The Terran Dispatch

First pass at Fedora KDE on ThinkPad T460s

Note: This is a modified post from a Mastodon thread I posted earlier. Using this to see what a blog post looks like on here right now.

So I got my hands on a ThinkPad T460s... 😈 Main machine will stay stable with Fedora Workstation. This new-to-me ThinkPad will be to try other spins and distros. First one up is Fedora KDE!

First things first, I nuked the Windows install and replaced it with Fedora KDE 38. I normally use Workstation so this is my chance to try a new desktop environment. I want to make sure I'm a well-rounded self-proclaimed FOSS advocate after all.

My goal with this install is to see how many problems will I run into before I get to the point where the computer is running just how I like it. For this laptop, it's super simple. I want this to fulfill the role I used to use my chromebook for. I want a chill computer that can do web browsing and your office related work when I'm in couch mode.

After finagling into the BIOS of the ThinkPad (which is the most accessible one I've used once I learned how it worked), I tried testing the install and it failed. So I installed it anyway and I don't think anything has gone wrong yet. I'm not sure what the initial test is supposed to do, but with my next install I will try to get an iso that will pass the test. Everything else in the installer worked alright and I got through the welcome screen.

Software Setup

Next step: this is KDE, which means no graphical way of enabling Flathub. At least I didn't check beforehand. So downloaded that briefly. Before I would use the terminal, but I learned that I could just download a file and have it do that part for me, so that's what I did. I'm glad that there's a GUI option to set up Flathub because that's the option I will always prefer.

After that it was time to pick a browser. I've been checking out Vivaldi so I wanted to daily drive that as part of trying out new things. I would have stuck with it if it weren't for the fact that it kept on asking me to be set as my default browser even after I set it as my default browser.

I moved on to Brave from Flathub. I've tried this before but wanted to try Vivaldi first. I would have stuck with it... but it also was asking to be my default browser after already checking that box.

So we go big mode. I go to Brave's website to get the real deal package which involved three commands. That version of Brave is what I'm using now and so far we're good. This may not seem so complicated, but I was trying to work with the GUI options I had as much as possible, so in this regard that's one set back to my goal.

Last thing was neofetch because you gotta, and that's it for packages I wanted to have.

Physical Troubleshooting

Now onto the physical problems with the device. This ThinkPad T460s is 7 years old, so I expected a few problems.

We got:

The batteries are kind of exciting because it will be my excuse to open up the machine and fix something. Because it's so old I think finding parts will be a little hard, but hopefully with some research I can find a reputable seller and get this resolved.

The trackpoint glitch is a little more annoying. There is a fix in the Fedora repos, but I think it would require using X11 for some reason. I'm a Wayland man, so no can do.

The other option is to disable the trackpoint from the BIOS. I don't use it so it's not a big deal, but it comes with a catch. No trackpoint = no physical mouse buttons. If you know ThinkPads, you know those buttons are a staple as much as the trackpoint is.

I made the call. No more clicking buttons for me. The stuttering was so bad that I couldn't make it work any other way. I still did go hunting in the terminal for the first solution, but I settled on the second option.

The last problem was the vinyl on the back. It had like some logo or something on it. We were able to get most of it off but there was a lot of residue left over, as expected. There are many options to try for residue, but I was impatient...

Before trying glass cleaner, or tape, or magic eraser, or anything more typical, I tried cologne... I saw an internet comment that suggested to use perfume with 500 upvotes and heaps of praise in the replies.

Dear reader...

I have stained my new (old) ThinkPad T460s.

After I did it I worried that I made the wrong call, so I followed up with glass cleaner, soapy water, Clorox wipes, hand sanitizer, and nothing worked. My last hope is magic eraser so we'll see how it goes. I'm not optimistic.

Future Joseph here: we tried magic eraser and it worked! There's still an impression where the vinyl logo was, but it's so much better that I'm not touching the cover for a while.

Results

And that's my journey so far! For the physical problems with the computer, I expected challenges (except for maybe the self-inflicted oof of the vinyl residue). But I really hoped that I wouldn't have to deal with any hurdles after the initial install of Fedora 38. The problems are small, don't get me wrong, but I had to use the terminal more than I would have liked to. Was hoping to have a terminal-free run, but wasn't able to do it. :/

But KDE has been great! So the main thing I wanted to try has been 👍