Linux Hardware: A World of Possibilities?

Throughout the past year or so, I have been a part of a group that hosts several "linux nights," which are opportunities for us to get together to install linux or fix anything wrong with our systems. Generally speaking, I find them enjoyable and would encourage anyone interested in computing to host one or two to generate interested in linux and computing in general. At the last meeting, however, we discussed why linux cannot seem to compete as a desktop platform, when it is clearly successful everywhere else. In the end, we agreed that one reason is because linux does not come pre-installed on any real market computer. Users must go out of their way to use the OS, which means they must take time out of their day not only to learn an entirely new operating system, but they must also to proceed through a typically painful installation process. On top of that, rather than lending a helping hand to new users, a significant portion of the linux community will scoff and ask, "did you read the manual?" This is not cool.

That being said, linux is becoming much more popularized, especially in the gaming world, with Valve supporting it 100%. It is even competing with mac as a secondary gaming platform. Objectively speaking, though, Windows still beats the snot out of linux in the desktop market. When people buy computers, it generally comes pre-installed with Wndows unless it is a mac product. Because of that, most programs run on Windows, not mac or linux, and because of that, most consumers want to buy Windows products. It is a somewhat vicious marketing cycle for any consumer wishing to buy another OS. On top of that, most of the regular linux users are used to the installation processes of their primary distributions and don't mind writing over their Windows device after purchase. 

Generally speaking, if you wish to buy a natively linux computer, you only have a few vendors to choose from, none of which you are likely to find at your local Best Buy. Here are my top three choices:

Dell- On several devices, Dell offers Ubuntu as a pre-installed OS, however after this incident, they are probably wary to popularize it. Still, there are some decent deals, like this Alienware, for instance. Generally, though, Dell prefers to support Windows.

System76- This is my personal favorite Linux vendor. They offer competatively priced, ubuntu-only laptops, desktops, and servers, including some gaming powerhouses, like their Leopard Extreme desktop or Bonobo Extreme laptop. They also offer fantastic economy systems for the linuxer on a budget. On top of that, their Windows key has the Ubuntu logo on it.

ZaReason- Truth be told, this vendor costs a little more, but has many more options to choose from. They also support more than just Ubuntu and will install any distribution you wish. Beyond that, they allow you to use have a tux or Ubuntu logo on your Windows key, which is pretty cool in my book.

There are also some fringe vendors that cost too much or are too outdated to be mentioned here. You might be asking yourself, "How do linux computers cost more than Windows when the OS is free?" Well, that's because Windows comes with a bunch of bloatware to mitigate it's cost. That's the whole of it--the market economy, at its finest.

Though I would encourage using any of the above vendors, I understand that sometimes you might not have time for a new computer to come in or that it really is cheaper to buy a Windows machine and install linux on it yourself (be wary of Windows 8, though). That being said, here are a few tips to buying a PC for linux:

1. Be wary of AMD- Generally speaking, Nvidia and Intel graphics cards are much better adapted for linux machines. Though this is not as true for newer graphics cards, partially thanks to Valve's influence, it is still something to look out for.

2. Google the machine beforehand- Before purchasing a machine for linux, find out the model number and look it up along with the word "linux" in google. Also, make sure you have as much information about the system as possible before buying. This might be a silly rule, but it could definitely save you some trouble down the road.

3. Don't necessarily look for the latest and greatest- When shopping for a new PC, remember that it might take time for the linux community to work in new hardware advancements. Take, for example, Nvidia Optimus technology for laptops (which equipped particular models with 2 graphics cards to save battery life). It took some time for the linux community to finally create the bumblebee software (so linux users to choose which card is best for particular software).

4. Buy from a stable vendor- In order to compete with larger venders (like Dell, for instance), smaller companies often stuff their computers with cheaper hardware, which might not always work correctly on linux. Personally, my favorite hardware vender is Asus. Most of the time, their hardware works great with linux. 

5. Buy a back-up hard drive- This is just my personal preference. When you buy your computer, it will probably work out of the box with Windows. After installing linux, however, that might not be the case. Because of this, I will typically buy an extra hard drive with my computers and install linux fresh on that. If anythong goes wrong with the installation, I at least know that I have a usable windows PC to go back to. 

All that said, before you purchase your next computer, be sure to give a thought to linux.

Thanks for reading,

-Leios