
Huawei has started selling laptops with a the Deepin Linux OS pre-installed - rbanffy
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonevangelho/2019/09/12/huawei-just-started-selling-laptops-with-deepin-linux-pre-installed/
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tga
I am not at the point where I care about a "beautiful" Linux on a laptop, I'd
be happy with twm and Motif widgets if only the hardware would be 100%
supported and everything would work.

For a reference point, a vanilla Ubuntu LTS install on random (non-certified)
T-series ThinkPads still doesn't always suspend/wake up properly, doesn't
hibernate properly, crashes X when used with a docking station, has issues
with Bluetooth headsets (no microphone), has issues selecting the output audio
device, doesn't support the fingerprint reader (I think), has hiccups with
external screens, and altogether less battery life than in Windows. (I'm sure
some of these work on other models and others have workarounds, this is just
my recent experience with trying to run Linux without spending time on
tweaks).

I would seriously consider switching my work machine to any laptop/distro
combination that would get closer to the experience one has on MacOS (not
perfect, but close enough to be productive), no matter where it was made.

~~~
diffeomorphism
Ubuntu certifies most Thinkpads:

[https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models?vendors=Leno...](https://certification.ubuntu.com/desktop/models?vendors=Lenovo&page=4)

I currently have an X1 Yoga (3rd), where Lenovo messed up modern standby on
both windows and linux. Luckily they have since added standard S3 as an option
in the UEFI settings. Everything else works out of the box except the
fingerprint reader. Battery life is comparable.

> I would seriously consider switching my work machine to any laptop/distro
> combination that would get closer to the experience one has on MacOS

In my experience hackintoshes are pretty annoying and quite far from "close
enough to be productive" out of the box. Or were you comparing with a laptop
where your OS of choice is preinstalled? Then "without spending time on
tweaks" is trivially true; someone else did that for you already.

~~~
tga
To clarify, I was talking about the experience you get using MacOS on a Mac,
definitely not a Hackintosh. Of course this is due to Apple (in most part)
fully supporting all (their) hardware.

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chvid
A well built Unix based alternative to Mac would be attractive to many in
particular developers.

Huawei can address the security concerns by using established open source
software (which they seem to have).

Would be great to have an alternative to the windows/mac duopoly.

~~~
ptah
just to be pedantic: macOS is Unix whereas linux is not
[https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3653.htm](https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3653.htm)

~~~
chungus_khan
Actually, Huawei's own EulerOS (which is based on CentOS Linux) is UNIX
certified as well:
[https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3622.htm](https://www.opengroup.org/openbrand/register/brand3622.htm)

Linux is not inherently compliant (and Deepin isn't AFAIK), but it is entirely
possible to package a distribution which is and submit it for certification.

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mytailorisrich
Huawei seems to have put together a top design team. Both their phones and
laptops look gorgeous and the quality is there, too.

~~~
rasz
Dont forget their stores, they sure know a thing or two about copying designs
1:1.

~~~
dannyr
Interesting that you only mention copying on Huawei's part but not how Apple
has copied features on their IPhones from Huawei and other Asian phone makers.

~~~
mytailorisrich
It does look like the latest iPhone is playing catch-up with its 3 cameras.
Personally I prefer the design of the Huawei P30 Pro, though, so I'd say that
Huawei has out-cooled Apple.

~~~
tannhaeuser
Well the latest iPhone has caught up to Philips shavers visually IMO. I'm not
kidding, the distinctive "retro" look of it comes from associating that kind
of design with the 1960s.

~~~
aries1980
Don't forget the Rowenta Surfline iMac.

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Smithalicious
>As for Deepin, its Chinese origins tend to ignite controversy (and anxiety
within privacy purists) in the Linux world, however the distribution is open
source and the code is available on GitHub.

Isn't this just plain racist? Is there any actual reason to believe that
there's any privacy issues with Deepin, other that that it was made by Chinese
people? Not to mention that I've never heard this particular FUD before, so
I'm doubtful that it "tends to ignite" anything.

~~~
sgt
I think it has to do with that China has a terrible human right's reputation
(yet we all use Chinese products, so there's that), but mainly that Huawei is
pretty much obliged by law to build backdoors and share any kind of
information with the Chinese government if they are asked to do so.

~~~
aibrahem
So does the US, I've yet to hear a valid argument on why the US is a better
citizen on the global stage than China.

Domistically a very weak argument could be made that the US doesn't violate
the rights of their own citizens as bad as China, but between FISA courts, the
NSA and programs like PRISM (which is more than a decade old now), this
argument barely makes sense.

~~~
klingonopera
Well, for one, whoever's running the US gets changed after two terms,
sometimes it's a pity, sometimes it couldn't happen fast enough.

But in my opinion, it's definitely better than having the same person running
things for who-knows how long, regardless of the integrity of that person.

~~~
KaoruAoiShiho
A couple dozen people change at the top but literally everyone else stays on,
including all the criminals in military and intelligence. It's an absolute
joke.

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Tinfoilhat666
Linux is the best thing that has happened for China and Russia. It helps them
escape the Microsoft/Apple/Google control. Even North Korea has its own linux
distro to avoid US software. Desktop linux will be a reality.

~~~
AnIdiotOnTheNet
> Desktop linux will be a reality.

This is the 'Fusion power is just around the corner' of the computing world.
There's only one way Desktop Linux succeeds, and that's that all the other
Desktop OSs are abandoned or drive themselves into the dirt the way Win10
seems intent on doing.

~~~
diffeomorphism
Windows has WSL (2 by now). ChromeOS supports desktop linux apps. Samsung has
linux on DeX.

I wouldn't be surprised if in the not too far future also macOS or iOS ship
with some version of homebrew or macports included out of the box.

~~~
AnIdiotOnTheNet
What's your point? Running Linux optionally in a VM isn't what people mean
when they talk about Desktop Linux. Neither is homebrew (which is Linux how,
exactly?). ChromeOS is on Chromebooks, which are explicitly not desktops
because their whole design is as a web kiosk.

~~~
diffeomorphism
My point is running desktop linux apps. My point is that it is NOT
"optionally" but officially and encouraged.

Also your notion of chromebooks is about a decade out of date.

~~~
AnIdiotOnTheNet
Oh I see, we've shifted the goalposts from Linux on the Desktop to Linux Apps
on a proprietary OS on the Desktop.

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papermachete
In other news, you can install the Deepin desktop environment on any distro
and avoid unwanted packages/repos/configurations.

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simula67
Does it have replaceable parts? I am willing to pay good money for a computer
just like Mac, but which can be upgraded piece by piece.

~~~
ijiiijji1
Lenovo T480. Accept no substitutes.

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tannhaeuser
"Deepin Linux"? Is it known by anyone? Sounds scary enough.

~~~
captn3m0
[https://distrowatch.com/table-
mobile.php?distribution=deepin](https://distrowatch.com/table-
mobile.php?distribution=deepin)

The main devs are Chinese and iirc, ZTE is funding their effort. Based on
Debian with a beautiful new DE based on Qt.

~~~
bostik
Well that's certainly interesting...

I used to work for the guy who pushed the original Qt acquisition at Nokia. He
later on, after the Elopcalypse, moved to Huawei to head one of their R&D
units.

Wouldn't be at all surprised if he and his teams had his palm prints all over
this one. Custom media players certainly play to his history and strengths.
(Shot in the dark: I will guess that the media player is built on GStreamer
for the codec support and exposed through QtMultimedia elements.)

~~~
captn3m0
Looks like Qt + mpv: [https://github.com/linuxdeepin/deepin-movie-
reborn](https://github.com/linuxdeepin/deepin-movie-reborn)

~~~
bostik
Oh. My guess was wrong on almost all accounts.

------
l1n
Title should probably be `Huawei has started selling laptops with the Deepin
Linux OS pre-installed` (no stray `a`)

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bjoli
3:2 aspect ratio on the matebook x! I have said for quite some time that I
would wait with buying a laptop until someone else than MS had that aspect
ratio. I guess this means I will be getting a new laptop.

------
warabe
Why don’t they pre install Ubuntu? It’s so simple, isn’t it?

~~~
diffeomorphism
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Kylin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ubuntu_Kylin)

It is.

------
type0
The beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I don't consider Deepin desktop
env more beautiful than Plasma, Budgie, Cinnamon or Gnome. This title is very
clickbaity, so many distros are have this strage names Clear Linux, Scientific
Linux, Beautiful Linux, Stupidly Easy Linux etc. You'd never know how "deep
in" the article you will find relevant information.

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klingonopera
Why not just use a stock Linux distro, and maybe just change the wallpaper to
something Huawei-specific? Add a desktop shortcut to some special Huawei-
specific app store, if they want, but keeping the OS stock pretty much signals
that they really couldn't care less about putting in bloatware, backdoors,
malware or similar, which would be a very welcome change in the OEM equipment
world.

I'd suggest Ubuntu, because of it's popularity and non-tech-user-friendliness,
then again I'm not sure if they're allowed to do that, since Canonical Ltd.
and Trump, thus, depsite open-source, possibly also requires special licenses,
IDK (e.g. I once wanted to install OpenSUSE and then there was something in
the licensing agreement about EAR directives from the US, so I cancelled
that).

I've never heard of Deepin Linux, is it popular in mainland China?

Apart from that, there've always been a steady stream of Laptops available
with Linux, it's not a novelty item... many of those that are advertised as
"non-OS" often have some form of Linux bundled in, just in case.

~~~
pmlnr
[https://www.distrowatch.com/](https://www.distrowatch.com/) -> Deepin is the
10th most common distro.

~~~
klingonopera
It ranked 2013: 55th, 2014: 24th, 2015: 18th, 2016: 11th, 2017: 11th, 2018:
21st and presently, in 2019, is at 10th spot.

That's quite a shot to stardom, and yet, judging from the replies, I don't
seem to be the only one who's never heard of it.

Still, I'd be interested to know, how Deepin is doing in China, is it
comparable to Ubuntu in the Western world?

~~~
diffeomorphism
Stardom among the small number of people visiting a random website.

> They simply show the number of times a distribution page on DistroWatch.com
> was accessed each day, nothing more.

[https://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity](https://www.distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=popularity)

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drcongo
This is an advert, not news.

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RocketSyntax
they are $50!!!

------
pfalafel
I want to see how this Hong Kong story develops before I buy new China goods.

~~~
mikojan
So how is the invasion of Iraq affecting your buying decision process with
regards to american goods?

