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by the_third_wave 1283 days ago
Can you give some examples of "things which do not work"? Seeing how as I've been using Linux for close to 30 years and have it running on loads of different types of hardware with more or less everything working - yes even Bluetooth - I'm always somewhat surprised by these problems which fail to haunt me.
2 comments
Mistletoe 1282 days ago
Wi-Fi is usually wonky and just various other things like video drivers etc.

Here is the laptop you wanted me to try to install Linux on lol. Who has time for this shit? I just want to use the computer not futz around with it constantly.

https://www.reddit.com/r/chromeos/comments/eku5tv/replacing_...

Like I said, spend $99 on MacBook Air, receive it, turn it on, it works. That’s all I care about. I don’t even like apple products really but I just want something I know will work.

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kaladin-jasnah 1282 days ago
That is an ARM laptop, which means you have an especially low chance of installing Linux easily. Get an x86 Chromebook and you would probably have less issue, but yes, you may still have some hardware issues (especially since Chromebooks have spotty desktop Linux support). Get an off-the-shelf x86 laptop and you probably would be fine; maybe you will have a few issues. But instead of faulting Linux, consider this? Could you install Windows on this same laptop? Probably not. In fact, on many laptops, hardware support is limited on Windows without vendor drivers (although, there is a chance that this has gotten less bad these days).

If you went and bought a used laptop that has official Linux support, like an XPS 13, then you could also open it, turn it on, and have it work with zero issues with Linux—the same way as a MacBook Air. Try Hackintoshing a random laptop from Best Buy and I think you will encounter similar issues with macOS.

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20after4 1283 days ago
I think some people just don’t even bother to resolve an issue. Maybe it’s not even broken but just reflexively assumed to be broken if something isn’t immediately as they expect it to work. My parents both use Linux daily and rarely ever need me to provide any support. Ubuntu or Debian has worked out of the box on every machine I’ve touched over the last 10 years. Avoiding nvidia graphics is probably the secret to success though, and may be the issue responsible for many people who have a much more negative view of Linux “just working”
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