Linux certified laptops

Nerd = Linux. Maybe that’s not a universal equivalent but it should be, and it definitely applies to me. For some time now, I have been on the market for a proper Linux laptop. By “proper” I mean a modern machine where all the features work as intended with no compromises.

I have learned that there are three ways you can approach this: 1) you can buy a laptop and pray most things work with Linux (for true believers only) or 2) you can buy an older laptop after digging on forums for other user’s good experiences (also for true believers) or 3) you can buy a machine certified to work with Linux.

After having done 1) and 2) all my life with varying degrees of frustration, I have now reached level 3). I fully dedicated myself to understanding the current state of affairs and what my options are, and I reached some important conclusions. I suffered, so you don’t have to.

There are a few brands out there, as you will see, that specialize on laptops running Linux but really, really, there are only a limited number of devices that all of these manufacturers use as a base. This is hardly surprising: there probably isn’t enough demand to justify all the costly requirements of development and manufacturing of a custom product. Luckily, those devices are not bad. The OEM brands you hear about over and over again are Clevo and TongFang.

First off, you need to identify your requirements: for me, I need a light device I can carry around everywhere, with the best battery life I can get and the more power the better, ah and screen size from 14 to 15 inches.

The players of note in this space along with the device from their lineup that most fulfills my requirements, and some extra details are:

1. The aptly named Linux on laptops from the Netherlands, specifically the TongFang GX4 14-inch Metal Ultrabook with AMD Ryzen 7-8845HS, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 500G SSD for EUR1,025.62 + shipping (14” screen, 1.4Kg, 7h battery).

2. System 76 from the USA, specifically the Lemur Pro with Intel Core Ultra 7 155U, 24GB DDR5 RAM, 500GB SSD for USD1,667.00 - EUR1,592.94 + shipping (14” screen, 1Kg, 14h battery).

3. Tuxedo computers from Germany, specifically the InfinityBook Pro 14 - Gen9 (*note: this is the same as the TongFang GX14) with AMD Ryzen 7-8845HS, 32GB DDR5 RAM, 500G SSD for EUR1,066.39 + shipping (14” screen, 1.4Kg, 7h battery).

4. Starlabs systems from the UK, specifically the StarBook with Intel Ultra 7 165H, 32GB DDR5(?) RAM, 1TB SSD for GBP1,677.00 - EUR2,019.95 + shipping (14” screen, 1.4Kg, 14h battery).

I know you can’t sleep with the stress, so I’m just going to tell you. The winner is… the Tuxedo computers InfinityBoook Pro 14. For me, it strikes the perfect balance of power and price. The 7h battery (which, I know, when provided by the manufacturer, is always for very light working loads) is the most annoying compromise of all but it can’t be worse than the laptop I’m writing this on. I’ll get it sometime in the near future and will report back - I hope you can manage your anxiety for further news can get some quality sleep until then. Namaste.

*Update: I will actually get the 15.3” version of the InfinityBook - more news when I have them. Yeah, I surprised me too.

The Torino scale and the 2024 YR4 comet

Did you hear about the 2024 YR4 asteroid and that it actually hit the yellow Torino scale (“hit” the Torino scale, not earth…), over there at number 3? Discovered in December 2024, the “2024 YR4” comet made some science people a little worried, but further analysis to its trajectory now make it very unlikely to hit us. It now has a Torino scale number of “0”.

Although brilliant and extremely knowledgeable in many fields, or so says my mother, I had never heard of the Torino scale and thus I thought you have not either so here I am to help us all out.

The Torino Scale is a method for categorizing the impact hazard associated with near-Earth objects (NEOs) such as asteroids and comets. It uses an integer scale from 0 to 10, with each number representing a different level of threat. The scale is color-coded to help communicate the level of danger: white (0) indicates no hazard (AKA “where we want to be”), green (1) indicates normal, yellow (2-4) indicates meriting attention by astronomers, orange (5-7) indicates threatening, and red (8-10) indicates certain collision with varying degrees of devastation.

The kinetic energy axis on the Torino Scale represents the energy released in the event of a collision between a near-Earth object (NEO) and Earth and it is directly proportional to the velocity of the NEO and its mass. Of course, the higher the kinetic energy, the more destructive the impact.

You didn’t know, now you do (talking to myself here). One more for free that came up when I was writing this: “is a comet the same as an asteroid?” Nope. Comet = ice, dust and (less) rocky materials → often have gas “tails”. Asteroid = rocky and metallic materials → a chunk of hard materials.

What was this device used for?

On the last TTYM I asked you what this device was used for? I asked and you did not answer, so I will do it now: This is a voltage and current tester.

In factories and plants, many devices are controller with current (usually 4-20mA) or voltage (usually 0-10V). The ranges are used to specify a specific point on the range of the “thing” we want to control. Think of a proportional valve that can go from completely closed off (4mA) to all the way open (20mA). This device allows you to inject and change that current signal so that you can test the device and see if you can control it on all of its range. Conversely, you can also feed these signals into a monitoring device that reads the position and acts on it in some manner (maybe display of information only or use of that data in a control loop).

I sometimes need these for work. I never need these at home. I still want one for some future project I may never make. Want one?

That’s all folks!

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