IBM Dropping Laptop Linux Support

Bjarne Bula writes "In a message to the linux-thinkpad mailing list, Keith Frechette, former (as of Monday, June 24th) lead developer of Linux support on ThinkPads, reported that IBM has decided to no longer fund that project." I've been using Linux on a ThinkPad for some time now. If it stops being compatible, my next laptop won't be a ThinkPad. Too bad, because the machines are solid. Update: In an interesting counter-point, Information Week tells us that IBM will be opening a manhattan based "Linux Center of Competence" to show off Linux. Go figure.

Comments

Re:Very stupid thinking...

[Olinator]

Blockpoth the quoster:

[...]he made the point that IBM sells a very small number of laptops with linux. I believe his statement was "the smaller companies can undercut on price and geeks are thrifty."

They sold one lousy thinkpad with linux, and you really had to be determined to find and order it through their webpages. Great selection. (Huge sample size, too: how many of that model sold with windows compared with their other 'dozepads? Funny, they don't say.)

I wonder how many other people (besides me) said "Gee, I really like this much lighter Txx model, and I can probably get it to work with linux... and since the damn linux preload is more expensive anyway, I might as well!"

Ole