I want to get my partner a replacement for an aging chromebook. I was thinking it would be easiest to just grab another super budget chromebook and call it a day. But the more I read about google and chrome, the less I want to do with them.
So my goal is to snag a cheap ($300ish?) laptop that I can slap Linux on (probably mint, but I’m open to suggestions).
The main caveat is the size- needs to be small. Current chromebook is 11.5” I think. I’d like to keep it under 13”. The main use (95% will be web browsing/streaming/email/bullshit) but I’d like it to have enough juice to play Minecraft on my local server.
I’ve looked around a bit, but my god there is a lot of options. I’d love it if there was just a recommendation that was proven to work. I’m busy enough tinkering with all the other tech, and I’d like to just set this one up and forget it.
Unfortunately, the new FOSS linux laptop scene is basically the pine book pro for less then $250 or Framework/System76/Tuxedo for greater than $900 with nothing in-between.
That is not true at all. There are plenty of options
Yeah, I should be more clear. I’m talking about laptops that the manufacture openly supports or ships a linux distro with it. I just assume OP already knows he can do a bit of research and get a decent $300 laptop from like lenovo/acer/hp/dell/etc… and install linux on it.
I’m comfortable doing the Linux swap on an old dell, but I guess what I’m looking for is a recommendation of a device that is known to work well for that purpose.
Are there any “gotchas” that I should be looking out for in the hunt?
It’s hard to recommend because sometimes with cheaper laptops they have weird wifi chip sets, audio chip sets, and stuff for controlling the lcd back light, f-keys, etc… Also sometimes they have weird way to boot into the boot menu that may not be well documented. I don’t really know what brand or models should be avoided though.
If you’re hunting down older eqipment (5, 6 years old), no, not really… everything just works with Linux and older stuff. The newer stuff is always the problem with any OS that is not Windows (though that is changing for the better in the last few years, especially for Linux).
Never heard of the pinebook pro. Looks pretty neat. I wish it came with a smaller size, it would be perfect.
Keep in mind that the CPU is ancient by today’s standards. It will be slow
Oooh, don’t do the Pinebook Pro. I think anything Pine64 isn’t unsuitable for a non-tinkerer to be using. Also, if there’s DRM content involved (unsure on Hulu), you’ll probably want to stick with an x86 CPU.
Yeah… the more I read into the pine stuff, the less fitting it is. I might enjoy one to mess with, but it won’t make a great gift!
How about Pinetab 2?
Though it’s important to note that you’re buying the hardware and the community is actively working on the software. For example, the wifi driver is only partially functional and it’s currently recommended that only developers should install it. Otherwise, they’re recommending using an external adapter or phone for wifi until it gets fixed.