I use a Thinkpad. Not only are they some of the best laptops around, they also have great compatibility for Linux and are well regarded by Linux-users - so support for new Thinkpad hardware is regularly added. Still, you'd be advised to search around first just to be sure they're compatible. I'm using one of their cheapest machines, a Thinkpad Edge E520. It's a great machine with full compatibility with Linux (running Ubuntu 11.10 with Gnome 3). The build quality is the best I've ever had and the battery life is 15+ hours (of fairly heavy use, not just when idle). It only cost me £340 (including a battery upgrade) :-)

Thanks. I am looking at something that is very light and small.

How much are you willing to spend? The ThinkPad X220 is an excellent machine with an option for a 12.5" IPS display.

Have a look: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=6056&re...

I'm using a Lenovo LC2430HD that I ordered from LinuxCertified.com about a year ago. It has a Solid-State Drive, so no moving parts except the occasional fan and it's whisper-quiet. Good battery life too -- about 6 hours I think. It came pre-installed with Ubuntu 11.10 or so, and it worked perfectly out of the box, but I did re-install Ubuntu anyway with the Alternative CD because I wanted to encrypt the hard drive.

It's a great machine!

(Here's where I got it: http://linuxcertified.com/linux_laptops.html)

Currently, I'm seeing a LC2430BL listed there. The largest photo I see is not that large, but the laptop appears to have a "chicklet" type keyboard. I believe I've been noting their introduction to some recent Lenovo product lines.

Does your unit have this, and if so, do you have any observations about how it compares to the traditional ThinkPad/Lenovo keyboard? I've been wondering whether Lenovo is/will go the "chicklet" route, and what that might mean for keyboard comfort and usability -- a prime concern, for me.

No chicklets on mine!

Also, the SSD is an option, not standard, in case you want that. (I certainly did.)

You can call them on the phone with any questions -- I found them responsive and helpful.

I will surely look forward to a laptop that comes with SSD. Let me see if it is still available. What is your concern @ the chicklet keyboard? I thought they were the best keyboard designs. The slightly inward keys are found nicely by our fingers.

I don't like the feel of many such membrane keyboards, although to be fair, I haven't used one extensively. The keytops often feel less certain to me, as does as well the keys' "action" when being depressed.

IBM, now Lenovo, "traditional" laptop keyboards have had a reputation for very good feel. But the laptop industry seems to have been moving en masse towards membrane (aka "chicklet") keyboards. If Lenovo's now making the same move, I wonder whether they've managed to overcome what I perceive as these deficiencies.

Also, many of the membrane keyboards I've seen do not curve the keytops. This seems to make the center of the key less find-able by touch, and keystroke registration when hitting the edge or the corner of a key can feel and/or be less certain, in my admittedly anecdotal and limited experience.

I've got a Thinkpad T410 (integrated graphics) that's fully supported by OpenBSD 5.1; if it's fully supported by OpenBSD I'm very confident that it will be supported by Ubuntu. The Thinkpad X-series are very similar to the T-series and are much smaller and lighter.

I have a Toshiba Equium R630 and it works well. It's small and lightweight, although not quite ultrabook standard, and it feels very well put together. I think this model is EOL now, but you can find newer ones. Everything just works.

Well, there's always System76 http://www.system76.com customized, dedicated Ubuntu laptops. ;-)

I've never used them... but there is also: http://www.ohava.com

A DC/VA startup.