Ask HN: What's the State of Linux Laptops?

4 bovermyer 5 6/10/2025, 11:26:16 AM
With MacOS Tahoe being the last iteration for Intel Macs, I find myself at an inflection point. I can either replace my 2019 Macbook Pro with a Mac, or I can switch to Linux.

However, it has been many years since I paid attention to Linux on laptops. How do things stand there now? What are the best options for developers?

Comments (5)

pietro72ohboy · 6h ago
Linux can be an excellent choice if you're willing to invest time in finding compatible hardware. I’m running a 2023 laptop (Lenovo Yoga family) with a 12th Gen Intel CPU and have found the experience to be flawless. I'm using Fedora Silverblue. I've customized GNOME (slightly) to my taste and it’s been a great stable, personalized environment.

However, newer hardware features like exceedingly-good displays (talking about XDR displays) and amazing touchpad support can sometimes be tricky to get working perfectly under Linux—these are areas where compatibility might still lag, so if such features are critical for you, Linux might not yet be the ideal fit.

JohnFen · 1d ago
I haven't had trouble with Linux on laptops for years.
drweevil · 1d ago
I have a Framework 13 (https://frame.work) running Arch. There are plenty of other distros if you value ease of installation. Pretty much all major desktops work fine; I use Gnome. There are a lot of options for devs, from the traditional toolset (emacs/vim, terminals, the toolsets provided by your favorite languages) to the latest in IDEs (VS Code[ium], Sublime, IntelliJ, Zed).

Come on in, the water is nice. I've never found myself longing for anything else.

lylo · 1d ago
Read some of DHHs posts - lots of useful info https://world.hey.com/dhh/the-year-on-linux-7f30279e

Also, check out Tuxedo if you're in the EU

https://www.tuxedocomputers.com/en

incomingpain · 1d ago
You can install most mainstream distros onto the chromebooks. Obviously practically all normal laptops as well.

System76 is still going strong. If money isnt a factor, you can get a 24GB RTX 5090 in one of their laptops. POPos is nice.