[nmglug] recommendations for $400 laptops to run GNU/Linux?

[Mark Galassi]

Dear nmglug-ers,

I'm about to have 11 students in the upcoming Institute for Computing in Research internship program (https://computinginresearch.org/) purchase laptops to run a GNU/Linux distribution.

We subsidize them for up to $400 on these laptops.

In the first two years things went OK but with some problems: most of the laptops ended up being $400 plus something, straining our budget, and some of them had annoyances with microphone and wifi drivers.

Does anyone keep up to date on best laptops for the linux kernel in various price ranges?  Any advice?

And there is also always a question running in the back of my head: would anyone know how to find a local (or global) business that might subsidize the laptops for our students?  I keep thinking that there must be some way to get Lenovo or some other company to either give away some laptops, or to sell us a $560 laptop for $400 -- we are a very deserving non-profit, after all.

Unfortunately so far my attempts at following the chain of companies to their educational outreach people have turned out to be time-consuming dead ends.