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Ask HN: Best Linux Setup for a Non-Linux User

by conor_f on 1/31/23, 11:06 PM with 4 comments

My partner has been using Ubuntu on their Thinkpad for the past two years and it's been riddled with issues. These are things I'm used to as a Linux user for ~15 years, but they're not. Wifi issues, sleep and restart issues, dodgy trackpad, etc. These issues are a deal breaker for them.

I can completely reinstall and configure a laptop setup for them, and I'm wondering what should I pick? I have always suggested Ubuntu to new/Linux apathetic users in the past, but what I'm wondering if there's any other distro/setup I should try for someone who wants stability, ease of use, etc like a Windows or MacOS provides

  • by simonblack on 2/1/23, 12:48 AM

    Thinkpads are not monolithic amongst models. That is, they are very customisable when ordering, so two Thinkpad P53s (say) will not necessarily be identical.

    I usually restrict my choices when ordering a Thinkpad to Intel and Intel peripherals as much as possible. As Intel hardware has the most support in Linux.

    I find also that I have used Mint Mate almost exclusively for the last 10 or more years.

    Between those two factors, it means I have had practically no configuration problems to speak of.

    (I subscribe to the old policy of: Application software choices determine the choice of Operating System. The choice of Operating System determines the choice of hardware. SO NOT VICE-VERSA - don't buy the hardware first then try to work out what you're going to run on it.)

  • by phendrenad2 on 2/4/23, 11:16 PM

    Yep, Ubuntu is very bad now. But a lot of this comes down to hardware. The drivers are in the kernel, after all, and all distros use essentially the exact same kernel. Companies like Lenovo support Linux but I don't think they put much effort into making it a daily-driver for a normal home user. It's more of a business thing. The exception is System76.

  • by sacrosanct on 1/31/23, 11:09 PM

    All user friendly and good hardware support out of the box: Mint, Elementary OS, PopOS, ZorinOS