Why I love Thinkpads (ease of use and Linux compatibility)

[Scottfish]

So I got my new/old Thinkpad in the mail today. X200 with no hard drive.

Within minutes, I was testing it with Debian.

Darn drivers though. Wifi never works.

I tried installing Arch with Architect, but I kept skipping steps and having to do do-overs.

I was avoiding running Ubuntu because I want lightweight, but it always just works.

I am going to run Openbox anyway.

Any distro suggestions?

[brchan]

Arch linux is the way to go if you want the fastest, leanest, up to date system. The beginner's guide is very useful. Other than that, Linux Mint Debian edition has been the only other distro (crunchbang was another, but is unsupported now) that offered similar performance, apps, usability, and features.

[Scottfish]

Arch linux is the way to go if you want the fastest, leanest, up to date system. The beginner's guide is very useful. Other than that, Linux Mint Debian edition has been the only other distro (crunchbang was another, but is unsupported now) that offered similar performance, apps, usability, and features.

Thanks! I forgot about LMDE.

[Neil]

Bunsen Labs is the community continuation of Crunchbag. So all the extra drivers pre-installed with that openbox goodness.

[Dekks]

Gentoo if you want the leanest optimised system, but its not the distro for everyone as your compiling from source & it's an "interesting" learning curve.

Don't understand your comments re Architect, why did you skip things?

Why didn't you just add the correct driver/firmware package via pacman & modprobe the appropriate module?

[Tasurinchi]

Wifi never works

Wifi cards are easily installed in Debian, most of my ThinkPads are running Jessie (I left some old ones like my X32 and Z60m with wheezy). Since most of them have Intel cards I normally use these instructions: https://wiki.debian.org/iwlwifi

But also other wifi card brands are easy to get working with Debian, I remember I had some weird Realtek card in a X121e, but after minimal googling I found the respective package.

[Scottfish]

As far as skipping things in Architect, I kept missing steps like Create User Account or Setup Display Manager. I chalk it up to not paying attention. The problem is that after a few mess-ups, I had to keep wiping the entire drive otherwise it said I had no room for the next run through.

I blame myself. I was getting tired and was multi-tasking.

As far as adding the Debian drivers, I was having a hell of a time trying to add in the repository.

Part of me wants to feel the pain. Part of me just wants it to work. I am always torn.

I am super impressed w/ Bunsen Labs after seeing the previous reply. I was a Crunchbang fan and had no idea this existed. Will be testing it out tonight.

[Tasurinchi]

I was having a hell of a time trying to add in the repository

I just downloaded the deb file, installed, reboot Enjoy wifi!

[Scottfish]

I was having a hell of a time trying to add in the repository

I just downloaded the deb file, installed, reboot Enjoy wifi!

Ok. I am not finding the deb file. I may just be blind. Where do I find it?

[Tasurinchi]

Try this one: https://packages.debian.org/jessie/all/ ... i/download (you'll need to choose the site where you want to download it)

[Scottfish]

Try this one: https://packages.debian.org/jessie/all/ ... i/download (you'll need to choose the site where you want to download it)

Thank you for this. Worked like a charm. I think I have realized that I am past the point of wanting to feel the pain. Kind of just want stuff to work now. Must be the old age setting in.

[Tasurinchi]

Worked like a charm

I have an USB Stick with a Debian netinstall, I copied the package linked above in the stick so that I can install it immediately after the Debian installation. The cool thing of the netinstall is that you don't need to spend x amount of time with updates.

I also know there is a way to include the drivers in the same stick so that there are installed automatically, but I'm too lazy to try

[jaspen-meyer]

I also know there is a way to include the drivers in the same stick so that there are installed automatically, but I'm too lazy to try

All that glitters is not gold - the option to get the wifi drivers from another drive during install doesn't usually work - though it's worked in the past it failed the last 5 times I've tried - now that I think about it, maybe the permissions on the external disk were too restrictive.

{sent with wifi from a non-debian device}

[Tasurinchi]

All that glitters is not gold - the option to get the wifi drivers from another drive during install doesn't usually work

Good that I didn't spend time trying

[swathe]

Gentoo if you want the leanest optimised system, but its not the distro for everyone as your compiling from source & it's an "interesting" learning curve.

I'm also a massive fan of Gentoo

[micrex22]

Wifi never works

Wifi cards are easily installed in Debian, most of my ThinkPads are running Jessie (I left some old ones like my X32 and Z60m with wheezy). Since most of them have Intel cards I normally use these instructions: https://wiki.debian.org/iwlwifi

But also other wifi card brands are easy to get working with Debian, I remember I had some weird Realtek card in a X121e, but after minimal googling I found the respective package.

Archlinux found my T60's old 2006 intel wifi card no problem; I'm guessing because it's older, virtually all distributions most likely have support for it.

Realtek... life would be easier if they stuck to making their awful audio chips.

[Tasurinchi]

Archlinux found my T60's old 2006 intel wifi card no problem

Yeah, I also know of other distributions that include the drivers (Ubuntu flavors also did) I think it's about some legal thingy, but I did not bother too much reading why...

[jaspen-meyer]

Archlinux found my T60's old 2006 intel wifi card no problem

Yeah, I also know of other distributions that include the drivers (Ubuntu flavors also did) I think it's about some legal thingy, but I did not bother too much reading why...

It's an issue of principle, not a legal decission.

Wifi cards, such as intel wifi, will not run with open-source modules. They require secretive closed-source firmware in order to run. This firmware doesn't undergo peer review, it can't be modified by the end user or 'the community' and can do whatever it wants with your networked data. These are the reasons it's not supported out-of-the-box by Debian.

[Tasurinchi]

Thanks for the explanation! I should read the Debian pages more carefully

[Temetka]

Checking in with another vote for BunsenLabs.

It is an excellent distro with a great community.

My only other goto distro is Linux Mint. Because even though I really like linux, I do not "want to feel the pain" as another user stated. It's 2016 now and there is no reason for an OS to be difficult or even marginally hard to install. I'm looking at you Arch and Gentoo. Get with the times and drop the elitist attitude. It does more harm to the FOSS community than it does good. Embrace the newbies.

Oh and get off my lawn.

[jaspen-meyer]

There are hundreds of distributions aimed at noobs.
Gentoo serves it's niche well.

Trisquel, Debian based, is endorsed by the Free Software Foundation.
It does not support non-free software and, as such, will not run intel wifi cards because they require a secretive lump of software, called a 'blob', in order to run.
This made for a comic face-off:

a) Lenovo, the largest computer manufacturer in Communist China, demands Intel wifi be used

b) the Free Software Foundation, a group centered on freedom for the user, refuses Intel wifi cards

[brchan]

Arch installation could be made easier, seeing as other distros like Tiny core are smaller and have a quick gui installer, but you can get a script to handle much of the installation for you. The benefit to doing the installation in Arch is that you can tailor it to exactly how you want.

[skinnie]

Antergos, arch goodness with easy install.

[evening_hunger]

a) Lenovo, the largest computer manufacturer in Communist China, demands Intel wifi be used

China is just as much communist as Russia is democratic:)

[Elchund]

Distro sugestion? Well, you already know, Ubuntu, just works out of the box. I usually install some kind of fan control, but other than that its fully working with no hassle 15 minutes after you start installing it. I have Ubuntu (14.04-15.10) running on my sons x200 and x201, and on my own x220 and T430s. Fast and trouble free, even runs windows 7 really well in VB for my car diagnostics.

Tron