Advice on lightweight laptops for Linux (of course)

[Michael Shiloh]

Thanks Dan for your perspective. I'm actually going to teaching in Abu
Dhabi next September so I'm really glad you brought that up.

In general, I've been hearing good things about the current model (4th
generation) which I believe came out earlier this year, so I assume
your model is something prior. Is that correct? On the other hand, the
current model has only been around for a year, so fewer opportunities
to fail.

Michael

On Mon, Dec 26, 2016 at 5:02 PM, Dan Yasny <dyasny at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been carrying an X1 around for a couple of years now. The battery life
> is great, Fedora support is great, weight and convenience is quite good,
> except the keyboard is a bit on the weird side when it comes to the function
> keys and the missing insert key, but I've learned to live with that.
>
> The downside however is the reliability. In this time I've had the screen
> replaced, the keyboard replaced and the motherboard/cpu/ram/etc (it's all a
> single block) replaced. Each time it takes a week at the lab (I don't have
> the onsite warranty, and I am in Canada, so YMMV). So if you intend to use
> it somewhere where warranty isn't available, or if you intend to use it
> longer than the warranty period - stay away. It's expensive enough to be
> expected to last, but it's quite flimsy.
>
> On Mon, Dec 26, 2016 at 6:09 PM, Michael Shiloh
> <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Thanks Eli,
>>
>> What kind of laptop do you use?
>>
>> Michael
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 26, 2016 at 2:30 PM, E.S. Rosenberg
>> <esr+linux-il at g.jct.ac.il> wrote:
>> > Ever since getting my current laptop that weighs ~1.5kg I said I will
>> > never get anything heavier again, it's something you can't return
>> > from.....
>> >
>> > Thin and light devices (like the X1 and the T460S) tend to not be very
>> > upgradeable, it's a price you pay for thin & light... the SSD is most
>> > likely upgradeable on any model you choose because so far soldered on
>> > SSDs aren't all that common....
>> >
>> > The videos on youtube clearly show that the T460S has at least one
>> > SODIMM slot, the X1 does not seem to have it.
>> >
>> > Regards,
>> > Eliyahu - אליהו
>> >
>> > 2016-12-26 23:37 GMT+02:00 Michael Shiloh <michaelshiloh1010 at gmail.com>:
>> >> Hello everyone,
>> >>
>> >> I hope everyone is enjoying a very happy Chanukah.
>> >>
>> >> You might recall about a year ago I raised the question of a powerful
>> >> laptop for Linux. I settled on a Thinkpad W541 and I am thrilled with
>> >> it ... except for the weight.
>> >>
>> >> As I travel more and don't need the power of the W541 all the time,
>> >> I'm thinking of a lightweight laptop for daily use.
>> >>
>> >> It's hard for me to consider anything but Thinkpads: I love the
>> >> TrackPoint, the keyboard, the solid feel of the devices, etc. Given
>> >> that, the top two contenders are the X1 Carbon and the T460S.
>> >>
>> >> The X1 is about 2.6 pounds and more expensive than the T460S which
>> >> weighs about 3 pounds.
>> >>
>> >> Another big difference is whether the RAM and/or SSD can be upgraded
>> >> on the X1 (I've seen equally strong claims that they can and can not).
>> >> Some conversations insist they are soldered in, other say that perhaps
>> >> the RAM can be upgraded by the user but is a non-standard form factor
>> >> that can only be purchased from Lenovo.
>> >>
>> >> I think for the extra .4 pounds I'm willing to go with the better
>> >> price of the T460S, especially if upgrading RAM and SSD is not
>> >> possible on the X1 (I usually purchase from Lenovo with less storage
>> >> and upgrade on my own).
>> >>
>> >> Any thoughts or advice?
>> >>
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