Help with laptop buying decision - eviltoast

I’m looking for a new work laptop and I’d like to jump to Linux at the same time. I was hoping to get some input from here because I’m still undecided!

Maybe some context first : the switch is not urgent. My current machine still works. I’d like to change it because of a few quirks and problems (for me) it has, it will find a happy owner afterwards. As for the job, I’m a dev (mostly Java and web). I need something that can run a few docker containers, multiple instances of intellij, but that’s pretty much it and it’s not a complicated requirement to fill. Also, I’m in Europe.

I’ve been looking mostly at Tuxedo and Framework, with a preference for the later 16 inch model.

Does anybody have experience with Linux support on the framework 16? With, for example, Fedora? Other than that, any recommendation / thing to pay attention to? I have some experience with Linux but it’s been a while since I’ve run it as a desktop os, and my knowledge has never been in depth, so any help will be greatly appreciated :)

  • tobistokles@lemmy.world
    2·
    10 months ago

    I have a 1st Gen Framework and don’t recommend it.

    Battery life in standby is TERRIBLE, we are talking 40% overnight (after optimizations) and very rarely the notebook wakes up randomly.

    The build-quality is better than cheaper laptops, but definitely worse than my old Thinkpad. Although the keyboard is better than many consumer laptops, it feels a lot mushier than my Thinkpad’s. Several keys have lost their cover already and the display hinges are wobbly & feel cheap. I also got small spot with burn-in on the display. After 2 years the Framework looks worse than my 6-year-old X1 Yoga.

    Linux support is okay, most things work out of the box. However, it’s far from perfect and absolutely not a First Class experience. For example, there is currently no way to get the most recent BIOS via Linux and apparently we are months away from a solution. In Fedora 39 Silverblue I experience very rare freezes (according to Arch Wiki this is due to Intel and not a Framework-exclusive problem, I still want to mention it).

    My next laptop will be a new or used Thinkpad again.