Lenovo & Linux Thoughts

[Michael]

With Lenovo now supporting SuSE/SLED on their ThinkPad T60p, with Linux technical support on the laptop along with software (i.e. http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site.wss/product.do?template=/product.do?template=%2Fproductpage%2Flandingpages% 2FproductPageLandingPage.vm&sitestyle=ibm&brandind=10&familyind=293924&machineind=0&modelind=0&partnumberind=0&subcategoryind=0&doctypeind=9&doccategoryind=0&operatingsystemind=52305&validate=true) , will this influence your brand buying decision for your next notebook?

[1c3d0g]

No, I will not buy a Lenovo. Ever.

[Rob Williams]

1c3d0g, what's your reasons? I was pondering picking one up in the future, once my Dells warranty runs out.

In regards to Michaels question.. no not at all. I don't use SuSE to begin with except for testing, so it would not be a good reason to pick it up. Of course, if the laptop was cheaper due to Linux being on it, then maybe. But, since SLED costs around $100 for a license, maybe people will not be saving money over buying a laptop with Windows Home.

Either way, it's good to see more Linux being pre-installed on these machines.

[1c3d0g]

Ever since IBM sold out to the Chinese, I'm against Lenovo. Apparently quality has been going downhill as well, reading the responses from many disgruntled users. I've always had good luck with Dell, which is why my next notebook will be a 12" XPS, or the Alienware version of it. Yeah, I know most parts are made in Taiwan/china, but I have no control over that. At least my money will be going to an American corporation. :)

Note: I'm not an American but I support American companies the best I can.

[Michael]

http://www.it-analysis.com/business/content.php?cid=8709

An article about Linux on laptops (primarily discussing the Novell + Lenovo deal).

[joshuapurcell]

Ever since IBM sold out to the Chinese, I'm against Lenovo. Apparently quality has been going downhill as well, reading the responses from many disgruntled users. I've always had good luck with Dell, which is why my next notebook will be a 12" XPS, or the Alienware version of it. Yeah, I know most parts are made in Taiwan/china, but I have no control over that. At least my money will be going to an American corporation. :)

Note: I'm not an American but I support American companies the best I can.

I'm American, and I like to support quality components. That means I drive a Honda and a Volvo, I own a DFI motherboard in my desktop, and I have two Lenovo laptops (for work and home). I can't say the Thinkpad brand has gone downhill in any way since Lenovo took over the business (although I do still wish it was manufactured by IBM is I had a choice). Besides, the recent move to actually support a Linux distribution on these laptops (which I think is a first for a major laptop producer) is a bonus in my book, and I'm sure other Linux enthusiasts would feel the same. I don't see the reason behind blindly supporting American companies for the sole reason that they are American. I would love to support American companies if all else were equal, but a majority of the time that isn't the case. What's even worse is that the US is in such a good position to be producing quality goods (in whatever industry), but many times we don't measure up to the competition (a main example is computer components).

[Janusz11]

No, it sure won't influence the decision of what brand I'd buy. If I'd buy a laptop it would be a MacBook anyway.

However, just recently I read an article about laptop manufacturers releasing notebooks with Linux installed – one of them Lenovo – and I really welcome their decision. I hope that more will follow.

[Michael]

I think I am tired of Lenovo/IBM, and am thinking of ordering some MacBook Pros.

[joshuapurcell]

I think I am tired of Lenovo/IBM, and am thinking of ordering some MacBook Pros.
What are the reasons for getting tired of Lenovo/IBM?

I can see the reasons for wanting to go with a shiny new Apple laptop (even if it is running an Intel processor), but one of the main reasons why I can't do it is the cost. What would I be paying such a premium for? It's definitely not the software, because I'm going to just install Linux on the hardware anyway... the software is not a selling point for me. I can't talk myself into spending the amount of money an Apple laptop costs based solely on their hardware, and especially not since they stopped using PowerPC chips.

One possible argument for going with Apple hardware could be that it hurts Microsoft dominance while barely doing anything at all to the situation the Linux community has. Of course, if everyone ran on an Apple laptop Microsoft would still be around... they would modify their OS to work on the new hardware (even if it requires a partnership with Apple).

[Michael]

What are the reasons for getting tired of Lenovo/IBM?

I can see the reasons for wanting to go with a shiny new Apple laptop (even if it is running an Intel processor), but one of the main reasons why I can't do it is the cost. What would I be paying such a premium for? It's definitely not the software, because I'm going to just install Linux on the hardware anyway... the software is not a selling point for me. I can't talk myself into spending the amount of money an Apple laptop costs based solely on their hardware, and especially not since they stopped using PowerPC chips.

While the T60 has only been here for a few months, it is already beginning to malfunction -- random freezing when on for extended periods of time, etc... It also simply doesn't feel as strong as IBM had in the past.

Though I may wait before ordering any MacBook Pros for personal or work until Lenovo has released the ThinkPad T70 series to see what they hold in store. The MacBook Pros would be for their build quality and would run Linux.

[01phoro]

If select notebook, I like thinkpad,
I had very pool experience with Dell notebook, but I like Dell Servers for small biz.