this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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Linux is a family of open source Unix-like operating systems based on the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released on September 17, 1991 by Linus Torvalds. Linux is typically packaged in a Linux distribution (or distro for short).
Distributions include the Linux kernel and supporting system software and libraries, many of which are provided by the GNU Project. Many Linux distributions use the word "Linux" in their name, but the Free Software Foundation uses the name GNU/Linux to emphasize the importance of GNU software, causing some controversy.
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For the most part, yeah. If you're looking for a laptop the older you go, the more "boring" you'll want.
Plain form factors and the like.
Sometimes, very rarely, weird laptop keyboards need special drivers that don't always get baked into Linux, so it can be a pain. Same for older "premium" sound stuff in an older laptop.
Doesn't mean that it will have problems, just that you're more likely to.
Old midrange Lenovo or Dell laptops tend to be a staple for Linux. They also contribute to Linux, so their stuff tends to just work. Contrast with apple, where getting it to work with Linux is a hard-mode hobby for some people.
Base hardware stuff is essentially all compatible.
https://a.co/d/1exYlgM
That's basically an example of a standard laptop you might try to put Linux on and expect effortless success. (It's newer because that's what came up, but it's an example of the trend).
Note the lack of anything that makes you go "ah, a marketable feature to highlight or differentiate".
https://a.co/d/iRv02YV
This one probably works fine, but I'd have some concerns about that touch screen and things not playing well with any sensors that make the folding action turn off the screen.
It might work fine, but it's the type of thing that can take a bit of fiddling to get working, or just doesn't because people don't care to port the functionality over.