I am typing this post on a modern “Thinkpad” from 2020 where the hardware volume keys could never change the volume on Linux. But everything works more or less correctly in Windows 11, unfortunately.

What are my options for getting computer hardware, desktop or laptop (etc.), where the hardware is specifically supported under linux?

Let’s say I am wanting to plot a graph with “Usefulness” on the Y axis and “Cost” on the X axis. Then I could plot each computer on the graph, and make a decision about how much money to save up and spend for the best value that satisfied minimum requirements.

In my initial searching, I have uncovered these vendors as supporting Linux, albeit at a (usually) premium, niche price point:

  • System76
  • Framework
  • Dell
  • IBM/Lenovo Thinkpad

However I don’t yet have a good intuition for when this is true (for example my thinkpad having incompatible hardware) or where these belong on the hypothetical usefulness vs. cost plot.

Also, as I understand it, linux distros are not in the habit of “supporting” specific hardware as “works on our distro.” However in the past some have attempted to keep track of what works better than other things. I am hoping for a legitimate guarantee that the hardware I buy will not have hardware problems with the distro it supports. At least for some time.

My personal “minimum” requirements would be: feels “snappy” loading the OS and webpages/videos/media. The touchpad and keyboard are fully usable. All the hardware works correctly, and DPI/screen resolution doesn’t cause scaling issues (or said another way, fractional scaling doesn’t cause problems. Maybe this is unrealistic if I want to use arbitrary software like hexchat which is GTK2).

Let me know if I’m thinking about this in the right way or missing something.

EDIT: thank you everyone for your suggestions!

  • paequ2@lemmy.todayEnglish
    0·
    4 days ago

    I’m typing this message on my Dell XPS 13 9310. I’m really happy with it, specifically the 9310 model, not other models.

    • The volume, screen brightness, and keyboard brightness buttons all work great.
    • Bluetooth and wifi work great.
    • Touchpad and touchpad gestures work great. It’s also a decent size.
    • The FHD display has no scaling issues with any apps or any distros.
    • The keyboard and overall build quality feel nice.

    The one thing that doesn’t work great is the webcam. It turns on and captures video… except it’s really dark. Although, I haven’t tried running Wangblows on this, so maybe it’s Dell’s fault for picking bad hardware. Anyway, I just use an Opal Tadpole webcam and that works great. Happy to answer any questions about this laptop! I use Arch, btw, with GNOME. Zoom, Google Meet, Discord video calls and screen sharing all work as well.

    If you’re serious about this requirement:

    DPI/screen resolution doesn’t cause scaling issues

    then I would avoid Framework. I recently sold mine after daily driving it for about 1 year. My biggest complaint was the high DPI display. It will 100% cause scaling issues. You will have blurry apps and/or tiny text, 100%. People will suggest that you add a ton of config or switch distros—neither of which will actually 100% solve the issue—or use different apps—which you can’t always because alternatives may not exist. If you want to use arbitrary software like hexchat which is GTK2, DO NOT buy a Framework laptop. 🙅