7 ms·

What is the battery life going to be like? I grudgingly installed Windows 7 on my (Lenovo) laptop after using Unix exclusively for 15 years simply because the b

by sbi 14y ago

What is the battery life going to be like? I grudgingly installed Windows 7 on my (Lenovo) laptop after using Unix exclusively for 15 years simply because the battery lasts twice as long on Windows. For what it's worth, I bought a Dell Inspiron Mini 10v with Ubuntu Hardy preinstalled 2.5 years ago. It didn't suspend/resume properly and video out was flaky. It died after two years of use (with strange electrical problems). I don't think I'll buy a Dell in the future.

tikhonj 14y ago
I think the recent kernels have had improved power management. I've certainly noticed an improvement on my laptop running Fedora a while back.
- rch 14y ago
  Which laptop? I desperately want to replace my MBP with the highest quality Fedora-supporting hardware I can find.
  - tikhonj 14y ago
    I have a Sony Vaio Z-series. I really like it, but it's rather expensive. Also, it comes with a weird dock thing that has an external graphics card. Ideally, you would plug this in and have better graphics processing when you're at home. I haven't been able to get this to work on Linux. However, I haven't been able to get it to work on Windows 8 either :/. So for me, the whole dock thing is just an overpriced external dvd drive. I really like the idea of having an external graphics card like that, but the implementation just isn't great. Out of all the laptops I've read about online, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon[1] really stands out. If I was looking for a new one, that's probably what I'd get. I'm not sure how well it supports Linux, but it just seems really awesome. [1]: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon/ http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x...
    - rch 14y ago
      The X1 does look nice, and it would be great to ditch the aluminum without settling for cheap-feeling plastic. My old Sharp MM10 had a magnesium alloy case... I still miss that one.
      - tikhonj 14y ago
        The Vaio Z-series is also made partially from carbon fiber. Mine also has the same resolution (1600x900) in a 13" screen. That said, if the X1 carbon was out when I was buying my laptop, I'd probably have gone for it. The low resolution of the old X1 was what really turned me off. Also, I think a 14" screen is a better compromise than 13" between portability and convenience.
- mindcrime 14y ago
  I run Fedora on a fairly new Toshiba laptop and the battery life is pretty good. I used it on a flight the other day, watching video for about an hour and twenty minutes, and the battery meter showed more than 50% remaining when I shut it down. Maybe it doesn't match a MBP, but if I can get 3 hours or more out of a charge, I'm pretty happy. There aren't many times that I'm going to be away from power longer than that. Now someone who's flying coast-to-coast on a routine basis and needs to get all the productivity they can out of 6+ hour flight, may need something different.
Ralith 14y ago
I run Arch on my 9-cell-equipped T430 and get ~8 hours with wifi, reasonable screen brightness, and light load. That's very close to the advertised life.
- sbi 14y ago
  On my E520, I was getting about 2 to 2.5 hours under similar conditions (I have the 6 cell battery, however) in Debian; under Windows I get 4-5 hours.

by sbi 14y ago

tikhonj 14y ago

I think the recent kernels have had improved power management. I've certainly noticed an improvement on my laptop running Fedora a while back.

rch 14y ago
Which laptop? I desperately want to replace my MBP with the highest quality Fedora-supporting hardware I can find.
- tikhonj 14y ago
  I have a Sony Vaio Z-series. I really like it, but it's rather expensive. Also, it comes with a weird dock thing that has an external graphics card. Ideally, you would plug this in and have better graphics processing when you're at home. I haven't been able to get this to work on Linux. However, I haven't been able to get it to work on Windows 8 either :/. So for me, the whole dock thing is just an overpriced external dvd drive. I really like the idea of having an external graphics card like that, but the implementation just isn't great. Out of all the laptops I've read about online, the ThinkPad X1 Carbon[1] really stands out. If I was looking for a new one, that's probably what I'd get. I'm not sure how well it supports Linux, but it just seems really awesome. [1]: http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x1-carbon/ http://www.lenovo.com/products/us/laptop/thinkpad/x-series/x...
  - rch 14y ago
    The X1 does look nice, and it would be great to ditch the aluminum without settling for cheap-feeling plastic. My old Sharp MM10 had a magnesium alloy case... I still miss that one.
    - tikhonj 14y ago
      The Vaio Z-series is also made partially from carbon fiber. Mine also has the same resolution (1600x900) in a 13" screen. That said, if the X1 carbon was out when I was buying my laptop, I'd probably have gone for it. The low resolution of the old X1 was what really turned me off. Also, I think a 14" screen is a better compromise than 13" between portability and convenience.
mindcrime 14y ago
I run Fedora on a fairly new Toshiba laptop and the battery life is pretty good. I used it on a flight the other day, watching video for about an hour and twenty minutes, and the battery meter showed more than 50% remaining when I shut it down. Maybe it doesn't match a MBP, but if I can get 3 hours or more out of a charge, I'm pretty happy. There aren't many times that I'm going to be away from power longer than that. Now someone who's flying coast-to-coast on a routine basis and needs to get all the productivity they can out of 6+ hour flight, may need something different.

Ralith 14y ago

I run Arch on my 9-cell-equipped T430 and get ~8 hours with wifi, reasonable screen brightness, and light load. That's very close to the advertised life.

sbi 14y ago
On my E520, I was getting about 2 to 2.5 hours under similar conditions (I have the 6 cell battery, however) in Debian; under Windows I get 4-5 hours.