all that and Linux SUCKS for laptop battery life. It halved my battery no matter the distro.
I remember like 5 years ago I was doing the same, but then I realized Windows is even worse with many problems and limitations. I can't just go to Windows, it sucks. Maybe you need compatible hardware or some more skills on Linux to fix your hardware issues.
Definitely this. I'm a total newb when it comes to the CLI. I'm tech savvy but Linux is a whole other universe that I've never been exposed to until recently. The online resources to fix stuff are relatively robust and the community is great. At the end of the day I was worn down by too many minor issues piling up and stressing me out.
About Battery life, did you try this? https://austingwalters.com/increasing-battery-life-on-an-arch-linux-laptop-thinkpad-t14s/ TLP or PowerTop + https://github.com/AdnanHodzic/auto-cpufreq#why-do-i-need-auto-cpufreq ?
Try Linux another time (I also often switched to Windows in the past until now, I can finally say I would never use a Windows/Apple desktops, I really dislike them), I often try distros on my Laptop while my Desktop has a stable distro to work with. On laptop, I just try different distros as I do like to test them.
I tried that TLP app, but the options were overwhelming. I had no idea how to configure it properly.
Yeah, overwhelming but can be cool to learn about this https://linrunner.de/tlp/settings/index.html and https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Tlp has some documentation, with this and some blog from a user explaining it, it should work. Also, the
auto-cpufreqis pretty cool, makes your PC go slower but saves a lot of your laptop energy, or I feel like this.
When you get around to a new laptop, look out for one that is Linux compatible. Unfortunately many hardware OEMs don't take the time to provide drivers for Linux, and that causes problems.
My next laptop is going to be a built from the ground up for Linux machine.
That's cool but probably unnecessary. The vast majority of hardware works fine.
I definitely opted for an AMD GPU in my new gaming rig specifically to run Linux/ChimeraOS, and hopefully one day SteamOS.
OP is literally complaining about bad hardware support. The best way to avoid headaches is to stick to known supported hardware.
Yes but you can literally have "known supported hardware" without literally building a "ground up Linux machine".
System76 seems to be well-rated for Linux support, even ones with NVIDIA in them, and Framework maintains a list of Linux distros they support.
That's what I was thinking I'd grab in the future. I've read about System 76 a few times now.
Yeah they make their own distro (Pop! OS) and all their laptops ship with Linux pre-installed so they're definitely a safe choice.
I've always had good luck with Lenovos as well. I've had an NVIDIA and an AMD one and they've both run really well with Linux.
Dell laptops are pretty good for Linux compatibility. To save on price I would recommend browsing dell outlet. It's an official dell store for selling "reconditioned" hardware. None of it has been used. Normally it's just returned stock, or stock that has superficial damage like scratches on the case, etc.
You can get some pretty hefty savings, sometimes as much as 50%. Check it out.
Hey, don't sweat it. You gotta use what's right for you and that's all that matters. Talking from a dual-booter's perspective, here.
I was dual booting as well because GeForce NOW doesn't have a Linux app.
Battery life is still a massive pain on Linux unfortunately 😔
It can be a pain. I use linux exclusively for servers and stuff, especially virtual machines, but with my work I simply cannot risk ruining into the sorts of issues you describe so I stick to windows on my desktop/laptop and use WSL for development.
That's that then. Linux just isn't for you. Stay safe with Windows!
I hope to try it again someday. Maybe with my next laptop I'll get something built for Linux to ensure compatibility. Probably the best bet for newbies who want no undue fussin'.
