[sf-lug] My latest NUC adventure

[Akkana Peck]

Rick Moen writes:
> This doesn't quite qualify because of its 14" screen (you said smaller),
> but in recent years it's struck me that the ideal Linux laptop has been
> the successive iterations of Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon.  Despite the
> large screen, they're famously lightweight, e.g., the 2018 6th
> generation X1 Carbon weighed 1.13 kg (2.5 lb).

14" is bigger than I really want (I've used 10-11" laptops up to now,
so even 13" seems awfully big), but wow, that is light -- lighter
than mos of the 13-inchers on my list so far. And great specs.
I'll give it some thought, thanks.

Of course, I want hardware virtualization support, and I've been
burned before when a supposedly snazzy CPU turned out not to have
it. If I google a CPU and find a page like this
https://ark.intel.com/content/www/us/en/ark/products/95443/intel-core-i5-7200u-processor-3m-cache-up-to-3-10-ghz.html
are these the only flags I need to look for?
  Intel Virtualization Technology (VT-x)
  Intel Virtualization Technology for Directed I/O (VT-d)

Should bugs like Spectre/Meltdown be a consideration?
I'm guessing no, since 7th and 8th generation Intel CPUs are what
I'm seeing in current laptops, and it looks like even most 9th gen
CPUs don't have protection against those bugs.

> Usual caveats about laptops and Linux apply, e.g., each revision of a
> model might pose fresh challenges if the manufacturer suddenly
> introduces a problematic chipset that doesn't yet have good Linux driver

For sure. I was all hot for the Dell XPS 13, which everybody seems
to love. Then I googled wi-fi chipsets and found that the current
XPS 13 uses a wi-fi card called a "Killer 1435", which is some kind
of modified Broadcom card (ugh), and it works fine for some Linux
users and not at all for others. And in the last 2-3 years Dell
started *soldering it in* so it's not even replaceable like it was
on earlier models. (The ThinkPad X line uses Intel wi-fi, and it looks
like the Asus Zenbook 13 does too though I haven't confirmed it yet.)

> Always handy:  https://www.linux-on-laptops.com/

That used to be a great resource, but it looks like it's mostly
bitrotted. It doesn't have any of the models I'm considering, and
when I clicked on entries for much older but similar models, almost
every page was gone, except for one page in Russian.

> I am personally not a fan of sourcing laptops from Linux-specialty
> hardware vendors so as to get _them_ to do the driver-support research
> and sell you a Linux preload.  Personally, I don't want a Linux preload:
> I want to install my own OS in my own way, 

In theory I like the idea of buying from vendors that support Linux.
Having someone else do the work of chasing down what chipsets a
machine uses is worth a little money, even if I install my own OS.
But the price difference is usually more than a little, enough to
be hard to justify; and it's academic anyway because they never have
the sort of hardware I'm looking for.

        ...Akkana