New laptop, which one to buy to enjoy a great kubuntu experience?

[gletscher]

My current laptop is nearing the end of it's lifetime and may very well be past it. I wonder which notebook is a good, solid choice of high enough quality to last a couple of years and will work fine with linux / kubuntu.

I was eyeing the Zenbook, but came across a couple of reviews complaining about the bad keyboard.

Looking for something reasonably portable (e.g. 13")

Also I try to stay away from Apple (read Air).

Every answer is appreciated, even if you feel really strongly about Mac give it a go, I might give in, who knows ..

[kurt18947]

For me there's Thinkpad and everything else. I really like have 2 pointing devices and the nice keyboard. I have the older series T61 and it's perfect with *buntu. You might take a look at the hardware forum. One of the stickies is 'laptop compatibility list', another is 'laptop incompatibility list'. I had an Asus EeePC netbook which was plug 'n' play.

-I'd stay away from the glossy/shiny screen; they seem to reflect overhead or wall mounted lights too much and really show smudges or finger prints.

-I'd avoid 'hybrid' graphics, some are able to get them to work but they seem like a work in progress at this point.

-I'd make sure I could disable 'secure boot' if it's present.

-Personally I'd prefer to avoid the complications of UEFI BIOS if possible but it can be made to work with a little research.

[gletscher]

great, thanks for your reply, I'll look into thinkpads

[kurt18947]

great, thanks for your reply, I'll look into thinkpads

And not long after I posted that I read that new Thinkpads do not necessarily live up to their predecessors' reputation. I like the UltraNav pointing setup on the Thinkpads but I believe a similar configuration is available on some Dells and HPs. Toshiba has a pretty good reputation for durability and linux friendliness.