Re: [tlug] Favorite Linux laptops these days?

[Jonathan Byrne <jonathan@example.com>]

The three finalists on the shortlist were:

-HP Envy 15

-Dell XPS 15z

-MacBook Pro with 16 GB and run Linux in a VM

I dropped the Dell because it has the nVidia+Intel Optimus graphics,
which are still quite problematic under Linux, even with Bumblebee. 
Stories of pain and suffering abound, and I don't like the idea (a
shortcoming of X, it seems) of having to logout of my session to switch
between the discrete and integrated GPU.

The HP has a Radeon+Intel setup. Circumstantial evidence indicates it
may be less painful, although not a lot of people seem to have installed
Linux on an Envy 15, especially not very recently.

This guy is running Ubuntu 12.04 beta on an Envy 15 and reports that it
works fairly well:

http://www.sharms.org/blog/2012/03/ubuntu-12-04-and-the-hp-envy-15/comment-page-1/#comment-6470

The machine is custom-build, so it'll be a couple weeks before it ships.
I'll report back after I get it installed and running.

If I don't like it, I'll go with the Mac option and get a 1680 x 1050
MBP and cram in a big disk and 16 GB and run Linux in a VM. I could run
it on bare metal with a little shoehorning, but OS X is nice enough to
have around that I'd go the VM route, seeing as I loathe dual-booting so
much.

Thanks for all the input and advice!

Jonathan

Footnote: if you're looking at ultrabooks, check out the HP Spectre. The
glass across the handrest area gives it a feel so smooth that the
touchpad is like running your finger over wet ice. It makes even the
Apple touchpad feel like sandpaper in comparison. It's simply a
beautiful machine. No data on how Linux runs on it, but it's gorgeous.
If I were looking for a notebook in addition to my desktop instead of as
a replacement for my desktop, the Spectre would have been number 1 on
the list.