On 7/15/24 14:09, Hendrik Boom wrote:
> Looking for something inexpensive and portable that will run
> GNU/Linux. More difficult than it used to be now that machines can be
> locked to Windows.
>
> Is there any way of testing whether a laptop has an unlocked
> bootloader before buying it? (assuming the seller will trust me
> enough let me run such a test!)

[snip]

(Sorry for the two non-English links, various online translation
services tend to do a close enough job though.)

If you need something more official than Refracta, you can test for
Abitti support:

https://www.abitti.fi/sv/anvisningar/sakerstallning-av-abitti-kompatibilitet/

The Finnish Matriculation Examination Board (MEB) here requires student
laptops to be able to boot their Debian-based live distro for exams and
such. Their distro is called Abitti:

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abitti
https://github.com/digabi/digabi-os

Or you could try either ordering from Slimbook in Spain or Tuxedo
Computers in Germany. If you are up for monstrous shipping fees (which
add to your VAT fees) then you can import System76, which are very nice
systems.

/Lars