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

ancidotal evidence showing otherwise

[lingqi]

I have a T21: man has it got problems...

battery died (really, holds like 20 min of juice)
video card craps out *every* time i do a driver update
USB keyboard does not have a) BIOS support, b) even with drivers properly installed, holding a key down does not auto-repeat - which sucks for backspace
Ultra bay jams (now and then)
pointing nipple drifts if i breath on it.

and more

NONE of the above IBM was willing to fix: every time i call with a problem, they say -- sorry pal, nothing i can do for ya.

otherwise a nice machine -- but since this is at least 20% more than a similar machine from, say, dell, i would have expected more out of it.

lack of easy encryption

[tuoppi]

There are encryption systems for windows which are rather straightforward to install and use. For Linux, that is whole different case. It might be because of U.S. export limitations, I'm not sure, but there just is no easy to install and use encryption available for Linux.

I have been happy user of international linux kernel patches and encrypted loopback mounts. It is just rather difficult to set up, and I wouldn't recommend it to beginners, as it might scare them off. PPDD project seems to be developing interestingly again, though.