Free Laptops

Macbooks

There are around a dozen Macbook Pros (Model A1278) in the space. They can be upgraded to OS X Catalina through the official method. With Open Core Legacy Patcher they can be upgraded to OS X Sequoia.

Chromebooks

We have been getting chromebooks in bulk from various school districts from via Fixit Clinic.

Instructions for chromebook conversion - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ODH2rvoCop1teArmJCL-61VVr2I2KwEqNNCYeRjWMi4/edit?tab=t.0

Tested Linux Distributions

Most of the chromebooks we are getting only have 16GB of storage!! This means we need to be mindful about how the size of whatever we install. We have been distributing these out to people who usually are new to linux, and have been testing out different linux distributions, to see what works best/what to recommend.

So far we have tested

• debian-13.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso - everything works on Dell P22T. Trackpad doesn't work in the installer, but does work after install completes (plug in a mouse or use tab key + enter key to complete installer). Fn keys do not map to keyboard icons (volume, brightness, etc) so needs to be setup after install.

Output of "df -H" on debian-13.6.0-amd64-netinst.iso with GNOME
on a dell P22T chromebook

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
udev            2.0G     0  2.0G   0% /dev
tmpfs           403M  1.7M  401M   1% /run
/dev/mmcblk1p2   14G  5.6G  7.5G  43% /
tmpfs           2.1G   13k  2.1G   1% /dev/shm
efivarfs        197k   20k  173k  11% /sys/firmware/efi/efivars
tmpfs           5.3M   13k  5.3M   1% /run/lock
tmpfs           1.1M     0  1.1M   0% /run/credentials/systemd-journald.service
tmpfs           2.1G   17k  2.1G   1% /tmp
/dev/mmcblk1p1  896M  9.2M  887M   2% /boot/efi
tmpfs           403M   95k  403M   1% /run/user/1000
tmpfs           403M   58k  403M   1% /run/user/0
/dev/sda1       8.1G  4.2G  3.9G  52% /mnt

• linuxmint-22.3-xfce-64bit.iso - everything works, but not much free space after install. Install did take longer than expected

Output of "df -H" on linuxmint-22.3-xfce-64bit.iso dell P22T chromebook

Filesystem      Size  Used Avail Use% Mounted on
tmpfs           402M  1.7M  400M   1% /run
efivarfs        197k   45k  148k  24% /sys/firmware/efi/efivars
/dev/mmcblk1p2   15G   11G  3.5G  76% /
tmpfs           2.1G     0  2.1G   0% /dev/shm
tmpfs           5.3M   13k  5.3M   1% /run/lock
/dev/mmcblk1p1  536M  6.5M  530M   2% /boot/efi
tmpfs           402M  136k  402M   1% /run/user/1000

• MX Linux 23 - everything works (including audio) out of box. distribution is ~8GB
• Lubuntu (unknown version...was old) - everything works, including audio out of box.
• PeppermintOS - everything works (including audio) out of box
• debian 12 with LXQT - everything works (including audio) out of the box. 2/3 disk used after install
• Zorin 16.3 - tested, no audio output from speaker
• Alpine - tested, no audio output from speaker
• antiX 22 and 23 beta - lightweight but have not been able to figure out audio out to speakers
• Puppy - also no audio to speakers
• Debian 11 live with XFCE - no audio to speakers
• Arch Linux - audio OK with PipeWire. 4.4GB used including Firefox and LibreOffice
• Pop!_OS - 20Gb mini drive storage requirement (which is greater than chromebooks 16Gb), but runs audio OK from a live USB
• Void Linux with XFCE - no speaker audio

Dell Latitudes E6420

We are going through the Dell Latitudes and updating their firmware to latest version before giving out. As of Sep 10, 2023, half have been updated and are ready to be flashed with Linux and given out.

Some of these laptops are sticky to touch near the keyboard/trackpad, because of the failing manufacturing coating in that area. Soaps/isopropyl only make the problem worse. The best solution is to completely remove the coating (tedious), or make a "skin" to put over it. There is a laser cutting file to create a vinyl sticker cover for the to cover the palm wrest, that lives on the laser computer (TODO, move here).

Also see

• USPIRG’s petition to extend the life of Chromebooks: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-QGoW0UzE0t0oUsKzM6Xsxft1kHM-d6boyLS0UAGvwagUWA/viewform
• For more background see “Chromebook Churn”: https://pirg.org/edfund/resources/chromebook-churn-report-highlights-problems-of-short-lived-laptops-in-schools/
• And Fixit Clinic's efforts to keep already AUEed Chrombooks in service as general purpose computing devices:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JSbGXhJFJeABWVOn1wO4M6bPT-gPBLV4oQ85xMyvYtM/edit
• Background info on chromebook donations - https://fixitclinic.blogspot.com/2023/03/lets-keep-our-chomebooks.html