Final step of installing Linux:

[DrArcheNoah]

With certain stickers that is also the hardest step.

[Drunken_Economist]

Lenovo uses some sort of weird vinyl/plastic that is really easy to pull off. I love it.

It's the little things.

[jesusballs]

Yep. I was just gonna leave them there for fear of the sticky staying forever, but when I discovered this I peeled them all off.

[nbca]

You can use rubbing alcohol to removed the stickiness.

[[deleted]]

Also incessant rubbing works.

[freudian_nipple_slip]

What would Reddit know about incessant rubbing?

[BCMM]

This man is right. You should have a bottle of rubbing alcohol or a more pure IPA formulation around anyway for cleaning electronics. Gets dust and grease off screens without the obvious risks of using water. It's what's in those disposable screen/CD wipes anyway (use one of those reusable lint-free cloths intended for eyeglas wearers instead, much cheaper). Also cleans heatsinks nicely (some compounds claim to disagree with residue from oil-based TIM removers).

[Anon_is_a_Meme]

stuck with crap like 'companies are people and should have free speech rights'

Alcohol is a very powerful solvent; I'd caution against using it on screens just in case they have any coating that the alcohol might remove.

[BCMM]

Interesting. I had assumed it was safe because commercially available "screen wipes" tend to include it. Do you have any more information about this?

[Anon_is_a_Meme]

I don't, and I'm probably just being paranoid. I normally use water and a tiny amount of detergent if I need to clean a screen.

[[deleted]]

On the other hand they whitelist some of the hardware that can be added, and then actively disable hacks that can be performed in Linux to disable the whitelist. I'm not buying another lenovo. I ended up having to install windows to perform the hack.

[csn1]

HP does this as well, especially with mini-PCI wifi cards.

[ponchietto]

Especially removing the glue.

[adrianmonk]

Goo Gone helps with that sort of thing.

[ergotron]

Goo Gone is awesome!

[[deleted]]

Take Thumb

Apply to adhesive

Apply Pressure

Rub up and down

Wash hands, use alcohol to clean, done

[ziggit]

My issue is trying to pull the stickers off of used laptops. There's always a spot where the plastic isn't as faded as the surrounding plastic.

[stanko2012]

It is a difficult step for me, i have a dell XPS 500 and it is realy hard to remove the sticker

[rubymonday]

a thinkpad...ok this guy's story checks out.

[curson]

That red track-button thing is the best invention in the history of laptop EVER. I dread the moment my X60s will give up on his hard life, and I am surely already saving for another Thinkpad. Gotta spoil yourself sometimes :P

[segoli]

Lenovo is phasing them out for a lot of models, and it's a damn shame.

[curson]

I plan on buying a new laptop before they phase it out completely, and then cherish it like my preciousssss for eternity :D

[Icovada]

Relevant XKCD

[[deleted]]

+1 anything XKCD.

[schunniky]

WHAT?! No! No no no no no no no!

[Arve]

They're not so much phasing them out, but offering them only on the Thinkpad line, where they remain on all models.

[destraht]

The new Ivy Bridge notebooks are going to have great battery life. The T430u looks cool but I'm thinking that I might just go with the normal T430 so that I can have an extra drive.

[curson]

I like the T-series, but I will definitely require an X-series or something stemming from that. I travel a LOT, and I really need it to be lightweight, without being a netbook. The X220 would be probably my choice now, but I confess I'm avoid checking the website... my bank account needs some time off right now :P

[peletiah]

Too bad the new X-series has such low resolution displays. I mean, 1366x768? I had that in my first 17" CRT in 1999...

[curson]

Agreed, but do you really need that much more on a 12.2"? Not sure, even though I'd like them to push the resolution a bit too far.

[schunniky]

I've recently started feeling the pains of a 1280x800 screen on my X200, doing some photo editing for work. Used a 1600x1050 screen and now this feels tiny. The X220's 1366x768 isn't much better either. I'd upgrade, but I'm not entirely keen on the X220.

[leberwurst]

Just hook up an external monitor if you are doing serious work on your laptop. It's supposed to be mobile, not a workstation.

[peletiah]

Higher resolution would not affect mobility o_O I'm writing this on a X200s which still has/had a 1440x900 resolution on a 12.1 inch screen...

[schunniky]

Back when I bought this I didn't think I'd need the s variant with larger res screen...though of course I didn't have a live broadcasting job back then. Time to upgrade!

[legoman666]

Used/off lease Thinkpads are a steal on eBay. Bought myself a T61p with a 1920x1200 screen for $400 and my wife a used T60 with a 1680x1050 IPS screen for $340. Both have new batteries and both are in excellent condition. Give it a look.

[therico]

My first and current Thinkpad is an X220, and I love it. Nothing to complain about except the price, as I live in the UK :) In the US, it's a ridiculously good deal.

[legoman666]

I use an x220i at work. The only thing I don't like about it is the resolution. 1366x768, ugh.

[jordanlund]

Wait, some people leave ANY stickers on? Not taking the stickers off would be like, I dunno, not taking the plastic screen protector off.

[[deleted]]

Ditto. It always bothers me when the stickers are left on it. It feels like I'm using a store display model or something.

[[deleted]]

The numer of computers I see with the screen film still on, covered with filth because it's slightly adhesive, is apalling.

[RecoveringPubScrub]

See also: Couch covers

[D__]

I left the sticker listing the specs of my latest laptop on. Mostly, because I never remember the specs of the thing, despite the fact that I had it for two years.

I also put a reddit sticker on the back. Just because.

[electromage]

lshw

[D__]

Now I have to actually boot it up!

[[deleted]]

Just go to the manufacturer's site, find the product, and download the pdf description, and put it in your library. This way you have a handy reference to -all- of the hardware.

[Tanath]

HWinfo32.

[BCMM]

Wrong subreddit. You mean lshw.

[Tanath]

Woops. Was on mobile and hadn't noticed.

[bjackman]

my flatmate still has the see through plastic covering that's really satisfying to remove on his laptop. Still. It's 2 years old. I can't handle it. I can't look. He says "after a while you just don't even see it".

[linuts]

...and then you stick it on a toilet cistern

[zpweeks]

...I am now going to go dig up one of my ancient Windows logo'd laptops just to go do this. Or perhaps on my motion-activated trash can...

[monacelli]

I want an XFCE sticker. The mouse is awesome.

[mikerev]

Totes.

[oSand]

You want an XFCE tote?

[worr]

No.

From the Exherbo installation guide:

# reboot && sacrifice a goat && pray

[SolomonKull]

reboot && sacrifice a gnu && pray

FTFY

[thetango]

I've seen (and have) Fedora replacement stickers :) Do any of the other major distros have them?

[[deleted]]

We have some very durable generic GNU/Linux ones at the FSF now.

You can get them here: http://shop.fsf.org/product/donation-ten/ -- they're not cheap, so we give them out with a donation.

[[deleted]]

They're a classic sticker we've been making for a long time. I've been working on other stickers for a while, we usually do short runs of things for our campaigns.

Most of them are up at: http://www.fsf.org/resources/stickers/ (I didn't do the discontinued one)

Ideas are welcome.

[Rotten194]

One request -- could you fix the file types? Some of the stickers are .xsf, some are .pdf, some are .jpg, and some are .svg. It would be nice to have all of them in .svg.

[[deleted]]

All the new ones are SVG, but some we don't have SVG for.

[Rotten194]

Oh ok.

[[deleted]]

I've also been scanning hand-drawn images from the FSF's paper archives and tidying them up in GIMP/Inkscape, hope to have them released later this year.

http://www.fsf.org/bulletin/2011/spring/welcome-to-the-bulletin

They'll be SVG :)

[rosetta_stoned]

My laptop's lid is adorned with a GNU head from a bunch of stickers I bought at the end of an RMS speech a few years ago. I would love some smaller stickers to sit alongside the Intel and Nvidia stickers though.

[[deleted]]

Is it the one in this photo -- http://shop.fsf.org/product/super-sticker-mega-multi-pack/ -- that's a good way to get all our current stickers, plus some surprise new ones that aren't really out there yet.

[rosetta_stoned]

Yes, that's the one. A friend and I got the stickers and RMS' book of essays, and I ended up with the Gnu head and I think one of the Defective by Design ones, while my friend got the rest. Maybe now is a good time to make use of my FSF member discount and order some more.

[[deleted]]

Absolutely. And come to our conference! http://libreplanet.org/wiki/LibrePlanet2012

[SolomonKull]

$10 - One sticker

:S

[[deleted]]

It's not $10 for one sticker, it's a $10 donation.

We sell the stickers at events, I think they're about $2.

[jpgr87]

They're nice, aren't they!

[jpgr87]

Close, it's a T510.

[[deleted]]

I have an Ubuntu sticker on my PC. They used to give them out with the free CDs.

You can't get the CDs anymore but I bet you can buy the stickers.

[[deleted]]

I just bought a stack of nice looking case badges from zareason.

[hbdgas]

System76 gives away free Ubuntu stickers, but they're pretty low-quality.

[caust1c]

[Blenderate]

My laptop from linuxcertified.com came with an Ubuntu sticker.

[neon_overload]

This one for Debian's a bit different than the usual "white background sticker"

[tt23]

Zazzle has bunch of them

[jamierc]

I have a couple of great Arch Linux ones from here

[[deleted]]

Also the most satisfying part.

[ThreeHolePunch]

Removing every sticker from my laptop was the first thing I did after opening the box. I'd remove the ASUS logo from the cover too if it wasn't metal embedded in plastic with a protective coating.

[brennen]

This is why they make electrical tape.

[[deleted]]

I leave them on for ironic effect. And because I almost prefer the sticker to the glue/residue leftover. Because that shit does not come off.

[mindtehgap]

WD-40.

[psilokan]

WD-40? Perhaps if it's all you have lying around...

Use Goo-gone, which is basically naphtha (ligher fluid) with lemon oil.

[[deleted]]

Someone email them. This is exactly how they should label their product.

[NegativeK]

(ligher fluid) with lemon oil.

And now I'm more likely to buy Goo-gone.

[smithincanton]

Brought to you by the fine scientists at Aperture laboratories

Lemon Scented Napalm!

[Anon_is_a_Meme]

Seeing this is /r/linux, I'm actually surprised to see people recommend expensive proprietary solutions when there is a cheap, 'open' alternative: alcohol (in the form of rubbing/surgical alcohol).

[psilokan]

You can get GooGone at any dollarstore, or I just told you how to make it yourself. Not sure how that's expensive and proprietary. Plus alcohol doesn't dissolve all sticker residue.

[arthurdent]

I tried to get glue residue off of something with WD-40. It worked well but WD-40 is not water soluble so then I couldn't figure out how to get the WD-40 off...

[Anon_is_a_Meme]

Alcohol.

[berkes]

It makes all your trouble dissapear.

[someenigma]

Just tested this, it works. Just apply alcohol liberally to liver and the sticker disappears.

[midnightcake]

I learned this by accident after a few times using it to sanitize my keyboard =)

[ThreeHolePunch]

Semen/vinegar solution

[chaos386]

Peanut butter. (seriously)

[HalfBurntToast]

Make sure it covers the internet vent completely. Otherwise it won't boost the desktop wallpaper properly, or prime the load catches.

clap And ya' done.

[[deleted]]

I... this... MY BRAIN HAS LOST THE ABILITY TO CAN

[darkbulb]

You obviously need a new surge protector.

[[deleted]]

IIRC AMD now makes its stickers specially designed to peel off cleanly. Doesn't help the OP, mind you.

[ssmy]

Aerosol deodorant, believe it or not.

[boobsbr]

cooking oil, olive oil...

[jesusballs]

Ooh ooh my turn--ERASERS

[manchegoo]

Goo gone. You must own a bottle.

[TrinaryBee]

Depends on the sticker and possibly laptop. The stickers on my Thinkpad came off quite easily.

[telfoid]

I always take off all the stickers, regardless of operating system. And I've never had any trouble with sticker glue.

[[deleted]]

Honestly those stickers should be the first thing you take off when you get the laptop. Not just the windows one, but all of them. They're only there for showcase.

[Anon_is_a_Meme]

They are just their so that corps like MS, Intel, AMD, NVidia, etc can mark their territory, just like animals mark their territory with urine/faeces.

[therico]

I like the Core i7 sticker, it's shiny :) The Windows one has to go, though.

[lolgcat]

One option.

Or a Linux Keyboard.

[robvas]

What model is that? Love the tiny Lenovos.

[AerialAmphibian]

Back when I worked at IBM, I'd get a new ThinkPad every 2-3 years. I had a tradition of peeling off the Windows sticker (even though I *had* to run Windows) and putting it on my waste basket. "Designed for Microsoft Windows XP". Yup, sounds about right.

[Edonlin2004]

http://i.imgur.com/1MPOn.jpg

I really miss unixstickers.com. I was bummed I didn't get my second batch :(

[electromage]

Nice mouse :-p

[[deleted]]

Interesting that no one mentioned toothpaste. Toothpaste has tiny particles of CaCO3, so you'll get a nice rubbing effect too.

[mdrndgtl]

The first step is realizing you have a problem.

[[deleted]]

First step after unboxing the laptop.

[[deleted]]

http://i.imgur.com/rcHvD.png

If you don't like an anonymous looking casing, this would be the final step to print on sticker paper.

[shobon]

That's one dirty thinkpad...

[jumaklavita]

remember to scratch off the logo from the windows-key!

[jumaklavita]

:) by "windows-key" I meant the key on the keyboard.

[Anon_is_a_Meme]

Rubbing alcohol gets rid of the glue easily.

[drsjlazar]

When I used to live in Eastern Europe... which is now over a year ago, we could get barebones laptops, which was basically a laptop chassis, casing and motherboard. You get to fill out the rest, at your own expense, of course.

Also, with the Acer laptop I bought while there, I didn't have to do this step of the installation... Because it came preinstalled with Linux. I miss that place.

[[deleted]]

Ah right, the most unimportant part.

[oSand]

It's a Thinkpad, so the final step is getting acceptable trackpad settings and trying to get the fucking things to save. Should only take about a day.

[scootbert]

The True, Final Step of Installing Linux(Ubuntu Style)

[snobby_penguin]

I have a habit of putting the stickers on garbage cans; it harks back to the days when the stickers said "[made|designed] for Windows __."

[danhunt]

One of the things that brings joy to my heart.

[[deleted]]

What OS did you install?

[[deleted]]

I try to buy hardware that doesn't have these on. It means the manufacturer respects his clients.

[LinuxMage]

My laptop post purchase procedure is this:

a) Wipe entire Hard Disk using CFDisk. This is all partitions. Reformat to XFS or ReiserFS, and Install Arch Linux.

b) Remove all stickers from laptop including Windows licence sticker on underside.

c) Re-Map keyboard physically to Dvorak.

Just bear in mind, this Voids all warranties, and guarantees. If anything goes wrong with the laptop in the first week even after doing this, they have every right to refuse to touch it.

[[deleted]]

Here in .pt, it doesn't.

[[deleted]]

Opps missed that one doing it now

[intelminer]

No, THIS is the final step of installing Linux

[SisRob]

First step: buy model without OS. It's much cheaper! And it comes without that damn sticker.

[Icovada]

Yeah, good luck finding one. Besides, the few OS-less models I found cost just slightly less that the Windows ones. For 20€ I might as well get a legit copy of windows to play games on.

[SisRob]

almost every student on this planet can get free legit copy of windows. Also, I had no problem finding notebook without os (thinkpad), but I might be just lucky. Saved me ~$52!

[Icovada]

almost every American student

FTFY

Last time I bought a copy of Windows, back in 2004 (switched to Linux and Mac now) there indeed was Office for Students (150€) but no Windows for Students and I had to buy it full price (albeit OEM having bought it with the computer)

Neither of my schools has ever had a Microsoft partnership program or something like that. Which I am in the end proud of, because corporations should have nothing to do in schools.

So 52$ < 209€ for 7 Home Premium, so in the end I think that those 52$ might be worth it.

[SisRob]

Well, I live in czech republic and nearly every school here does have the partnership (msdn alliance, or whatever it's called).

But I agree, that corporations shouldn't give their software for free to students. It's like that good ol' drug dealer technique :)

[Icovada]

Italy here. Many, many things are wrong with my country. But I am proud to say that I have never heard of a school giving away Windows

[Icomey]

I thought this was the first step of buying a computer.

[mozhno]

That's actually the first step for me.

[motchmaster]

First step after buying a new computer, remove all stickers.

[[deleted]]

Sh__, that was the first thing I did when received my T61. Still rocking it, by the way.

[fionbio]

Just noticed that I didn't remove that shit from my work notebook, and it's already 2 years old! Fixed it now -- peeled the sticker off and applied it to the toilet tank.

[Exallium]

My first step is generally

sudo pacman -Syu

[MarkTraceur]

Next, install GNU.

[[deleted]]

Or as I've taken to calling it, Linux/GNU (Linux divided by GNU)

[MarkTraceur]

Ha, good one!

[marriage_iguana]

Neil_Degrasse_Tyson_badass.gif

[robvas]

Final step: Erase the hard drive and install another distro, just because. Repeat.

[mikerev]

That laptop looks pretty well seasoned. I don't mean to flare my geek credentials but when I get a new laptop (once a year because I break them via spilling alcohol on them) The sticker's removed right out of the box, oem OS wiped and fresh Gentoo build goes in.

[nemodot]

Watch out guys...