, and install theme components. While using Kubuntu, about 25% of the time, I find that a given theme is just impossible to install. Usually it'll be a network error or sometimes the downloaded package seems broken. With Neon, I had a 100% failure rate. Even once you do get a theme installed, it usually looks nothing like the preview. Theme developers often end up relying on third party tools, usually around compositing / GPU rendering. These tools are difficult to install and don't seem to work with all hardware. The Slimbook ships with Neon. Personally, I'd replace it with Kubuntu. Of course, there are other distros available where KDE can be installed in. In my experience, the KDE-first distros provide a smoother UX than others. It's as if all the KDE apps play better together when an OS comes with them all bundled in together than if you choose to piecemeal install them.
- int_19h 4y ago
  I've tried a bunch of KDE-centric distros, and Manjaro seems to be the best polished in my experience.
gkhartman 4y ago
This seems like a very nice laptop for the cost, but for a bit more you could have the framework laptop. A few hundred bucks more seems like a reasonable trade for something reparable and upgradable in place of a rebranded white box laptop.
- aluminaient 4y ago
  Or if you want same level of reparability as framework with less novelty factor: starlabs.systems are doing great things.

341 points by jrepinc 4y ago

deleted 4y ago

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maverick74 4y ago

I wish there were more initiatives like this!

pjmlp 4y ago
Check also Tuxedo, and several Amazon stores in Europe do sell laptops with Linux pre-installed (that is how I got my Asus 1215B back in 2009).
- maverick74 4y ago
  Tuxedo!!! I had completely forgotten about Tuxedo!!! Thanks for the tip :)

kiwijamo 4y ago

Interesting that they're building hardware specifically for KDE. Can't be a large market for that. As a GNOME user I love the look of the hardware but find it strange they are not simply supporting one of the common Linux distros and allowing users their choice of desktop environment.

krageon 4y ago
More importantly the keyboard is Spanish by default and cannot be changed to a US layout - only the weird localised layouts that (almost) nobody likes. That's easily the weirdest thing about this store for me.
- JaumeGreen 4y ago
  On the US layout it says "Agotado", which means they have run out of them. BTW, almost no one in US may like those layouts, but for each of the speakers of those languages they are quite important.
  - jacereda 4y ago
    Try again, looks like they fixed the page.
  - krageon 4y ago
    I disagree. Most people do fine with US-intl keyboards, perhaps with extensions to specific keys such as alt gr to type a few dedicated diacritics or other altered letters. The trouble with regional keyboards is that they frequently move special characters around for very little actual reason (and that isn't saying anything about the whole AZERTY thing, which is incomprehensible).
    - fmoralesc 4y ago
      AZERTY is plainly the worst.
- nixcraft 4y ago
  You need to see the laptop page and scroll down to get a Keyboard section. Now you can select en-US https://slimbook.es/en/store/slimbook-kde/kde-slimbook-16-comprar https://slimbook.es/en/store/slimbook-kde/kde-slimbook-16-co... I think folks outside the EU zone need to pay customs duty on imports. So, if you are in the US, go for System 76 (AMD/Intel), HP Dev One (AMD), or Dell Dev Edition XPS (Intel).
  - krageon 4y ago
    Those keyboards were listed as out of stock when I looked. Perhaps this has changed in the meantime.
- boopmaster 4y ago
  https://slimbook.es/en/us https://slimbook.es/en/us Good callout. The about page says they are based in Spain + the prices are in Euros.
Shadonototra 4y ago
gnome is not the most popular and you can install what ever you want
- 3np 4y ago
  > gnome is not the most popular That's a surprising statement. Got any reference?
  - Shadonototra 4y ago
    Among gamers it is not: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey And among everyone else it is not: https://distrowatch.com/ https://distrowatch.com/ Ubuntu for desktop stopped being popular the day they switched to Gnome3 It coincides with the rise of Manjaro (and Arch) wich comes preinstalled with XFCE, mint also showing strong presence
circularfoyers 4y ago
I don't think there's anything specific about the hardware for KDE besides the logo. I think this is more about giving back to the community, which I personally think it admirable and makes me look upon Slimbook more favorably. > Remember that with every purchase, KDE receives a donation from Slimbook and KDE Community members get a generous discount! https://dot.kde.org/2022/07/06/new-kde-slimbook-4-now-available https://dot.kde.org/2022/07/06/new-kde-slimbook-4-now-availa...
elcritch 4y ago
Because it's a laptop built in co-operation with the KDE Project. It's mean to give KDE developers a "showcase" laptop platform. From the original Slimbook 1 release: The KDE Slimbook allows KDE to offer our users a laptop which has been tested directly by KDE developers, on the exact same hardware and software configuration that the users get, and where any potential hardware-related issues have already been ironed out before a new version of our software is shipped to them. https://dot.kde.org/2017/01/26/kde-and-slimbook-release-laptop-kde-fans https://dot.kde.org/2017/01/26/kde-and-slimbook-release-lapt...
allenskd 4y ago
I feel like if KDE really wanted to build hardware specifically for KDE then they would and SHOULD bring in Qt Developers (The QT Company) onboard for the best optimizations of the desktop environment....
padraic7a 4y ago
They ship reskinned Ubuntu too. It's called Slimbook OS for IP reasons. You can also install vanilla Ubuntu yourself and add the Slimbook PPA for hardware specific stuff. I have the Slimbook Pro X 15 and have found their service to be very good.

minimaul 4y ago

Is there some hardware limitation of AMD Ryzen laptop processors that prevents a high-res display? Every time I see one of these laptops (like the recent HP linux laptop, etc), I think they look really interesting except that I wish they had a higher res display - I've not seen any Ryzen laptop with what I'd call a premium display - something high DPI.

azangru 4y ago
> Is there some hardware limitation of AMD Ryzen laptop processors that prevents a high-res display? It's probably a limitation of the company they source the laptops from (Clevo?) :-) The recently announced Tuxedo Pulse 2 [0] has a 1440p display; and the teased Starlabs Starfighter [1] is expected to come with a 4K display. Both are AMD laptops. === [0] - https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Notebooks/15-16-inch/TUXEDO-Pulse-15-Gen2.tuxedo https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en/Linux-Hardware/Notebooks/... [1] - https://9to5linux.com/star-labs-teases-the-starfighter-linux-laptop-with-4k-display-amd-or-intel-processors https://9to5linux.com/star-labs-teases-the-starfighter-linux...
- _odey 4y ago
  The Tuxedo Pulse 2 looks amazing. They really addressed all of the complaints we had (purchased at the beginning of the year for our company). I still have minor nitpicks with it, but those pale in comparison with the display port upgrade they did.
  - mariusor 4y ago
    For me the worst on the Pulse is the battery. Had to change one after one year and the new one is losing charge at a seemingly higher pace than other machines. :(
    - lhl 4y ago
      I have a 2y old PF5NU1G (a second run Mechrevo CODE 01) as well, and the battery has decayed to ~73Wh (from a 91Wh original design). The one bright side is that the replacement battery, PFIDG-03-13-3S2P-0, seems to be pretty cheap ($60, shipped by boat from China) if you know you're going to stick to the same laptop for a while... https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256803017144797.html https://www.aliexpress.com/i/3256803017144797.html

darrenf 4y ago

Similarly, since a couple of weeks ago Starlabs Systems offer their Starbook with Ryzen 7 5800U: https://starlabs.systems/blogs/news/the-starbook-now-comes-with-the-option-of-ryzen https://starlabs.systems/blogs/news/the-starbook-now-comes-w...

ho_schi 4y ago

I appreciate this effort, even as GNOME-User and while I prefer smaller ThinkPads (13').

thanatos519 4y ago

Which of these comes with a 4K display?

sscarduzio 4y ago
None. I cannot understand why. Like all linux-preinstalled laptops. The only exception are Dell XPS line.
- 3np 4y ago
  There are other exceptions from Tuxedo Computers and Starlabs Systems mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Though yeah, Clevo and others improving their display game would be a gamechanger.
- philliphaydon 4y ago
  X1 Extreme.
- twaw 4y ago
  I have HP Chrome 13" with 4k IPS. I love it. But it has one bright pixel now.
- ajvs 4y ago
  I have an older XPS and I'd never buy a newer one with 4K display - too much battery life consumption for marginally better results.
charles_kaw 4y ago
I don't know why this is getting down-voted? It's a serious question. 1080p density on a 15in display looks horrible.
- 3np 4y ago
  Because it should be obvious that there is no such option, so the question is not in good faith. Currently the most top-voted comment raises the same issue with different words.

jokethrowaway 4y ago

Incredible to see Wayland on a laptop out of the box, just 13 years after their first release

allenskd 4y ago

I may or may not be super knowledgeable on the subject have the KDE Slimbook team considered going full with ARM chips instead of the x86_64 processors? I keep reading how ARM is more "efficient" and lower power consumption altogether. I also noticed that some Windows-laptop devices are shipping with ARM as well. (Windows on ARM not being new if you have been following Microsoft closely)

867-5309 4y ago
this looks like it's aimed at creative types, graphics rendering and video editing on ARM would be painful ARM is situated firmly within the efficient end of the efficiency-power Venn, whereas this pushed towards sharing the middle with powerful
- allenskd 4y ago
  Out of curiosity Apple M1 Chips being ARM-based (I own a m1-powered laptop) I... honestly haven't really noticed any slow down while using ffmpeg but granted I don't do encoding/transcoding a whole lot and my usage of editors like Affinity Designer/Photos is pretty basic. But on that note I feel like a budget laptop for the masses with ARM-chips would be quite the spot for many people include my father. he doesn't need any application just being able to use a browser. ( I guess, a more open, less shady Chromebook-like equivalent). Well, I guess I just say this because my experience with the m1 chip has been way over the top to the point I haven't really noticed any slow down with docker/vscode/etc etc.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
  - yywwbbn 4y ago
    Apple seems to be a couple of generations ahead of every other ARM vendor. e.g. the Qualcomm SQ2 doesn’t seem to bad on paper but it’s several times slower than the m1 and barely competitive with the more power efficient AMD chips.
- scythe 4y ago

nicolas_t 4y ago

They block any connections from HK so I'm not allowed to access the site. The number of sites blocking any connections from certain countries like Hong Kong as increased lately, it's becoming rather frustrating and I can't really see the reasoning behind it.

bloopernova 4y ago
In my experience, China and Russia get blocked by many corporations' web application firewalls (WAFs) or other firewalls. You may be caught by that restriction.
triknomeister 4y ago
The number of spam connections emerging from China and Russia are huge. For small firms who might not have the expertise or the budget to host things on CloudFlare, wholesale blocking off IP addresses from the two countries results in almost 100% decrease in spam. I have a VPS which I maintain for myself to experiment with different services, and I do the same. The number of spam attempt to connect on my ssh port went down from around 10k per day to 1 per week.
- b112 4y ago
  Yup, for all my clients it is Russia, China, Brazil, Vietnam. It's all floods, spam, hacks, bots, malware, with zero market for my clients. All downside, zero upside in accepting any traffic from those places.
philliphaydon 4y ago
I'm in Taiwan and am also blocked. What did Taiwan do wrong?
- bmacho 4y ago
  It's strange, clicking the "International websites"[0] at the bottom right, they explicitly state that they'd allow calling the Mandarin version Taiwan instead of China, if the translator wanted. There is a public mail list[1][2] of the webmasters at the bottom of the page as well, if you want to talk them. [0] : https://kde.org/support/international/ https://kde.org/support/international/ [1] : mailto://kde-www@kde.org [2] : https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/kde-www/ https://mail.kde.org/pipermail/kde-www/

disposedtrolley 4y ago

I'm disappointed that the three photos in the Gallery with the laptop in use aren't actually showing what the screen would look like IRL; they've been cleverly doctored by overlaying screenshots on top of the display.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

capableweb 4y ago

Is there any high-end Linux laptops with matte displays? Everything seems to be using glossy displays, which after being used to use a matte one, is simply impossible to use, especially when using the laptop outside or in a sunny room.

tomclancy 4y ago
Check out System76 laptops, they have matte displays (at least my Lemur Pro does)
mateuszf 4y ago
https://pl.starlabs.systems/pages/starbook https://pl.starlabs.systems/pages/starbook
acomjean 4y ago
System 76 laptops tend to have matte screens.
sofixa 4y ago
Depends on what you mean by "Linux laptop", but Dell XPS Developer Edition (comes with Ubuntu) have matte display options.
bartvk 4y ago
I have the same problem with MacBooks. I always apply a matte screen protector. If you live in The Netherlands: https://www.smartfolie.com/ https://www.smartfolie.com/
- Silica6149 4y ago
  Macbook displays, although glossy, are generally better compared to other glossy displays with respect to reflections. Do you use your macbook in a particularly bright room/outside?
  - bartvk 4y ago
    No but I've got macOS usually set to dark mode. So the whole thing is really a self-created problem :-)

dochico 4y ago

Would be great to have a 16/10 aspect ratio but what is even more important is a decent brightness. Does someone know if the RAM is glued in or easily replaceable ? Wondering when we will finally see a good ARM-Notebook with high memory >=32GB RAM

red_trumpet 4y ago
The ThinkPad X13s runs a Snapdragon and allows up to 32 GB RAM. https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadx/thinkpad-x13s-(13-inch-snapdragon)/len101t0019?orgRef=https%253A%252F%252Fduckduckgo.com%252F https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/laptops/thinkpad/thinkpadx/th...
lhl 4y ago
You get 2 x SODIMM slots. I run my last-gen (4800H) version w/ 64GB of DDR4-3200 w/o any issues.

IYasha 4y ago

> KDE Slimbook 4 > The most popular HTML, CSS, and JS library in the world. What??

srevinsaju 4y ago
looks like KDE Slimbook uses bootstrap for the website :P

gabereiser 4y ago

Doesn't exactly look very slim, Bob. I'm not expecting Macbook Air level slimness but we can definitely do better than this. I'm not a fan of older display technology as well. A glossy 1080p screen just isn't good enough anymore. I need more pixel density so I can have more code up on screen (sure, at smaller perceived font sizes). It's almost like all these Linux laptop makers are using older, discarded, excess inventory the factories had lying around.

vimsee 4y ago
I can not really tell pixels apart with 1920 by 1080 resolution on a 14 or 15.6 inch monitor as often seen on laptops. For reference. I am using a 24 inch monitor (8 to 10-ish more inches) with 1920 by 1080 and I am not to upset about that.
- sk0g 4y ago
  And for a differing point of view, I had a hell of a time finding 1440/1600p laptops with the specs I was after. Not 1080p, I'd like screen real estate, and not 4K, because fractional scaling on Windows is not that great. So many good laptops have only 1080p options, but I ruled them out instantly because it's a pixelated, rough experience. Laptops are usually used with the screen much closer to you, so for me at least 1440p is the lowest I'd accept.
- gabereiser 4y ago
  I can tell. Edge aliasing, font crispness, pixel density. I don’t want 4k in 14” but we can do better than 1080p now.
tasuki 4y ago
How slim do you want your laptop to be? Slimmer than 17mm? Why? What advantage does this give you? Your backpack is 30mm thick and wouldn't fit a sandwich anymore? You want to slide your laptop under the door and there's only a 12mm hole? You want to look hip in a café and 17mm doesn't cut it? Weight makes a difference, sure. Apart from that I care about the thermals and ability to replace parts, both of which are better on thicker laptops.

StillBored 4y ago

Does anyone have a full bios manual (and/or the bios unlock sequence to get to the hidden menu's)? While this is shipped with Linux, I'm not sure I trust the slimbook people to have put a lot of work into assuring, particularly that it doesn't drain an unnecessarily amount of battery in standby and/or that it hibernates properly.

lhl 4y ago
You can search for the keywords on PF5NU1G, BIOS, AMIBCP, EC and find plenty of discussions there (w/ info on making your own unlocked BIOS if you want), although the Tuxedo/Schenker people have also done a fair amount of work making sure the laptop works well with Linux. The point general of buying from a Linux computer mfgr is to get a supported machine, so if you don't trust Slimbook, you can order basically the same laptop (w/ a slightly better display) from Tuxedo or similar class Linux laptops from Star Labs, HP, System76, or Framework.

virtualritz 4y ago

A 2k screen in 2022? I haven't used a non-HDPI laptop since a decade (bought the first retina MBP at the time). I can't understand how people can still use such displays today. Also the CPU. It's from last year. I just ordered a Xiaomi RedmiBook Pro with R7 6800H and additional Nvidia GPU – 1.200€. It will Linux just fine but with more 2022ish hardware specs. :) It's also slimmer than the 'Slimbook' (14.9mm vs 16.7mm).

t-3 4y ago
Is 2k bad or good for '22? I still haven't moved past 1080p, so I'm not sure how to take "can't understand how people can still use such displays today."
- Silica6149 4y ago
  I think most consumers haven't experienced/don't care about high DPI. Programmers on the other hand look at text all day so it's understandable we prefer crisp text.
sk0g 4y ago
Confusingly, 2K typically refers to 2560*1440. By that logic 4k would be a resolution greater than 3840*2160 of course, so I'm not sure how sound the naming convention is.

atemerev 4y ago

1920x1080 display? In 2022?

black_puppydog 4y ago

Wow this looks amazing. Non-soldered RAM would be a feature but I'm not sure from the description... If anyone from the team is reading that: add that info to the page, it's a really nice feature. Non-soldered SSD is the really important one though for me. And not sure why I can't select two non-samsung 2TB SSDs but that's details anyhow.

Silica6149 4y ago
The second m.2 ssd slot can be configured to be empty so I figure that at least that slot is non-soldered to allow for users to put in their own ssd.
ognarb 4y ago
KDE team member here: I asked internally to our contact at Slimbook and both the RAM and SSD are non-soldered. This should indeed be on the website, I will try to squeeze some time tonight to do so :)
- WASDx 4y ago
  Is the "8 GPU cores" a typo?
- jseliger 4y ago
  Problem is: https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/1542529665449226240 https://twitter.com/marcan42/status/1542529665449226240
innocenat 4y ago
The spec page said "Has 2 sockets, dual channel from 16GB". Not sure if it was just recently changed though.

GrantZvolsky 4y ago

Does the lid open a full 180 degrees and is the hinge sufficiently strong to support the lid if propped up against a wall?

waynesonfire 4y ago
Gosh I really hope so. That's how I laptop.
ognarb 4y ago
> Does the lid open a full 180 degrees? No, only around 150-160 degrees > is the hinge sufficiently strong to support the lid if propped up against a wall? Looks strong enough to me for my 3th Gen KDE Slimbook

waynesonfire 4y ago

So many great laptop options out there besides mac. Wish there was like a laptop conference where one could sample all the offerings. I could never buy a laptop without first trying it.

schaefer 4y ago
Make use of the 30 day return window. I tried hp dev one, but the screen’s viewing angle was so bad I couldn’t position the screen so that I could see all four corners at once without color shift. I owned it less than one week.

kogepathic 4y ago

The Ryzen 7 5700U is Zen2 based: https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Zen/AMD-Ryzen%207%20Mobile%205700U.html https://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Zen/AMD-Ryzen%207%20Mobile%20... Not that great a deal when Zen3 based notebooks (5400/5600/5800U) have been out for over a year already. It is baffling to me why AMD chose to have the odd-numbered 5000 series (5300/5500/5700) with Zen2, and the even-numbered 5000 with Zen3.

javajosh 4y ago
In the 80's the IEEE determined that CPU part designations must be sociopathic or manufacturers would be heavily fined.
- Wohlf 4y ago
  I don't think anything can top how bad GPU naming from the 2000s was.
formerly_proven 4y ago
> It is baffling to me why AMD chose to have the odd-numbered 5000 series (5300/5500/5700) with Zen2, and the even-numbered 5000 with Zen3. Oh no, it's actually even worse than that. 5300U/5500U/5700U are Zen 2 (Lucienne, Renoir Refresh). 5300G/5400U/5700G/5700H are Zen 3 (Cezanne). I find it remarkable how AMD started a completely new, fairly sane naming scheme from scratch and screwed it completely up within two generations (Remember 3200G/3400G? Pepperidge Farm remembers).
- webmobdev 4y ago
  I remember reading somewhere that this kind of convulated naming convention is intentional (both by Intel and AMD). Consumers prefer to buy the latest and fastest CPU they can afford. Such convulated designations confuse the consumer on what is the latest, and ensure old / previous generation stocks can still be sold for a good price.

fareesh 4y ago

Wayland is usable as a daily driver?

Lio 4y ago
Yes. Fedora and Ubuntu are both Wayland by default now. I've been using Wayland for years now and it's pretty rock solid at this point. I occasionally see a few apps that don't seem to play nice with a HiDPI/1440 mix of displays but that gets better day by day and is now pretty rare for me.
WuxiFingerHold 4y ago
Not if you need fractional scaling. But that's the only limitation I'm aware of. As these days many users have HiDPI displays I'm really surprised that Wayland still doesn't support it properly (please don't tell me to scale my font size ...) and why so many distros use Wayland as default.
- mixmastamyk 4y ago
  Doesn’t do screen sharing for video conferencing I’m told.
  - ajvs 4y ago
    It does, just not every app has updated to support PipeWire (which is necessary for Wayland screensharing). Zoom has, Teams hasn't for example.

rowanG077 4y ago

CPU base GHz(lower is better)? This is a mistake, higher is better.

Silica6149 4y ago
I think they mean that lower base GHz is better because the laptop drains less battery when idle or doing low effort tasks.
- rowanG077 4y ago
  Those are orthogonal really since your laptop clock can still go below base clock when idle.

totallyblasted 4y ago

I'd be interested in this if the display had a 2k or higher resolution and 120 hz or higher refresh rate.

lhl 4y ago
Here's the version you want: https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/vrb1me/tuxedo_pulse_15_gen2_successor_with_wqhd_display/ https://www.reddit.com/r/tuxedocomputers/comments/vrb1me/tux...

qwerty456127 4y ago

How much Gbps does the USB-C port support? Does the HDMI port support 4K displays?

hedora 4y ago

Arghhh! Why can’t Linux laptop manufacturers center touchpads under the keyboards anymore? Also, this is lower resolution than the display I was using with Linux 20 years ago.

turbinerneiter 4y ago
Why would they? Your hands are not in the center of the keyboard in the base position either. I'm seriously asking, I have no idea right now what the more ergonomic option would be.
- hedora 4y ago
  Oh, you’re right. The keyboard is off center too. However, the trackpad isn’t centered under the base position. I’d prefer the center of the screen, case, alphanumeric keys and touchpad to all be along the same vertical line — like literally every laptop I have ever owned.
  - innocenat 4y ago
    It take your comment for me to realise that the laptop I am typing this on, Thinkpad Carbon X1, doesn't have its trackpad on the exact center either. And it doesn't bother me one bit.
  - turbinerneiter 4y ago
    Why tough? For looks or for ergonomics?

okp2o3ji23j 4y ago

Linux as a desktop machine is horrible. Dozens of package managers, distros, UIs, everything. Instead of creating one thing right and bug-free, linux devs prefer to waste their time reinventing the wheel.

b112 4y ago
No, choice is far better, for there is no single solution for all. There just isn't. It is as if you are arguing that there should only be one motorized personal transportation device. No small or large cars, no trucks or motorcycles. Different people have different needs.
fortyseven 4y ago
Yes, dad.
smoldesu 4y ago
Correct. Somehow, though, Linux does "everything" better than any other OS I've used in the past. Relative to MacOS and Windows, Linux really can be the best of both worlds. Linux still plays the games that MacOS and even Windows do not. Linux is still getting regular updates on my laptop from 2007. It hosts my Plex server, handles the majority of my work-related tasks, and generally it doesn't really complain. Having spent dozens of hours working around roadblocks in MacOS and tweaking Windows to just barely be a dev environment, I'm perfectly happy to use Linux even if though it is total garbage, because the kernel is almost undeniably better than modern NT or XNU. I still think the world of Linux desktop development is a total disaster, though. GNOME is out for blood, KDE is building great stuff on a terrible library, and everyone else is just shifting uncomfortably because Wayland still isn't desktop-agnostic (much less hardware-agnostic, for that matter). The way things are headed, I wouldn't be surprised if Linux was almost entirely unsupported by Slack/Spotify/Discord in 2025.
ezekiel11 4y ago
what I really dislike is some linux user trying to brush those things off as a non-issue, it sure is for non-seasoned users. and this to me is the biggest hinderance to its wide adoption. it caters to a specific crowd.

hedora 4y ago

Wayland would break my workflow (evilwm does not work with it). Any idea if these can run X11? Separately, what about OpenBSD?

lhl 4y ago
X11 works fine w/ the 4800H version. The 5700U uses the same iGPU so I'd expect it would work fine as well.

stakkur 4y ago

I love that there are many offerings like this. But when it comes to laptops and Linux, I never buy a 'good Linux laptop'--I buy 'a good laptop that also runs Linux well'. There's really no such thing as a 'Linux laptop' for me--I want a great laptop first, Linux compatibility second.

acomjean 4y ago
I love that there are offering like this too. When I bought the The main thing for me was "is this thing linux compatable", so pre-installed linux was worth the extra $ for me. I just couldn't bring myself to try and figure out which notebooks where compatible. I couldn't figure out how to determine if a machine ran linux. There are so many models and subtle differences. So I ended up with a "Clevo" rebranded notebook, without actually seeing it physically first. Its big, oddly decent (I came from a 2015 macbook pro, which is a high bar) and besides one fan grinding, its been solid. (That might be on me.. but I could get a spare and replace it..) It plays steam and over the 4 years I've owned it linux has gotten better and better.

sto_hristo 4y ago

Something like that but in the clothes of a XPS (but not as thin for the sake of thinness by sacrificing cooling). I'd eat it right away.

gorgoiler 4y ago

This looks lovely but I’m over pretty slim things, at least for personal use. I have an Apple device for work but at home I want something for hacking. What’s the closest thing I can buy to a cyber-deck laptop, these days?

krolden 4y ago
https://www.mntmn.com/media/reform_md/2020-05-08-the-much-more-personal-computer.html https://www.mntmn.com/media/reform_md/2020-05-08-the-much-mo...
- gorgoiler 4y ago
  Very nice. These ARM socs work best when they can run stock OSs. The best ones can, the worst ones need GitHub curl hack after hack. I wonder how MNT’s product stands up to this test?
user-one1 4y ago
https://frame.work/ https://frame.work/

ezekiel11 4y ago

a thousand euros for a linux ultrabook is a bit of a stretch. there are many alternatives AND I can run both operating systems via dual boot.

convery 4y ago

> CPU base GHz (lower is better) Ehh.. Seems like an odd inclusion when every OS will downclock and put cores into idle..

chirau 4y ago

Can I eventually install Windows on this machine to replace this OS? Or these devices are like Macs where I can't install another OS as primary. If I can, what is the value preposition of 'Linux out of the box' if I can install exactly the same OS from a USB?

tuetuopay 4y ago
The assurance that all hardware works properly and is compatible with Linux. It’s always a gamble to buy a laptop and expecting everything will work with an alternate OS.
8K832d7tNmiQ 4y ago
The same exact reason you've never seen an average person tried to even manually upgrade windows using flash drive. Why is this still need to be discussed again?

ruined 4y ago

1080p why

tlhunter 4y ago

I love KDE. I've used it as my daily driver for several years now. Despite having so many features it's surprisingly lightweight on the resources. I've used it on everything from beefy Lenovo T- series to little netbooks that I would otherwise run OpenBox on. KDE Neon was really buggy when I tried the last LTS. Lots of programs had theming issues. The Kubuntu LTS, on the other hand, left me with a much smoother experience. Neither are perfect, sadly. A core issue with KDE is that of theme installation (Cursors, Window Decorations, etc.) KDE ships with utilities to discover, download, and install theme components. While using Kubuntu, about 25% of the time, I find that a given theme is just impossible to install. Usually it'll be a network error or sometimes the downloaded package seems broken. With Neon, I had a 100% failure rate. Even once you do get a theme installed, it usually looks nothing like the preview. Theme developers often end up relying on third party tools, usually around compositing / GPU rendering. These tools are difficult to install and don't seem to work with all hardware. The Slimbook ships with Neon. Personally, I'd replace it with Kubuntu. Of course, there are other distros available where KDE can be installed in. In my experience, the KDE-first distros provide a smoother UX than others. It's as if all the KDE apps play better together when an OS comes with them all bundled in together than if you choose to piecemeal install them.

int_19h 4y ago
I've tried a bunch of KDE-centric distros, and Manjaro seems to be the best polished in my experience.

gkhartman 4y ago

This seems like a very nice laptop for the cost, but for a bit more you could have the framework laptop. A few hundred bucks more seems like a reasonable trade for something reparable and upgradable in place of a rebranded white box laptop.

aluminaient 4y ago
Or if you want same level of reparability as framework with less novelty factor: starlabs.systems are doing great things.