Any Linux Gotchas To Know About?

[kaivalagi]

After being very satisfied with my little X121e I thought I'd pass it onto the wife and get something with a bit more oomph and so I opted for another thinkpad (I am a thinkpad convert now). Today I ordered a new X230 and went for the following options:
- Intel Core i7-3520M Processor (4M Cache, up to 3.60 GHz) with Intel HD Graphics 4000
- 12.5 Premium HD (1366x768) LED Backlit Display, Mobile Broadband Ready, 2x2 Antenna
- 4 GB DDR3 - 1600MHz (1 DIMM)
- ThinkPad Precision Backlit Keyboard UK English
- 720p HD Camera
- 500 GB Hard Disk Drive, 7200rpm
- ThinkPad UltraBase Series 3
- DVD Recordable
- ThinkPad Battery 44++ (9 cell)
- Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6205 (2x2 AGN)

I will upgrade by adding a 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM from Crucial at a later date

So, based on the above options, and assuming some of the members here have already done it, are there any things I should know about when setting up Linux on dual boot? I'll likely go with Linux Mint Debian Edition. Also worth noting I'll re-install Windows 7 Ultimate on it so a full wipe is likely.

Cheers

P.S. Waiting for the delivery is going to be such a torment! And once here I'll have a 4GB DIMM for sale shortly after.

[ZaZ]

I will upgrade by adding a 256GB SSD and 16GB RAM from Crucial at a later date

If you're not using WWAN, you might want to look at the mSATA SSD. It would allow you to keep the platter drive in the main bay for storage.

P.S. Waiting for the delivery is going to be such a torment! And once here I'll have a 4GB DIMM for sale shortly after.

It always is. You might want to add the 4GB stick and see how it goes. Unless you run memory hogging applications, perhaps you do, 16GB is probably not the best use of your money. Good luck and welcome to TPF.

[kaivalagi]

If you're not using WWAN, you might want to look at the mSATA SSD. It would allow you to keep the platter drive in the main bay for storage.

Yep, I'll not need WWAN, I connect through my phone's wifi hotspot so will be getting mSATA (2.5inch 7mm M4 256GB)

It always is. You might want to add the 4GB stick and see how it goes. Unless you run memory hogging applications, perhaps you do, 16GB is probably not the best use of your money. Good luck and welcome to TPF.

I'm a IT contractor and will doing lots of dev, either .net on windows or LAMP/Python/Java on Linux, and I'll also likely run VMs regularly for client/server tests too, hence the 16GB. I have 8GB in my little X121e

Thanks for the welcome

[blackomegax]

My X230 is in the mail.

But my linux experience with thinkpads has always been *fantastic*.

Ubuntu out of the box always works (use a version that came out after whatever model of thinkpad. in this case 12.10)


I got a cpu with VT-d and intend to use xen virtualization and an eGPU to run a seamless windows gaming box virtualized on top of a Linux workstation.

[ThinkRob]

Look on the bright side: the industry will likely get over the whole "touch/tablet everything!" fetish if/when Windows 8 flops.

Otherwise: meh. It's about what I'd expect from a budget ThinkPad line, which is to say: decent colors, poor design.

[kaivalagi]

Well it's arrived already, ordered 25/10 arrived 2/11, can't be bad!

I am well chuffed with it and I don't see a budget line to be honest? What thinkpads are you comparing with Thinkrob? I do agree though, windows 8 will be a flop like vista was, I'm sticking with windows 7 on the MS front.

I've just got to wait for the RAM and SSD from crucial which was ordered today, I ended up getting a 512GB SSD in the end. Once installed I'll start rebuilding with linux in dual boot on the SSD with the 512GB HDD as a second data drive, I am 99% sure I will go with Linux Mint Debian Edition. Not sure what I am doing with UEFI etc yet, I think I'll need to do a little reading whilst waiting for the bits to come in the mail.

[kaivalagi]

Well I think I have settled on a linux setup now, maybe....

I wanted a debian based solution and did end up using LinuxMint Debian Edition (mate flavour) to get it on after trying and failing with #! testing (bombing out on load after install and live worked?) and Debian stable 6.0.6 (no wifi support working). I am now running Debian sid (unstable) with a liquorix 3.6 kernel.

Here's what I went through en-route to what I have now:

• Installed LinuxMint DE (201204) Mate version with an initial kernel (3.2.0.2 IIRC) that brought graphics issues and locked up the system several times
• Subsequent repointing of sources.list to Debian testing (away from LinuxMint repos) gave a kernel update (3.2.0.3 IIRC) which fixed the graphics glitches but I still had lockups
• Repointing to Debian Unstable ("sid") gave lots more updates and a newer kernel (3.2.0.4) but still lockups, albeit less frequent. Dont pay attention to the term "Unstable", Debian sid is more stable than Ubuntu in my experience!
• Finally I added in the liquorix ppa and installed a new kernel (3.6.*) and all the problems have gone completely, lesson learnt that you need a new kernel
• I removed all mate/xfce/cinniman packages reverting to the console, then installed gnome 3 with the shell, after a nice clean up I have what I want now.

Hope that helps someone...anyone not fussed about linux OS just install Ubuntu, it will be much easier. If you want Debian for the rolling releases like me then this works and maybe other options will do too? Maybe you'll have better luck with #! or maybe you have some tricks up your sleeves when getting wifi support in debian?

If there are any other insights you have please share them

[ThinkRob]

Debian is not rolling release.

[kaivalagi]

I guess it depends on which flavour of Debian, I was referring to Unstable/sid, as quoted by Debian: "Debian Unstable (also known by its codename "Sid") is not strictly a release, but rather a rolling development version of the Debian distribution containing the latest and greatest packages which have been introduced into the Debian system."
I used to use Arch Linux so I do understand what a rolling release is, and sid most definitely is that...