Re: Subnotebook?

On 11/02/2025 15:20, Carlos E.R. wrote:

On 2025-02-10 08:35, David Brown wrote:

On 07/02/2025 20:43, Carl Fink wrote:

Anyone have a recommendation for a Linux-installed, or second-best
Linux-compatible subnotebook? I'm defining a subnote as having a 10" or
smaller screen, and I'm looking to buy new, not refurb or used.
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I've never found much point in pre-installed Linux systems - they never have the distro or setup I want.  But that might be just me.  So I tend to get the hardware I want, then install the Linux I want, ignoring the "pre-installed" Windows.

 The point is that the machine has been tested with some Linux, although it is feasible they use some binary blob to support something, or that something only works on certain distro.
 

Generally, most hardware works out of the box with a fairly modern distro (vastly more than with Windows), but there are some things to watch out for if you get a very new design.  The most common issue, I think, is new laptops or notebooks with Wifi chips that are not supported by the kernel versions that come as standard with a mainstream distro like Mint or Ubuntu.  That means upgrading the kernel, which can be a pain without a working network - and these machines often don't have Ethernet.  So make sure you have a USB C docking station or Ethernet adaptor handy for putting it all together.

 Which is why I insist that laptops must have Ethernet.
 

I certainly prefer Ethernet on laptops, but newer and smaller ones frequently don't have Ethernet.  A USB C Ethernet adaptor (or hub with Ethernet) costs very little, and I've never seen one that does not work immediately out of the box with Linux.