Hi

I was thinking of buying a new laptop with Linux OS as a change from windows ,Any info from Linux users would be appreciated pros and cons

Thanks

Just buy a PC with Windows 10 and then install Kubuntu or Linux Mint as a dual boot. That's what I do.

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Some time ago I bought my son a Dell notebook with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed, and more recently purchased 5 HP 11 inch notebooks with free-DOS and installed Linux Mint on each for my self, Daughter and some friends. I've purchased various other computers over the past with a MS OS installed, deleted it and installed Linux with no problems so you probably can buy what ever computer you like and install a Linux OS with little to no problems at all today. Tablets are something else, and after many hours we have succeeded in installing a Linux OS on one, but not all the HW can be made to work.

Nice to see a growing interest in Linux and I might add, moving all my friends to using Linux has nearly eliminated them calling me to fix their computers.

jippytum, I've been using Linux since 1994, pretty close to when it first came out, both at work and home.

 

I wouldn't run anything else.

 

Linux will usually run on just about any computer, including those that come with Windows installed, and Macs as well, and also tablets...But check before you buy to make sure. That's critical.

 

The advantage of Linux is that you have lots of choices, security isn't broke, and there's a large support community to help you along. And....everything is FREE.

 

If you're a newbie, you want to check out how well Linux works on whatever computer you're thinking of buying. I've run Linux on many different platforms. Right now I'm running it on a Lenova x220, a 4 year old high end computer (refurbished, and very well) that I bought for $200 on ebay a few months ago. Runs like a dream. Lenova has always been Linux friendly (hardware wise).

 

There are many different versions of Linux. It's best (esp. as a newbie) to go for one easy to set up with lots of user support, where a google search will quickly answer most of your problems. I'm running "Mate Ubuntu 16.04" at the moment, because it is stable and very functional. Mate with Ubuntu because I like the traditional Mate linux utilities and desktop better than the straight Ubuntu version, and I just turned 70 so I want things simple and familiar. Of course there are many other Linux versions with exotic features and very slick behavior, but some of this is "state of the art" and not appropriate for a new user, because of complexity and bugs.

 

You'll find little on the surface that differs from a Windows or Mac in layout or features. Linux is much faster than Windows running on the same machine though, and isn't busy spying on you (like Windows 10). And besides, where does the average user spend most of his time: in the browser, and browsers function and look the same on all computers.

 

Anyway, if you want Linux, check to make sure that it runs well on the machine you choose. Do this by basic searches in google like "linux Dell 5509" or "Ubuntu Dell 5509" (or whatever your computer name and model number is), for example. Because Linux is public domain and hardware is private domain, it may take awhile for Linux user written drivers to catch up with newly released hardware.

 

One good thing about Linux is that the average user is much more informed than the typical Windows or Mac users, so any questions are usually answered authoritatively and without the endless searching that might be required to find an answer to a simple Windows problem.

 

And if you end up hating Linux, you can always reinstall what the machine came with in the first place. (machines usually don't come with Linux installed).

 

 

 

 

I can only recommend looking into a Chromebook as well....

 

If you are using or planing to use Google Apps like Gmail, Sheets, Docs, Presentations etc. and you prefer Chrome as your standard Webbrowser then this makes sense as long as you don't run or need to install any proprietary applications (which might get you into trouble with Linux as well).

 

No virus, malware, blue screen etc. anymore and the Chromebooks, especially in the US, are getting more and more traction.

 

I don't want to start any discussion here but we all are aware that Cloud will be the future and lets you share, secure and protect data much more easy as on any local disk or drive.

 

I am using MacOS since 7 years and don't wanna ever use Windows or even Microsoft Office Software.

I started with a Chromebook 1 year ago and can do around 95% of all tasks I ever would need. You could even install Ubuntu as secondary OS but you won't need it.

Attach a Google Cloud printer and print from any device anywhere in the world.

 

What's the point of using locally installed software and data and backup that stuff manually to an external device?

 

Have some thoughts but moving forward most applications will have a browser based app version as well which you can run from a Webbrowser.

Chromebooks are slower and cheaper, but with long battery life..  That fits my limited need for a laptop, but the ChromeOS itself seems far too limited since you have to be connected at all times.  It is possible to install linux on most Chromebooks, the best version being GalliumOS, a Ubuntu derivative.  That works well enough for me. 

 

But before the OP abandons Windows, he should review the software that he uses to make sure that he doesn't depend on some application that only runs on Windows.  I couldn't do without some Windows applications, such as Quicken and some other financial software.  So, I run Windows as a vm on my linux desktop along with linux vms.  Meets my needs.

A few years ago I bought a notebook here with Linux pre-installed.  It wasn't a distro I'd heard of (something beginning with P), and it was horrendous.  Ugly user interface.  Locked down so even basic tasks such as launching terminal were nigh on impossible.  After 30 minutes I decided to scrap it and install Ubuntu.

 

What I'd probably do is make a bootable USB drive with my preferred Linux distro (which currently is LMDE) and take it to the store to make sure the laptop I was interested in worked with Linux - looking particularly for sound, Wi-fi and Bluetooth connectivity.  If all seems OK, then I'd be good to buy.  No need for Linux pre-installed.  (Lots of PCs here are sold with FreeDOS.)

 

One area where you may well experience issues is printing.  Even HP printers which are notionally supported can be very difficult to make work.  If you have an existing printer you'll want to use with the laptop, make sure Linux is supported.