Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.
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Hi Guys,
I am finally going to make the switch from OS X to Ubuntu on my main daily drive (for work and home). I plan to run it with Cinnamon.
So can anyone suggest a laptop that matches most of the following (in no particular order):
- 15" High res display, at least 1440p
- Has a Thunderbolt 2 port (for my doc) and HDMI out.
- Something with enough CPU power to run Cinnamon flawlessly
- Good battery life, preferably something that can get me around 4 or 5 hours of life on a charge.
- Be hardware compatible with Ubuntu in specific and the linux core in general (ie other distros).
- It does not have to be "ultra-portable" or super light, but I'd rather it not be one of those desktop replacement models that weigh as much as a desktop, I will be travelling with it.
Mostly this machine will be used to run Chrome (Chromium) and a typical set of network admin tools. On the personal side it'd be used for YouTube and Netflix for video, I do not plan to do any gaming on it.
Budget wise, it'd need to be something comparable to the current 15" Macbook Pros, so under $2k or so.
Some google searches lead me to some nice looking laptops, but they always seem to be 13" or smaller displays or only 1080p, or weight an absolute tone. So is there anything you guys think I am leaving out? What make/models do you suggest?
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Why not install Ubuntu on your mac?
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Yes, I could do that, but I am up for a new machine in the budget, so why not?
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Ubuntu Desktop certified hardware
https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/ -
Why Ubuntu?
I almost never see serious projects that run on it. Most serious things run on the Fedora/RHEL line.
Could be my perspective is skewed, it it is what I see.
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I agree, I have multiple Linux systems and am stuck with Ubuntu on one of them and while it is okay, it is not as good as other options. Cinnamon on Ubuntu is not very good at all. If you want Cinnamon on Ubuntu, why not use Mint where it is native? But even better, I'd recommend Korora with Cinnamon.
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@JaredBusch said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Why Ubuntu?
I almost never see serious projects that run on it. Most serious things run on the Fedora/RHEL line.
Could be my perspective is skewed, it it is what I see.
I did not say it in this post, but the reason I am on Korora on my desktop and laptop now is because all the stuff I do, outside of the Unifi controller, is on Fedora/RHEL.
So I wanted my desktop & laptop on Fedora/RHEL. I tested out straight Fedora with a desktop experience, and then tried Korora. Korora Cinnamon makes the desktop experience on Fedora smooth.
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Simply put it is the distro I am most comfortable with, and matches all my Linux kernel based servers (they are all Ubuntu Server).
It is a pretty big shift for me to go from Windows/Mac to Linux so my I'd like to keep some of my comfort zone in tact for now. A year from now I may very well switch distros.
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@black3dynamite said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Ubuntu Desktop certified hardware
https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/I've never even bothered looking for a HCL with Ubuntu. . . I just always went and tested it.
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@JaredBusch said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
@JaredBusch said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Why Ubuntu?
I almost never see serious projects that run on it. Most serious things run on the Fedora/RHEL line.
Could be my perspective is skewed, it it is what I see.
I did not say it in this post, but the reason I am on Korora on my desktop and laptop now is because all the stuff I do, outside of the Unifi controller, is on Fedora/RHEL.
So I wanted my desktop & laptop on Fedora/RHEL. I tested out straight Fedora with a desktop experience, and then tried Korora. Korora Cinnamon makes the desktop experience on Fedora smooth.
Are you running Korora on a MacBook? I have it in my head that you are running a MBP. I'm running a 2012 MBP, and would like to switch off of OSX.
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@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Are you running Korora on a MacBook? I have it in my head that you are running a MBP. I'm running a 2012 MBP, and would like to switch off of OSX.
Yes @JaredBusch is running Korora on his MBP.
I am also doing the same on a 2015 MBP.
Both installs are bare metal (not dual boot). -
@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Are you running Korora on a MacBook? I have it in my head that you are running a MBP. I'm running a 2012 MBP, and would like to switch off of OSX.
Yes, I have a late 2011 MBP that I dropped Korora 25 Cinnamon on.
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@JaredBusch said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Are you running Korora on a MacBook? I have it in my head that you are running a MBP. I'm running a 2012 MBP, and would like to switch off of OSX.
Yes, I have a late 2011 MBP that I dropped Korora 25 Cinnamon on.
Any issues with installation, drivers, or any other weirdness?
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@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
@JaredBusch said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
Are you running Korora on a MacBook? I have it in my head that you are running a MBP. I'm running a 2012 MBP, and would like to switch off of OSX.
Yes, I have a late 2011 MBP that I dropped Korora 25 Cinnamon on.
Any issues with installation, drivers, or any other weirdness?
nope.
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@JaredBusch Well then, I think it's time to seriously consider this then. I've been avoiding upgrading to Sierra, so this is awesome news.
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@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
@JaredBusch Well then, I think it's time to seriously consider this then. I've been avoiding upgrading to Sierra, so this is awesome news.
My MBP was on the current macOS update prior to this. I had no real complaints with anything.
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@JaredBusch So the experience is smooth with your hardware?
Before I jump ship, I need to get a list of software together that I use to just make sure it's available on Korora. Even if it's not, I'm sure there is an alternative. Most of the tools I use are web based anyway.
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@fuznutz04 said in Laptop Recommendations for Ubuntu 17 w/ Cinnamon UI.:
@JaredBusch So the experience is smooth with your hardware?
Before I jump ship, I need to get a list of software together that I use to just make sure it's available on Korora. Even if it's not, I'm sure there is an alternative. Most of the tools I use are web based anyway.
I had zero issues with anything at all.
The screen saver password was having odd issues , but after a couple reboots for other reasons that went away before I could troubleshoot.
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I need to figure out why "Sleep when I close lid" is not working!!
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@JaredBusch Great. I think I'll take it for a test drive and run it from a USB stick. Thanks for the feedback.
