I own an Apple and have been trying to get Ubuntu running on it. I got it to work but there's just a lot of small issues and it just doesn't feel solid.
What I'm looking for is a laptop which is somewhat attractive like Apple's stuff but will run Linux. I think Dell hardware is atrocious (and by this I mean it looks very ugly) so I'm looking for whatever else is out there. The Lenovos seem kind of nice. Does anyone have experience with them?
Thanks for any suggestions.
I have a friend who used to work on the ThinkPad line and she used to go on and on about how their line went above any other she had ever seen - In terms of cleanliness and concerns for static, loose items, hair etc.
When ever I am setting up a new client I invariably suggest ThinkPads, unless, of course, I know they are willing to give Macs a shot.
That said, if I had to buy a Linux laptop, I'd go for a Lenovo ThinkPad, but I'd make sure the one I bought had good driver support. Since the ThinkPads were introduced, I've only ever heard two things about running Linux on them -- "I can't find the @#$% driver for the @#$% @#$%," and "it runs beautifully."
Lots of time gets sunk into getting and keeping all of the features (that you'll end up wanting) running on Linux boxes.
I did Thinkpads for as long as they've been around and fought that fight over and over and over again. Then I finally switched my laptops (and only my laptops :-) to Apple Powerbooks. Fully outfitted it was basically the same price as the high-end Thinkpads.
I've never heard Thinkpads called pretty, but they do look like the serious machines they are. Dells are mostly cheap crap, and they look the part. I wouldn't worry too much about looks - instead, consider that Thinkpads, like many Apples have magnesium frames and hard drive shock protection.