this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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I've noticed in the Linux community whenever someone asks for a recommendation on a laptop that runs Linux the answer is always "Get a Thinkpad" yet Lenovo doesn't seem to be a big Linux contributor or ally. There's also at least six Linux/FOSS-oriented computer manufacturers now:

So what gives? Why the love for a primarily Windows-oriented laptop when there are better alternatives?

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[–] BCsven@lemmy.ca 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The only reason I wouldn't buy Lenovo is they were caught twice shipping laptops with spyware, and on my NAS their upgrade firmware contained google ad banners. While this will not affect a linux reinstall it just shows they are a shit company

[–] silvercove@lemdro.id 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

American producers are shipping NSA spyware as well. If this is a concern (which it should be), best thing is to install Linux on it yourself.

[–] BitSound@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What do you mean by NSA spyware? Anything that I can think of along those lines isn't really the same thing as what Lenovo did.

[–] silvercove@lemdro.id 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] BitSound@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago

That's not really the same thing. It's also bad, but the producers aren't shipping that themselves, the NSA modifies it the devices after shipment. That's in some ways worse, since installing Linux yourself won't help against adversarial firmware/hardware.