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I need some help!

N-th for Thinkpads. I've never had one that didn't support Linux well, and many of the models have very nice large screens. I've got several.
 
VERAULT said:
Running windows in virtualbox is much easier in my opinion.
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Yes, but sadly when I've tried to sell used laptops to people who want only to run Windows, for some reason they don't seem very keen at all when tell them I'm delivering a Linux system and point them to a page about how to run Windows in a virtualbox.

Eudimorphodon said:
Everything I can find about activation for Windows 11 makes it sound like it's pretty much the same as 10, IE, you should be able to wipe the machine completely and reinstall, the machine should be able to automatically reactivate from its hardware signature.
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Thanks for the hint! I do have a machine I'm about to retire where I couldn't convince the pre-installed Windows 11 to play nice and had to wipe the entire drive; I'll try a re-install from a Windows download and see if that works.
 
Chuck,

I can't help much with your laptop, but I hope everything turns out OK with your surgery.

A word of warning though, especially if you are having a General Anathstetic, don't expect to get too much done in hospital. You will be pretty "out of it" for a while...

 Dave
 
Chuck Good luck with surgery. drop us a quick line once you are able to say hi and if you had a linux laptop to keep you occupied.
 
Thanks all for the wishes. The laptop is for the couple of days between surgeries; the first is basically carving out the cancer, spending 5-7 days in hospital, then a wait of a couple of days for pathology, then return to hospital for reconstructive surgery. It's that interim period that I want the laptop for.
 
My present company has been using Elitebooks for a decade, model after model. They run Linux fine.

If option is older/used, I'd suggest late 2010's version of this laptop. The resell value should be larger than some cheapo new device.

I believe your procedures are going to come out successful and hope you have a swift postsurgery recovery :)
 
Good luck with your surgery @Chuck(G) - Hope it goes well and pain free :)

I assume WSL isn't suitable for what you want? I find it pretty convenient compared to running Linux in HyperV, which I can't stand, though if I was running the virtual linux over to my Quest3 and sitting in AR mode, it might not be so bad... I've watched a few movies like that and they are pretty good, and you can get correction for the lenses built in. Except for the battery time, I really like using the VR goggles for stuff like that. Going big-screen and multi-screen in virtual space is pretty nice and you can set the computer off to the side and just run it via a keyboard and mouse via BT. I wonder if the Vision Pro can handle anything like that as an alternative concept? I've never tried sending Linux over the wifi to my VR goggles... Not sure if they have the software for it. But in a place like a hospital, If I was the patient, I'd love to have my VR goggles with me.

A big screen on a laptop usually means a lot of weight and a big base unit. I had a nice Alienware 17 I used like that when my daughter/wife was in hospital, but it was really heavy to shift around, which made it a little inconvenient in a hospital with such tiny tables and limited access to bedside space... So my latest go-to is a Surface Book 2, 15", which you can run Ubuntu on, but it's a compromise of a reasonable screen size with a good keyboard and small light form factor.
 
I haven't seen a version of Windows since 7; I'm a lot more comfortable with Linux as my daily driver. Win 11 with M$ money-grubbing anti-privacy just doesn't do it for me.
Mind you , back in the day, I was an official Windows developer. But times have changed.
 
cj7hawk said:
I assume WSL isn't suitable for what you want? I find it pretty convenient compared to running Linux in HyperV, which I can't stand
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I'm actually a user of these stuff, for a long time. From SFU to Cygwin and now WSL.

WSL is fantastic because it doesn't expose a custom 'distro' but you use a proper one. However, for GUI nothing has changed, and the GUI is still running over RDP. And WSL still has problems exposing HiDPI settings to the underlying X or Wayland, you can set the 'magnification' manually but you get just that - a bitmap magnification of truetype rendered fonts.

Cygwin/X used to be a native solution utilizing only X11 network transport, no overlaid remote desktop or VNC.

VirtualBox's seamless mode used to be the best solution if you have cores and RAM on disposal, the hypervisor is able to attach to bitmap of each X11 window from its driver in guest into a shared memory usable by the host service. But this was a huge security surface. I think it was dropped.
 
Picked up the XPS13 today. Owner did a clean install of Win11 Pro. Charger is USB-C, not the 4.5mm special connector;no biggie. Case is clean and display crisp. Even plays 4K movies without stuttering. Core i5 gen 8 CPU so plenty of speed for casual use. I'll install Linux later.
 
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