FYI - lenovo let's you configure with Fedora and Ubuntu

Fedora is mostly used in tech dev or security companies so it’s not uncommon for a tech company to bulk but like 20-30 of those machines and have Lenovo do the pre installs for them. Save time on the companies end cost a fraction of a windows machine.

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Left_Handed_@reddit

HOT TAKE. If I had the choice to select nothing I would have just installed free windows on my laptop tbh and I would hve never even considered linux. I think its actually healthyer for linux's future if there is less options.

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National_Way_3344@reddit

The most important thing is giving nothing to Microsoft.

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VoidDuck@reddit

I'm actually surprised that there's no such option here. I'd rather get a blank disk than a preinstalled OS that I will wipe anyway.

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ztwizzle@reddit

IIRC Microsoft doesn't allow OEMs to sell computers without an operating system, as they don't want people to choose that option to save the hundred bucks or whatever and then pirate Windows. Before OEMs started supporting Linux, this is why they'd let you choose between Windows and FreeDOS (which they knew you'd immediately wipe and install something else over it).

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ProgrammingOnHAL9000@reddit

That's the US though. I'm pretty sure that in Europe, OEM are required to give people choice.

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magion@reddit

This makes absolutely no sense

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kombiwombi@reddit

This certainly used to be the case for Dell servers, back when Dell wanted to sell to Linux-using customers, wanted to meet the terms of its contract with Microsoft, and didn't want to anger Microsoft by offering a Linux option.

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SolidSank@reddit

How does it make no sense?

Who knows what's in the agreements between Microsoft and computer manufacturers. Lenovo is buying keys directly from microsoft under some contract we don't see.

Somehow the music industry got a small cut of blank CD sales because of assumed piracy. It's not completely far-fetched that microsoft would specify something like that.

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jet_heller@reddit

If you're getting the discount for the switch, then reinstalling a different linux isn't an issue. It's the MS tax I want to avoid paying.

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Z3t4@reddit

Why?, same work as we both would reinstall anyway, but preisntakled os lets you test the laptop first, run memtest, stress the cpu, check thermals andfans...

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zacher_glachl@reddit

The day I daily drive an OS installation that I did not install myself from a checksummed installation medium to a zeroed-out disk will be a cold day in hell.

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Born-Requirement-303@reddit

it's more cheaper, i dunno why the charge for pre installing Ubuntu :)

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BecarioDailyPlanet@reddit

Creo que Lenovo tiene una división destinada a optimizar sus dispositivos en Linux. Es lo que estás pagando. Y supongo que Canonical también cobrará un poco para hacer su parte. Al fin y al cabo estos portátiles suelen ir muy bien con Ubuntu. No puedo decir lo mismo de mi portátil Gigabyte..., aunque tampoco he tenido una mala experiencia como tal.

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mckeesh_canonical@reddit

One reason this could be worth it for Ubuntu is that we do substantial work to check functionality and certify certain machines. You’d get a machine with an OEM-specific Ubuntu images. Vanilla Ubuntu is going to be a bit more generic

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Z3t4@reddit

How does they charge?, it is not shown on the picture

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DrFossil@reddit

IIRC it's about 20€ in the German store.

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CrossyAtom46@reddit

You can do all with your own live images.

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diskis@reddit

Most of that can be done with the self tests that are built in to the BIOS

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omniuni@reddit

They likely do a hardware test before passing it along to you, and use the OS for that.

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MelioraXI@reddit

Probably cause Thinkpads are marketed towards enterprise users.

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syntaxerror92383@reddit

exactly what i did to my l14, shipped with no OS and i installed arch straight away (and now switched to fedora)

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Jimbuscus@reddit

That's a substantial discount.

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sniff122@reddit

Windows licence is a substantial cost

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Jimbuscus@reddit

I had always thought it was more competitive to the OEM, like US$20-US$50. I wonder if Microsoft has been increasing their OEM licence fee alongside forcing hardware upgrades.

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noctemct@reddit

At volume like Lenovo, a wholesale Windows license is very, very little. A person can walk in to best buy and purchase a physical copy of Win11 Home for $139, so for manufacturers who customize their Windows installs to charge a little more than that for their retail pricing isn't surprising. It's really just great that they even offer Linux installs at all, good on them!

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Unexpected_Cranberry@reddit

When I heard a price, it was about $5 per license. But that was back when Windows cost $70 for consumers, so maybe it's around $10 now?

This looks like a big middle finger to Microsoft from Lenovo. I wonder if there were some negotiations that didn't go so well...

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p0358@reddit

They still upsell the Pro edition as “Lenovo recommends”, overall I think it means they’re earning yet more than they’re charging still, they need to have some kind of deal or interest in place still for that kind of label to be there

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Masterflitzer@reddit

well win home is really just win lite, pro is the proper version and most people would also recommend pro, so i don't think lenovo recommending it should be judged, the pricing is still something to argue about tho, i would just get the cheapest and if i need windows just activate with powershell lol

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MissTetraHyde@reddit

I found it was so easy to use DISM to add packages to the Home license that there was no need for Pro lol.

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Masterflitzer@reddit

even easier to just activate pro (or even enterprise ltsc if you want less spyware)

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MissTetraHyde@reddit

Are you talking about using MAS?

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Masterflitzer@reddit

i sure am

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p0358@reddit

I’d do the same if I wanted to use Windows as a home user, yes. I’m not saying I’m “judging” Lenovo, but they wouldn’t put that label there out of goodness of their hearts, they must have some incentive

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Unexpected_Cranberry@reddit

Now, times have changed. But the price I was cited was from a guy who worked at dell when I asked why they stopped selling laptops with Linux preloaded back in the days when Ubuntu was becoming a thing. The price difference for consumers was basically nothing as I recall, since a Windows license didn't cost them anything.

He claimed the reason they stopped was that Microsoft threatened to make them pay retail for windows if they didn't.

So unless Lenovo are paying retail for windows all of a sudden (maybe because they refused to help Microsoft sell surface devices?), they're taking a cut in their profits on the Linux machines.

Now, my info is very old and regarding a different oem, but based on that the price difference for Linux makes no sense. Other than as a middle finger to Microsoft.

Now, I'm all for it. If happily see a change in the market that puts more pressure on Microsoft to make a better product.

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p0358@reddit

Yep, that’s what I’m thinking too. And definitely happy, but it’s somewhat surprising to see. And it seems this situation shows even in other devices. I think the example I recall was also Lenovo, but their handhelds lineup. Linux version was also substantially cheaper. And I doubt they’d have similarly lucrative deals with Valve, Canonical and Red Hat all at once compared to Microsoft, so there must be something else at play. Perhaps they do indeed just want to boost Linux market share and also supply some demand with clients that potentially wouldn’t be there otherwise, so that might be worth it for them over no profit margin at all from a device that isn’t sold

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CVGPi@reddit

I think the Linux price caters to enthusiasts, whereas the one with Windows pre-loaded is aimed at enterprises, who will negotiate an artificially high discount on the higher MSRP.

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Jimbuscus@reddit

I would love to see some budget entry laptops with a Linux distro, perhaps on an Intel N100/N200, I see some vendors offer A$400 range with those chips with either Win11 or ChromeOS.

Would be great if any major distro became popular for the price point, given it would substantially help margins.

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spaceman_@reddit

Windows pricing is lower for low cost devices, though.

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dddurd@reddit

They actually increased the price of laptop to make Linux choice cheaper. Windows license costs nothing per device for them.

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SnowyOwl72@reddit

But you can literally buy legal w11 licenses for 5 euros. I never understood the logic behind these pricing discrepancies

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TheRealLazloFalconi@reddit

Those are usually purchased from Microsoft at full price with stolen credit cards, or are regular licenses sold multiple times, or are volume keys that aren't eligible for resale, or sometimes a combination of those.

In any case, while it wasn't illegal for you to buy them, it was almost certainly illegal (or at least, breaking the contract) for the seller to sell them. You're better off just clicking "I don't have a license key" and using Windows for free.

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Jimbuscus@reddit

I've bought those before, they are no longer functional 1-3yrs later.

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AstraeusGB@reddit

They are only functional on the specific set of hardware you install them to. If you change the hardware, the Windows key has to be replaced.

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1031amp@reddit

I hate Windows as much as the next guy but thsts not true. You can transfer your windows keys. In the days I did use windows I also upgraded parts many times, even the motherboard, and nevet needed a new key.

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ArdiMaster@reddit

This is true when you buy a proper full-price license directly from Microsoft or an authorized retailer. It gets tied to your MS account and can be transferred across devices.

The cheap gray-market keys are usually device licenses that can’t transfer to another device any more than the preinstalled license on a laptop.

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AstraeusGB@reddit

This is how OEM keys are meant to be used. They are locked to a specific set of UUIDs. You can transfer individual license keys, you cannot transfer OEM keys.

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Unexpected_Cranberry@reddit

I think there's some special logic around it as well if I recall correctly. Along the lines of, you can replace your hard-drive, RAM or CPU. But if you replace all of them at once your license stops working. But if you replace your harddrive, wait a certain amount of time, then replace the RAM and then do the same thing with the CPU you're fine. But replacing the motherboard will always require a new license.

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ntd252@reddit

Is it the laptop of Theseus?

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No-Dimension1159@reddit

The auto activation stops working... You can just reenter your license key if you extract it with a power shell command before you change your hardware... I did that sometimes already, since then i always extract my windows key before doing hardware changes

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stonhinge@reddit

It also depends on what license you purchase. I paid ~$12 for a Windows 11 key a couple years ago. That key transferred fine when I went from an AM4 motherboard to an AM5 motherboard.

The main trick is to buy your key on a site that specifically differentiates between standard and OEM keys. And then don't buy the OEM key.

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Jimbuscus@reddit

Keys I've gotten with devices before have been transferable to new motherboards, with Microsoft Support.

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No-Dimension1159@reddit

Windows license isn't bound to hardware... The automatic activation without entering a key is bound to hardware because it is based on specific hash values based on your hardware, but you can always extract your license key with a power shell command and just type it into your new machine

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AstraeusGB@reddit

No one is paying attention to context here, this is about OEM keys.

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No-Dimension1159@reddit

That's also true for oem keys, at least in europe

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AstraeusGB@reddit

If you have ownership of the actual OEM key you can apply it to another “device.” However, if the OEM key was installed prior to your purchase or delivery of the device, then it is only applicable to that device. It may be different in Europe, because they have better laws on consumer protection, but in the US you cannot reuse an OEM license applied by the manufacturer or reseller.

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No-Dimension1159@reddit

Well that really sucks

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SnowyOwl72@reddit

I mean we are talking about a laptop, right? So the hw is fixed. Then why does lenovo charge almost 30 times more?

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stonhinge@reddit

A) Because they can, and every other major manufacturer does it.

B) Gives them an easy way to reduce the price for sales: "$50/$100 off!" or similar. Same profit on the hardware, less profit on the software.

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Jimbuscus@reddit

Generally your key is linked to your motherboard and you can transfer them across devices through Microsoft support.

I had a Windows 7 to Windows 8.1 upgrade key that I transferred from a 2011 laptop, to a 2015 Win10 desktop, then to a 2020 second PC.

Both times I had to get Microsoft to transfer the licence to the new motherboard.

It was a lot easier when Win7/8 keys counted as 10 keys, that's where a lot of the cheap keys came from, but would be deactivated after too many separate activations.

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AstraeusGB@reddit

The ones going around online are either old Win7/8 keys or OEM keys. The Win7/8 keys are easier to get support help with, but the OEM keys will leave you high and dry once you change out major components like the motherboard or storage.

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TheBouwman@reddit

Those are not really legal. Most of the time it is someone selling licenses that are intended to be used within a school or organisation. You are technically breaking the terms of services and Microsoft can block them.

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No-Dimension1159@reddit

It depends on your location... In europe, all those licenses are legal since those terms don't really apply there

You can also use oem licenses for personal use 100% legally

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AutistcCuttlefish@reddit

But you can literally buy legal w11 licenses for 5 euros. I never understood the logic behind these pricing discrepancies

Nope. Those "legal keys" on grey market resellers are often acquired fraudulently, which is why they often get disabled after a few years.

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Thebandroid@reddit

I wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft charges more because they also offer other options than just windows.

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KnowZeroX@reddit

It is about 10-50, these prices can be weird but it may simply be how they push consumers towards prebuilt versions vs custom built ones. The prebuilt versions cost only about 30-50 bucks more. It is only on custom built ones they cost like that.

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DerekB52@reddit

I've previously seen linux install options cost MORE than Windows on OEM laptops. Maybe it's changed but I basically read that OEM's made money putting Windows on their laptops. They were getting paid "bloatware subsidies" for the software they put in their Windows installs, and installing Linux removes that line of income.

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DarthPneumono@reddit

and installing Linux removes that line of income.

For now. No reason they can't install bloatware on the included Linux install, and they undoubtedly would if the money was there.

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Ro_Darkfool_Koji@reddit

My Dell sales rep once told me that it does cost them more internally to install anything other than Windows due to the reasons you stated, but in the T&Cs of the sale you do not get any support from Dell on anything other than the hardware itself and that saves them a decent amount on average.

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Jimbuscus@reddit

It feels like Microsoft is at the point where they can abuse their universal desktop monopoly to get more out of OEM, most of the companies' profits are now from businesses.

That would be fantastic for Linux adoption, if we end up with more laptops with Linux pre-installed.

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Kazer67@reddit

It's actually that, given all the time manufacturers were taken in court around here (linked sale which isn't legal) for just a 25 € refund of the Windows license, seemed like a lot of lawyer fees for almost nothing in the end (aside from "intercourse yourself" against Microsoft linked sale) but having a full license reduced is wild.

Which mean Lenovo may have given up on the requirement for the OEM pricing and just bill the whole license.

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WhiteHelix@reddit

If you can up your margin significantly by just adding Windows, why would you give your large volume price down to the customers. Everything for the shareholders.

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pangeapedestrian@reddit

I can remember buying a laptop almost a decade ago and the additional cost for windows license/pre installed was about ~100 bucks, for what it's worth.

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goishen@reddit

MicroSoft has always lowered prices for very large companies to drive away any other competitors. And because these large companies are selling many thousands of units per year, this also adds to the lowering of the cost.

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sniff122@reddit

It wouldn't surprise me

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dumbasPL@reddit

Retail copy on the M$ store is $139, and OEM licenses are a lot cheaper. How tf are they giving you a $159 discount. Maybe OP's $ isn't USD? But still, it's an OEM license.

Fun fact, in the EU you can refund your coppy of Windows if you haven't accepted the EULA. A bit of a pain, but if you really care, you can. But you will only get the OEM license cost, around $50 I think.

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deke28@reddit

The systems that allow you to configure Linux never go on sale and cost more.

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knome@reddit

this thread is literally linked to a $150 discount for ordering the exact same hardware but with linux on it, lol

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ztwizzle@reddit

Lenovo sets up their pricing such that all their computers are priced ridiculously high, but they do sales on preconfigured models that cut like 40% off that price. Linux is only offered on build-to-order computers that the sales don't apply to, so in practice it isn't worth doing a build-to-order Linux system to save $150 on the Windows license when you can buy the same computer with Windows and on sale for $500-$600 off.

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Liamlah@reddit

The computer in the screenshot is on sale.

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ztwizzle@reddit

Lenovo uses used car salesman tactics, everything's on perpetual sale. The difference is the magnitude of the sale. I'll give you an example. I can get a preconfigured P16s Gen 4 AMD with Windows 11 Pro, a Ryzen 7 Pro 350, 32 GB of RAM, 1 TB SSD, and an OLED 2400p screen for $1329 (44% off). If I do a build-to-order system with the same specs and Linux, even with the $159 OS discount it comes out to $1521 (34% off). You may see different pricing on your end because Lenovo constantly messes with their prices. This makes it not worth buying a Linux system because it costs ~$200 more than buying an equivalent Windows system and wiping the drive and installing Linux yourself.

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deke28@reddit

That's it basically. It's still better to buy a Windows PC and then wipe it, but then lenovo will say it's a) unsupported and b) that linux doesn't sell.

You can't win; it's basically the same with Dell.

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CVGPi@reddit

I think Linux is targeting enthusiasts with lower cost of entry.

Windows is marked up so businesses can negotiate "bulk discounts" that are artificially high.

Most consumers would be redirected to the Xiaoxin/ThinkBook/Legion/YOGA/Idea series.

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One-Imagination7976@reddit

If a currency helps, I just went on a random model (X1 Carbon Gen 13) and this is the UK pricing (no Ubuntu option for some reason).

No OS: Free

Fedora: £25.00

Windows 11 Home: £50

Windows 11 Pro: £110

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Sh_Pe@reddit

Charging for fedora is wild

But yea, 50$ for windows seems more reasonable

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TheRealLazloFalconi@reddit

They're charging for the labor to install it.

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Sh_Pe@reddit

I bet that’s done automatically

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TheRealLazloFalconi@reddit

Yeah it's certainly automatic imaging, but there's still the labor of tracking the laptop (or more likely, SSD) that's going to be different, then plugging it into the Linux installer and pulling it off the line, and packing it up.

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Sh_Pe@reddit

If most of the cost is the additional pipeline, why would you bother with no OS pipeline at all?

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TheRealLazloFalconi@reddit

¯\(ツ)/¯

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Jeoshua@reddit

I mean, compared to just throwing a blank SSD into the device? Charging is reasonable, even if £25 does seem a touch high. Maybe £10, if they include testing to make sure it actually boots.

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kipd@reddit

Gonna guess 10% of that is the license, and the remaining 90% is them not having to worry about providing (as much) support to the customer.

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Kwpolska@reddit

Offering a much cheaper Linux option will definitely lead to clueless people buying it and flooding support with questions why none of their apps work and where the start menu is.

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amir_s89@reddit

Substantial burden for sure.

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Psilocybe_Fanaticus@reddit

And substantial bloat with AI features no one asked for like Recall

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sniff122@reddit

Yup exactly

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Turtvaiz@reddit

Not really. Volume licenses are absolutely not 160 dollars. This is a crazy scam lol

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UnknownoofYT@reddit

🏴‍☠️

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VoidDuck@reddit

But it's not recommended... I think I'll still go with Windows 11 Pro 64.

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Nearby_Astronomer310@reddit

Why not? I Genuinely think your recommendation is harmful.

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Jimbuscus@reddit

If I was a Windows user, I'd save the $159 & install an ISO from the Microsoft website. Then use massgraves' script.

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VoidDuck@reddit

You despicable pirate! ;)

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GalaxP@reddit

For a better experience. Win win!

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GarThor_TMK@reddit

It's actually only about a $20 difference between the cost of windows 11 home & the discount price.

At the time of writing, W11 Home is $139...

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NazakatUmrani@reddit

I use NixOS and prefer to have dual boot, so maybe an option to order without any OS Would be good as well

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FinancialMoney6969@reddit

Wait it actually discounts the price. That’s hilarious

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ksalab@reddit

Cool

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HengerR_@reddit

First time I se something from Lenovo that's not against the people.

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MrFrog2222@reddit

I would even recommend choosing that to Windows users as they can just manually install Windows and activate it with massgrave.dev

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rarsamx@reddit

Clarification.

It is Fedora or Ubuntu. You choose only one.

Yes, it's done that for a long time.

My only petpeeve is that they install Fedora in an unencrypted partition.

I had to reinstall.

But... The fact that they offer Ubuntu and Fedora means that pretty much everything works.

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purpleidea@reddit

There's a major bug in their site.

Click Fedora. Click any other ram amount. Error.

I've reported it to Lenovo about a month ago.

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cranberrie_sauce@reddit (OP)

oh yeah. lenovo website is a crime against humanity

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mm_222@reddit

I develop websites on this CMS daily, trust me, it’s total crap

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pewteetat@reddit

Interesting how the MS options are free/cheap for a closed source commercial OS and it costs $159 for the open source free OS options. I dunno, seems backwards to me.

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izerotwo@reddit

Please read stuff better. It clearly says -159

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pewteetat@reddit

Oops! My bad! Well, at least the world makes a little more sense to me now, thanks for catching that.

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presentedonreddit@reddit

i wish they had this for the yogas, i really want a yoga but i don't wanna pay for a windows license especially because i plan on putting linux on it (even if i was going to use windows, i still don't want to pay for a windows license)

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Gorsi1988@reddit

Why is there a service? Any Linux user knows how to install it. They can provide their driver on the website if it's needed .

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RadicaIEd@reddit

Not directly related to the topic but I have a honest question, is there a general love for ThinkPads within the linux community? I recently switched to Linux as a Desktop OS and before that I didn't followed desktop related hardware discussions. But since then I've picked up a few threads where the Thinkpads are being praised.

Back in the days of IBM I also loved the Thinkpads but in my company we struggle a lot with modern lenovo systems because of firmware issues where other vendors just doing fine (Dell/HP). Might also be related to Windows but they even have problems at shutting down where they simply stuck and heat up (Windows doesn't seem to be running here anymore).

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DriNeo@reddit

These are not so costly comparing to others professional laptops. I d like to change but, recently, Lenovo has become the last manufacturer that continues to offer trackpoints.

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gringer@reddit

I like having three physical buttons for my Thinkpad touchpad, given how often I use the middle button (for pasting, and opening links in new tabs).

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pastelfemby@reddit

Positive feedback loop.

Thinkpads are popular because they have excellent hardware support usually with all features working/easily able to be configured. They have good support because a lot of linux users use them. The cycle continues.

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turbomettwurst@reddit

I think it is mostly because Linux users happen to like the traits/tradeoffs most thinkpads offer:

Sturdy built, high quality components for the most part, shitty displays, basic design, etc..

Linux and thinkpads have a 25+ year relationship and in all that time neither IBM nor Lenovo have been any more linux friendly then any other OEM, so it is not that...

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djlorenz@reddit

ThinkPads are tanks, old models are perfect, they come back to life thanks to Linux and they can last decades

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phaethornis-idalie@reddit

It's mostly older ThinkPads, generally up to the T480 in my experience. Newer ones are still popular, they're just less universally praised.

It's generally because the older ThinkPads can be easily and cheaply upgraded in a number of ways and have great Linux firmware support.

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MrSimonBird@reddit

Down side the ram will no doubt be soldered to the motherboard. Which if you get bad ram, it will not be a cheap repair, not the only thing I’ve heard being soldered either. From the SSD and even the processor socket now being soldered by some companies.

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NoHuckleberry7406@reddit

Every manufacturer should give such discounts. Helps kill microsoft's profit + save money / get better laptop.

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CackleRooster@reddit

Uh, they have for decades.

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AirTuna@reddit

IBM-branded ThinkPads used to have a Red Hat option for IBM employees, and (if I recall correctly, which I may not) Fedora was available, too, in part because IBM (at the time) offered Red Hat and SuSE to their customers.

When Lenovo took over IBM's ThinkPad portfolio one of the requirements was that they continue this trend: requiring that Lenovo, at least on the "T" series, continue to support any OS's that IBM will provide customer support for.

TL;DR: I'm not all that surprised the above options are available (and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if I were to hear that they still will, on special request, install RHEL if you're licenced for it).

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Gugalcrom123@reddit

I saw this on some models at Lenovo France. For some other models, you can't choose that but you can choose to have it without a preinstalled OS which is even better.

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Thiago_the_oc@reddit

Here in Brazil (at least when i bought an ideapad s145 in 2021), lenovo laptops come with satux OS, a national debian based distro that has been abandoned for over a decade, lol.

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Junaid_dev_Tech@reddit

Why is he asking for money, but linux is open source and free software and free also.

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magogattor@reddit

Come - 159 euro c è fai prima ad aquistarti versione Ubuntu é poi caricarci windows senza licenza

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PBJellyChickenTunaSW@reddit

Imagine paying 220 bucks for windows

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BinkReddit@reddit

What country is this for? For a long time you've been able to do this in many countries so long as it was not the US.

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TheRealLazloFalconi@reddit

You've also been able to do this for a long time in the US.

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MrScotchyScotch@reddit

Lenovo has shipped Linux on Thinkpads in the USA since 2007.

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BinkReddit@reddit

I've been buying brand new ThinkPads every few years and I've never seen this as a pre-installed option.

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MrScotchyScotch@reddit

lol @ "I didn't see it so it must have been illegal until now"

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cranberrie_sauce@reddit (OP)

US and A

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BinkReddit@reddit

Wonders never cease! This might actually be the year of Linux on the desktop!

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omniuni@reddit

It probably helps that their main US hub is less than 30 minutes from RedHat's corporate headquarters.

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Firepal64@reddit

Or on the laptop, at least...

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DottoDev@reddit

Afaik for Lenovo only Ubuntu was available till now.

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BinkReddit@reddit

Fedora and Ubuntu are officially supported on ThinkPads, but you couldn't get it pre-installed until today I guess.

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DottoDev@reddit

At least in Europe Ubuntu was an option for at least the last 5 years on some models. Funny enough iirc they want/wanted 20€ for installing it compared to no OS.

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BinkReddit@reddit

Well, I'm hoping the fact that you can save $160 on a new machine in the US will propel some people to at least give it a try.

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Ok-Acanthisitta-7120@reddit

i use arch btw but ngl the price drop if i choose ubuntu or fedora is worth it

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SheriffBartholomew@reddit

$159 for Windows Home? Man! Fuck Microsoft.

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Blaskowitz002@reddit

I can buy 2 good laptops for this price

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repocin@reddit

Where on earth are you finding laptops for $79.50?

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Blaskowitz002@reddit

Used

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iucatcher@reddit

i think we have very different definitions of "good" if its 80 bucks even in used condition lol (the license is still overpriced)

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IgorFerreiraMoraes@reddit

From people throwing away their laptops that can't upgrade to Windows 11

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pppjurac@reddit

Yea, a dual core from 2010-2013 ones. With dying battery and scratched as cats scratch pole.

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Blaskowitz002@reddit

About dual core true

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iucatcher@reddit

its crazy how much cheaper it is due to licensing, unless you arent tech savvy at all it just doesnt make sense to pick the windows version since u can just put windows on it on ur own

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Koyaanisquatsi_@reddit

any idea if those installations come with anything extra than the default install we can do ourselves? Like any kind of drivers or software?

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rosmaniac@reddit

Dell has been doing Red Hat Enterprise Linux for close to twenty years, and Ubuntu on certain models for almost as long

https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000138246/linux-on-dell-desktops-and-laptops

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Hydra_Master@reddit

Red Ht is owned by IBM so it makes sense.

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rosmaniac@reddit

While this is a true statement, my source told me about the internal use of Lenovo at Red Hat back in 2016 or so, over two years before the IBM acquisition. I would need to dig through my notes from that time to get a closer date.

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nitzpon@reddit

US only I think. For sure not Europe. Dell does it worldwide.

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EmergencyArachnid734@reddit

Where is "No OS"

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itsmetadeus@reddit

I don't think thinkpads are sold with no os variant. Unless they're directly from lenovo, but I haven't see any from retailers.

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Mane25@reddit

I bought my current one with no OS, it could be region specific.

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User_8395@reddit

Will selecting Linux get rid of the Copilot key?

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Diuranos@reddit

I use copilot key to run copilot in Web app. happy to use.

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Nearby_Astronomer310@reddit

Bro got downvoted for no reason

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Diuranos@reddit

Well, most people don't think about it. I expected this kind of reaction.

I use Copilot to write official letters, replies, or responses to government documents, and for translations. It's helped me many times.

I've also been using ONE Drive as a web app since it was created, and it's never, ever, ever let me down. On Windows, I could configure separate folders for syncing, and I can set it up so it doesn't get in the way, only when I need it. I have a lot of space on it because Microsoft gave me extra GB of capacity if you added additional services, but it's only a dozen or so GB, not much. But there was another way.

Microsoft used to toy with users a long time ago, providing directions on their website that led to other pages or PDF documents, where you could read code between the lines, which gave you significantly more than a few GB of cloud storage. I use OneDrive, and so far, I've never had a problem.

I have been using Linux, Bazzite OS for over a year and I am very satisfied, I play, write, watch, listen to music, it does what I tell it to do.

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lakimens@reddit

Remap it to open the terminal

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cranberrie_sauce@reddit (OP)

im not sure what that is. I dont use windows

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User_8395@reddit

It's a key dedicated to opening the Copilot AI app on Windows

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tabrizzi@reddit

That's nice!

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mAtYyu0ZN1Ikyg3R6_j0@reddit

its only for a few specific laptops, most of them still don't have this option.

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linuxfornoobs@reddit

Even if I would use windows. I would select Linux and just install windows and activate it with Massgrave

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Extreme-Ad-9290@reddit

I use arch btw. But glad they don't sell it pre-installed with Arch btw

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J0N96R@reddit

In India they charge ₹500 ($5.69 in offer, usually 5 times more) for linux ubuntu, but as far as I know linux is free right or is it ubuntu thing. But to be fair to Lenovo they provide a No OS option which is nice as Most Linux users can install their own os.

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Pollux442@reddit

If only they did this in Australia :(

I decided to buy a refurbished HP Elitebook 840 g8 instead for 500AUD and will install pop is 24.04 on it because I want the latest git patches for the cosmic desktop :)

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featherknife@reddit

FYI, "let's you configure" = "let us you configure"

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DaDibbel@reddit

Correct!

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Jeoshua@reddit

I think it's bullshit that Windows 11 isn't marked at $160 and $220, instead. That's actually what's going on, not that Linux is somehow a discount.

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sotos2004@reddit

That's why people love them to be their "ready to work " Linux machines, drivers are ready for all the peripheral devices ( card readers , fingerprint , niche expansion and special function devices ) .

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Krymnarok@reddit

So what I'm gathering from this is that for the basic Windows Home edition, it costs $160, which is INSANE. Along with that insane price tag, you also pay for bloat, spyware, adware, and a mandatory online account to further enhance the aforementioned bloat, spyware, and adware. What a shit OS.

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BinkReddit@reddit

Exactly. If I pick Windows, I should get, at minimum, a 20% discount on the hardware!

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Krymnarok@reddit

I'm thinking they have no right to charge people a license, let alone any "fee", if they're gathering data off of their users and injecting personalized ads into their "experience". Fucking scum company.

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random-user-420@reddit

Yeah. I bought my ThinkPad x1 carbon gen 10 in 2023 from Lenovo with ubuntu instead of windows and saved a decent amount. The laptop even gets driver and bios updates automatically on Linux

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Weekly_Yak_5995@reddit

I would love a replacement option of the Windows key

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dack42@reddit

Nowhere near as bad as the copilot key. On some laptops, they replaced right control with copilot. Also, it sends a combination of modifiers and an F-key so it's a pain to remap it back to control.

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trekkeralmi@reddit

i've got the same issue on mine. what workaround did you find?

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dack42@reddit

If I recall correctly, you can do it with keyd https://github.com/rvaiya/keyd/

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AcridWings_11465@reddit

How did Debian and Ubuntu get keyd in their repositories before everyone else?

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AcridWings_11465@reddit

keyd on Linux and powertoys if you dual boot windows

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stonhinge@reddit

I know on my Yoga 7 they replaced the "context" key (right-click). No right ctrl but I do have arrow keys and a numeric keypad, which is nice.

What's annoying is that while the "fn lock" that lets the F1-F12 keys work normally, it does not work for the Copilot key.

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trekkeralmi@reddit

i'm just glad they moved the left control to the corner and fn towards the middle. as it should be.

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wpm@reddit

I'd love for keyboards to shrink the space bar a bit and make room for another modifer. Control, Alt, Super, and Shift run out of sensible combinations fast. I need a "hyper" key that doesn't just mean "C-M-S-s" to the OS.

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Techy-Stiggy@reddit

Hmm in theory custom keycaps exists but it will be expensive for a single key

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lIlIlIIlIIIlIIIIIl@reddit

I feel like someone could make good money by selling one big set with all the most popular distro logos, not sure how licensing/copyright works when it comes to logos like that. That way all the distro-hoppers can swap their key caps as fast as they swap distros.

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azstaryss@reddit

I just need a key that says super on it but can never find a design I like with a super key

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lakimens@reddit

Stick a superman sticker on it

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s-parker1@reddit

Well in Australia Microsoft is getting in trouble for forcing people to a higher price point and not telling people about staying on their original product..

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Ok-Winner-6589@reddit

Wait a second, what if I go with a 100$ laptop, would I get the laptop + 50$ if I choose Ubuntu? (I mean, I wouldn't because it's Ubuntu, but still interesting)

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throbbaway@reddit

They're probably trying to win me back after I changed brand loyalty to Framework.

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ArbitratorMiss@reddit

Even if I don't want to use Linux I will just pick Ubuntu and Fedora. That reduction cost is too appealing (yes I'm broke too)

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trekkeralmi@reddit

i recently got a new t14 with fedora installed. it's been a great experience, but the only frustration is that the damn copilot key is annoyingly difficult to remap with xkb. xev says that every keypress is interpreted as a chord of shift+windows+f23. i expect this to eventually iron out as more of these "AI PCs" end up on the market and projects either change how the key is interpreted or develop a workaround. but seriously, what the hell was wrong with a print screen key or a menu key? who asked for an ai button right there? i'd much rather have it in the function row. it's a design choice that really indicates how much the tech industry is trying to shoehorn it into every conceivable use case.

rant over

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jet_heller@reddit

Oooh! Wait! It's not a mere "configure with". It actually gives you a discount for using them! That's huge!

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jermygod@reddit

choose both for -320

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ItsSignalsJerry_@reddit

Duel boot.

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Nearby_Astronomer310@reddit

Dual boot dual save

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EmergencyArachnid734@reddit

Lmao

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ItsSignalsJerry_@reddit

"Lenovo recommends"

Transl. Windows paid us to say this.

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MelioraXI@reddit

Been a thing for some time, it's nice to see. Dell used to offer Ubuntu too, but I think they stopped doing that?

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kombiwombi@reddit

Dell have various Linux support policies. Basically all the servers are qualified for RHEL. All the business laptops are supported for RHEL (that is, you can put RHEL on a disk pre-image, arrange your own licensing, and Dell will offer support, such as a dmesg showing a component error being enough for warranty service). Some few laptops are sold with Ubuntu.

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rosmaniac@reddit

They still do on certain models. https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-us/000138246/linux-on-dell-desktops-and-laptops

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SergeantBort@reddit

Did they get rid of the annoying square power plugs.... I want USB charging and Linux..... And I'd probably buy one

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BinkReddit@reddit

Yeah, USB-C charging has been the standard for quite a while now.

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SergeantBort@reddit

On Lenovo laptops?

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BinkReddit@reddit

Yeah.

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SergeantBort@reddit

That's good I might have to look at them then, I hated those charging cables

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ILikeFlyingMachines@reddit

Lenovo also officially supports Ubuntu on a lot of machines. They are pretty based in general

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Zai1209@reddit

Unfortunately, not here in Australia, but it saves like 200 AUD if you were able to configure it here

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regalen44@reddit

Not available in my country, seems to only be specific markets.

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KazM2@reddit

Yeah, but adding more ram quickly covers up those saving ;-; not even mentioning the storage.

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we_come_at_night@reddit

And you need those even more with Windows than Linux, tbh.

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lakimens@reddit

Not really true. Linux has worse memory management compared to Windows. Even if you add a million GB of swap, it's still not as good.

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DerekB52@reddit

Do you have a source for that? I'm pretty sure this is just incorrect.

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lakimens@reddit

Try it. Have a lower RAM PC, do some heavier work. See how often it freezes on Linux and how often it freezes on Windows.

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DerekB52@reddit

That is not a source, that is an anecdote about one user and one computer.

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lakimens@reddit

Could be your computer, you only need to try it.

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Alkadeas_3d@reddit

is 1500 dollars actually worth for a thinkpad ? isnt it better to make your own pc for that amount ?

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stonhinge@reddit

Building your own PC isn't typically an option if you want/need a laptop.

ThinkPads are also their business/enterprise line and typically are built more "sturdy" (for lack of a better term) than consumer models.

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DevelopmentOk3627@reddit

If the company you work for runs on these, you are working for an awesome company.

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BunjiX@reddit

Hm, on Lenovo Sweden web, no linux option available. Just "without OS" an then it's only ~$60 cheaper than with win11home installed... :(

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Dark_Knife_666@reddit

They should add arch and gentoo with +100

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Warchetype@reddit

Nice price difference indeed!
But also let them make a native Lenovo Vantage app for Linux. Right now there's only a unofficial hack some dude on Github made, with a minimal GUI.

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jkulczyski@reddit

Oh nice the 2 distros i want a restraining order against

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rweekes406@reddit

I've been looking at getting this model with the 370 series CPU, but they charge an extra $71 CAD for Linux for the some reason.

https://imgur.com/a/ymCsHqE

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Familiar_Document578@reddit

Same here in the USA. It’s an extra $51 USD for Linux

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DeliciousIncident@reddit

Sadly not available on Lenovo's Legion line.

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Difficult_Pop8262@reddit

I configured one as well. Comes at 1.5k, for a similar price I can get a Tuxedo with similar specs

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Whack_Moles@reddit

I think Dell has had an Ubuntu option for years for some of their laptops. The one I use had the option of being preinstalled with Ubuntu. Dell XPS 13 plus. But I selected no OS, since I like to customize my own installation (and my work require encrypted disk).

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bitsydoge@reddit

or

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GnawingPossum@reddit

HP does this too for their business PCs.

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zeitue@reddit

So Lenovo did what they said they were going to do.

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ProfessorNoPuede@reddit

That's a good price for a P16.

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HumansAreIkarran@reddit

That is a big deal...

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shadow144hz@reddit

Based lenovo, they still make questionable decisions here and there, and their budget and consumer stuff can be really bad, but their top of the line thinkpads will always be great. I was looking recently at their newer stuff, specifically the p15 and p16 and they're really good, especially the newest one, the p16 gen 3. Can't wait to buy one in 5 to 7 years for under 400 bucks.

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crystalchuck@reddit

Idk man. X1C Gen 13 feels flimsy IMO and the price is just really really steep when you're competing with HP and Apple devices that are only getting better. Also I feel like they're choosing to build smaller batteries into the T14 line to make the X1C more attractive.

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shadow144hz@reddit

I guess I've been looking more into their workstation laptops than their smaller laptops with only integrated graphics, but either way I like to look at these new ones as potential laptops to buy in the future when they're all selling for cheap instead of buying right now, in that case buying a t480 is like the best option today, since all the ones between it and I think it was last year's models(?) have had memory soldered on. Idk I think last year is when they went back to 2 ram slots on most of their laptops right? But I digress. I haven't really looked into their x line past the x230. They started to resemble macbooks with the first carbon was it(?) and going for that thin and light market, a trend again started by apple, that I just don't like.

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