Linux Tech Support

Forum: LXer Meta ForumTotal Replies: 5
Author Content
penguinist

Aug 15, 2015
2:01 PM EDT
I just had a reasonably pleasant experience with Lenovo tech support. My 14 month old Lenovo ultrabook decided to go soft on the "d" key so I'm probably looking at a keyboard replacement soon.

Just to check and see if Lenovo might be lenient with me on being two months over my warranty interval, I called their tech support. In the past I've had marginal to poor "helpfulness" as soon as I mentioned that I was running my preferred Linux OS. Not so this time. Could it be that vendors are getting enough calls from Linux users these days so that they finally realize that we make up a market worth serving?

Mind you, the support tech was not trying to explain to me how to use Linux, that was my part, but he did simply explain the step we wanted to try and assumed that I could do that task in my OS. (A Windows user would have received a step by step walk-through.)

In the past I've gone so far as to make a dd image of my Linux OS, reimage back to the original Windows, and then make the phone call. It looks like those days are past. No threats of voided warranties this time, just the kind of vendor support that a Linux user would expect.
linux4567

Aug 17, 2015
4:50 AM EDT
Last time I bought a Notebook, I bought one with (Suse) Linux pre-installed by the manufacturer (a HP Mini Note 2133) so the fact I was using Linux was not a hindrance when calling support when the mobo died.

I'd never buy a Notebook with Windows pre-installed as I have no intention of giving any of my hard-earned money to Microsoft.
jdixon

Aug 17, 2015
6:06 AM EDT
> Last time I bought a Notebook, I bought one with (Suse) Linux pre-installed by the manufacturer

Dell is apparently offering a consumer line of Linux laptops again. For those who might be in the market:

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-14-3451-laptop-ubuntu/pd

http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-15-3551-laptop-ubuntu/pd

The prices are fairly reasonable too.
flufferbeer

Aug 17, 2015
8:30 PM EDT
@jdixon,

>> Dell is apparently offering a consumer line of Linux laptops again. For those who might be in the market: ............. The prices are fairly reasonable too.

Speaking of Linux laptops, wonder what's happening with the more expensive ZaReason branded and supported laptops? Havent heard much about them or ftom them lately. Are they still succe$$fully selling their Linux and Baboontoo devices in droves and bucketfuls as they presumably once did??

just askin...
jdixon

Aug 17, 2015
9:56 PM EDT
> Are they still succe$$fully selling their Linux and Baboontoo devices in droves and bucketfuls as they presumably once did??

Since AFAIK they don't make their sales figures public, I don't think there's any way to know. They're still in business and still selling their products, still priced at about half again what you can get equivalent hardware for elsewhere.
seatex

Aug 17, 2015
10:04 PM EDT
> "...still priced at about half again what you can get equivalent hardware for elsewhere."

$750 for an i5 laptop with only 4GB and a 500GB hard drive. That's zareason I don't buy from them.

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