On 12/4/22 05:52, Gabor Urban wrote:
Hi, I am planning to install Debian on a laptop the first time.That will not be my first installing but I never used notebooks for that. I have found a lot of useful information but I would like to have some guidance at the start. What are the most important issues selecting a laptop I should be mindful about? Thanks in advance,
As other readers have mentioned, the Linux kernel in Debian Stable is typically a year old or more. So, the latest hardware might no be supported. My newest laptop is a 2019 Dell Latitude 5400 with an Intel Core i7-8665U. My oldest laptop is a 2007 Dell Inspiron E1505 with an Intel Core 2 T7400 (upgraded). Both have Intel integrated graphics (only). Both run Debian. Both needed non-free Wi-Fi firmware packages.
I agree with the suggestion to test with Debian Live prior to laptop purchase or Debian installation. I would use an image without proprietary firmware, so that I could identify firmware issues. I use the Xfce desktop; choose the desktop you prefer, if any:
https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/archive/11.4.0-live/amd64/iso-hybrid/ debian-live-11.4.0-amd64-xfce.isoI typically go one step further and install Debian onto a portable drive of some sort (e.g. USB flash drive, SATA SSD with adapter, etc.). I then install whatever drivers, firmware, etc., are needed for my various machines; plus my favorite sysadmin/ devops tools.
If you have a make/ model/ series/ range of laptop in mind, I suggest posting a message to this list asking if anyone has experience running Debian on that laptop.
David