[kwlug-disc] laptops with Linux preinstalled

Jason Eckert jason.eckert at gmail.com
Sat Jun 6 19:13:35 EDT 2020


I'll echo that too - I actually prefer the trackpoint myself.
It took me a while to get used to it, but once I did, I realized what the
big deal was....

On Sat, Jun 6, 2020 at 4:01 PM Ron Singh <ronsingh149 at gmail.com> wrote:

> Some interesting feedback on 2 Linux laptops from a Jason Evangelo of
> Forbes, a 5-min listen --
>
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RizvGLIVGQQ
>
> Note his comments on the quality of the IPS display of the System76.
>
> These are gorgeous systems, but the lack of a trackpoint is a dealbreaker
> for me.
>
> A good channel he has, worth the sub.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ron S.
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jun 5, 2020 at 10:50 AM Chris Irwin <chris at chrisirwin.ca> wrote:
>
>> On Thu, Jun 04, 2020 at 12:34:57PM -0400, Doug Moen wrote:
>> >
>> >Nowadays, there are many options for buying laptops with Linux
>> >preinstalled and officially supported by the laptop manufacturer.
>>
>> Another option is Purism.
>>
>> https://puri.sm/
>>
>> Their laptops are *slightly* aged (seventh-generation Intel vs 10th is
>> just coming out), but they went through considerable effort to create an
>> attractive product. They tried to ensure every piece of hardware
>> respects user freedom.
>>
>> * Physical hardware kill switch for webcam + Mic (not just a shutter)
>> * Physical hardware kill switch for Wireless (Wifi + Bluetooth)
>> * Coreboot, so no big/closed BIOS or UEFI code
>> * Lobotomized Intel's IME
>>
>> That said, their products do include a significant price premium for all
>> those benefits.
>>
>> They have a USB token that helps you verify your laptop hasn't been
>> tampered with at boot time:
>>
>>
>> I believe they'll sell you a pre-encrypted laptop, and ship the
>> encryption keys/tokens to a different address using a different shipping
>> method, use tamper-evident tape on packaging, put glitter nail polish on
>> all screws, and send you PGP-encrypted photos of everything before it
>> ships to help detect package interdiction/tampering... So if you're
>> extremely paranoid about getting a trusted device, I'm not sure there is
>> any other option :)
>>
>> Personally, I'm using an used T460 I picked up off kijiji. I've got
>> years of muscle memory using a trackpoint, and my threat model skews
>> more toward "stolen laptop" vs "black helicopters out to get me".
>>
>> That said, Purism are also working on a phone, which is also very
>> interesting.
>>
>> --
>> Chris Irwin
>>
>> email:   chris at chrisirwin.ca
>>   xmpp:   chris at chrisirwin.ca
>>    web: https://chrisirwin.ca
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> kwlug-disc mailing list
>> kwlug-disc at kwlug.org
>> https://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org
>>
> _______________________________________________
> kwlug-disc mailing list
> kwlug-disc at kwlug.org
> https://kwlug.org/mailman/listinfo/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://kwlug.org/pipermail/kwlug-disc_kwlug.org/attachments/20200606/13ceafaa/attachment.htm>


More information about the kwlug-disc mailing list