OT: Linux Laptops

[Steve Litt]

On Wed, 2022-08-24 at 18:00 -0700, Harold Hartley via PLUG-discuss wrote:
> I have been looking around for Linux laptops and finding most in the U.S. are
> quite expensive. But then I came upon a web site that's called "Linux for laptops"
> it's located in the Netherlands and a person can configure what they want on it
> from Distro, Storage to memory. Has anyone else familiar with this site or has
> ordered from them or any dealings with them.
> I'm just trying to find a decent priced laptop for running Linux on.  Here is the
> link.
> https://laptopwithlinux.com/
> 

I priced out an i5, 16GB RAM with 500GB NVMe (not the fast one), and it came out to
$832.49. This is much, much better than an offering from Penguin Computing or
System76. Matter of fact, for a 15" screen with 16GB RAM this is right in the
ballpark of retail, except for when something's on sale.

I'm concerned about the logistics of purchase, shipping, repair, and, if not
received as advertised, return. And how much is VAT and import duties?

For comparison, check this out:

https://www.costco.com/dell-inspiron-15.6%22-touchscreen-laptop---amd-ryzen-7-5825u---geforce-mx550---1080p---windows-11.product.100975575.html

Pretty much the same computer except no pre-install. With Costco, you can return it
within 90 days for pretty much any reason, so you could attempt your Ubuntu install,
and if that fails, set the computer back to factory, and return the laptop. This way
you're not dealing with someone in a different nation across the sea 6 timezones
away from you.

Also, if you have a good used computer outlet near you, you can get a laptop there
for less money, and because it's more than a year old, the odds are greatly in favor
of its hardware being compatable with a modern Linux.

SteveT