"Good one, zombie. You don't even exist. Back into the abyss you go".
These kind of responses sound positively out of touch with reality. Receiving one, I wouldn't even laugh, I would be taken aback that I have been involved in someone else's psychosis.
I’ve never heard of Malibal before this and now I’m sorely tempted to do some sort of business with them in order to get the entirety of my state banned too. The vendor obviously has an ego eight sizes larger than their market capacity.
This was such a fun late night read and kudos to the tuber for placing italy at risk as well. It was totally worth it.
Yup. I have spent enough time on the internet to instantly start thinking about how to get Sweden (or why not all Nordic countries?) banned.
The guy seems pretty tragic though. It seems like all problems are someone else's fault, while what is really missing is a healthy self image. I feel sorry for everyone he/she meets, but also for him/her. I think every sane person eventually has an "oh wait. It's me!" moment. While tough, they make you a better person.
This was a very bizarre read. The owner of Malibal must be one individual with either a strange sense of humor or completely unhinged. Maybe a bit of both.
Some of the Malibal responses were quite funny to read though. I especially like the non-apology response.
> Our commitment? To tirelessly support our customers—zombie, ghost, or otherwise—while maintaining a level of integrity befitting the smallest scandal possible. After all, the abyss awaits us all… but here at MALIBAL, we’ll send you there with a smile.
I remember just a few months ago the same company rage-banned sales from a bunch of states due to some bad experience with coreboot consultants from that area...
They are kind of building a name for themselves.
On the other hand, when I pay for someone to say a single sentence, that sentence isn't said but I still get an invoice, I might consider "zombie" to be a kind way of calling people. You had only one job...
Always good to do some research before you buy though.
My current laptop, a 2024 Razer Blade 13 with an AMD processor, has a weird bug where the internal speakers won’t make a sound unless you run a series of hda-verb commands.
Easy fix once you know it, but it took me some time to find the solution.
You’re right about the price difference. My MacBook gave up the ghost and I’m looking for a good Windows laptop to install Linux. Do most Linux laptop users wipe Windows or dual boot? pros/cons?
The t480 recently got rudimentary coreboot/libreboot support (which is somewhat incomplete because of thunderbolt quirks as of today) but will hopefully be supported better in the future.
They are like 200 EUR on ebay for some 8GB RAM model where you can still replace the SODIMMs with 2x32GB ones.
Also use LUKS encryption, ecryptfs sucks and has a character limit of 122 characters per file, which happens more often than you might imagine.
From my personal experience, it's best to find a windows laptop that supports two m2 nvme slots. Get another cheap ssd and install linux exclusively on it. I have this setup on my laptop and didn't have to deal with wiping anything.
I've been wiping windows since 2015, before that I did dual boot.
In part the gaming support has improved.
I don't know if it's possible to give an answer to "most linux laptop users".
Nowadays you can find very detailed compatibility for arch on the arch wiki. There are some footguns like s3 sleep. It's better documented and many laptops will do pretty well.
Right now, I am on Linux Mint on a ASUS Vivobook 16 that wasn't even $500. I got this specifically because of the Intel graphics in the event I didn't want to use Windows. I don't think I made it past the Windows setup before wiping it out.
That's a very personal question. Do you plan on frequently using windows? If so, dual boot might make sense (don't forget about virtual machines and wine).
Yep, I've wanted to explore this route for a while. I had some issues with Linux on Lenovo Legions, so this might be a nice way to keep using both OSs.
Wipe. Dual booting sucks. The reality is you'll spend the vast majority of your time using one OS.
Do try to get a Linux laptop first, though, otherwise you're paying the Windows tax and not sending the right signals to manufacturers. Dell have made Windows-free laptops for years. Unfortunately the last one I bought (15 years ago) did have ghastly "Windows keys", but maybe it's better now? I scratched mine off.
>Do try to get a Linux laptop first, though, otherwise you're paying the Windows tax and not sending the right signals to manufacturers
Why do I care about "signals" ?
You have to go where the market is at. Linux is a niche. You buy a Linux laptop you end up paying more for less hardware.
The only thing is you shouldn't buy the absolute latest hardware since Linux can lag a few months in support. Microsoft more or less gives out OEM keys. They make very little off the OS itself.
I typically dualboot. A lot of applications ( games) still don't run well on Linux. Bios updates are often handled by OEM software which only runs on Windows. You can seek out the bios files, but that's an entire thing.
VMware workstation for Linux and Windows supports running a VM with specific partition(s) from your boot disk. This allows you to launch your "other" OS when needed, but still directly boot it on hardware if desired.
I think it would be simpler for them to say that they won't ship anywhere, you can't access their website with anything, or want to do business with anyone.
I am one of the mods of /r/linuxhardware, and we had a long thread ca 1 year ago which until recently was completely spamming our moderation queue. There are some statements from malibal there, in case some of you are interested in digging into 'zombiegate' further. https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/15v2y21/stay...
What a wild ride just a few comments in. Now we know why "Reddit users" are banned from the company. I may just be another rando internet zombie but reading that thread made me feel so alive!
They also have a blogpost titled "Stay away from MALIBAL" (so that they are listed at the top of search engines) in which they defend themselves by saying that... Apple has more scandals...? https://www.malibal.com/features/stay-away-from-malibal/?srs...
I don't see how fanatism that ends up offending others is somehow fine just because its congruent with your own beliefs. Sounds like zealotry to me which is unhealthy.
Bad actors need to be called out and not let themselves speak for the entire group, regardless if they're in my camp or the other, since they end up poisoning the well and tarnishing the image of the entire group if encountered or left unchecked.
Dunno about you but I don't want to be associated with such people. These are why the Linux community gets a bad rap amongst regular people, because comments like these end up going public.
It's both funny and tragic that people like the owner of that place go through life constantly meeting people who are unprofessional, ungrateful, mean zombies who miss the best deal of their life due to their bad behaviour. Stepping on the same rake again and again. Tragic is that there will always be new victims who start out by giving the owner the benefit of the doubt, and they will be losing time and money to him.
Great article, baffling situation, although it buries the lead. It takes 6+ paragraphs to say this is more than one tech support email calling him a zombie.
This is hilarious. How are they making any money whatsoever? They're proven to be utterly unhinged and there's still at least 3/4 the page remaining to scroll full of petty tantrums.
> Our commitment? To tirelessly support our customers—zombie, ghost, or otherwise—while maintaining a level of integrity befitting the smallest scandal possible. After all, the abyss awaits us all… but here at MALIBAL, we’ll send you there with a smile.
Funnily enough I was trying to describe this particular type of autistic to my girlfriend last night. These people are often brilliant but have terrible social skills. I've met many of them. I've interviewed several. I've had them go off on random tirades during an interview about the very specific thing they are not a fan of this week. I would never let one of these people speak directly to customers!
Dramatic!! Who even needs Netflix
"Good one, zombie. You don't even exist. Back into the abyss you go".
These kind of responses sound positively out of touch with reality. Receiving one, I wouldn't even laugh, I would be taken aback that I have been involved in someone else's psychosis.
I’ve never heard of Malibal before this and now I’m sorely tempted to do some sort of business with them in order to get the entirety of my state banned too. The vendor obviously has an ego eight sizes larger than their market capacity.
This was such a fun late night read and kudos to the tuber for placing italy at risk as well. It was totally worth it.
Yup. I have spent enough time on the internet to instantly start thinking about how to get Sweden (or why not all Nordic countries?) banned.
The guy seems pretty tragic though. It seems like all problems are someone else's fault, while what is really missing is a healthy self image. I feel sorry for everyone he/she meets, but also for him/her. I think every sane person eventually has an "oh wait. It's me!" moment. While tough, they make you a better person.
anyone here working for intel? they already banned AMD...
Calm down or this poor fellow would start designing own CPU architectures soon.
This was a very bizarre read. The owner of Malibal must be one individual with either a strange sense of humor or completely unhinged. Maybe a bit of both.
Some of the Malibal responses were quite funny to read though. I especially like the non-apology response.
> Our commitment? To tirelessly support our customers—zombie, ghost, or otherwise—while maintaining a level of integrity befitting the smallest scandal possible. After all, the abyss awaits us all… but here at MALIBAL, we’ll send you there with a smile.
I remember just a few months ago the same company rage-banned sales from a bunch of states due to some bad experience with coreboot consultants from that area...
They are kind of building a name for themselves.
On the other hand, when I pay for someone to say a single sentence, that sentence isn't said but I still get an invoice, I might consider "zombie" to be a kind way of calling people. You had only one job...
"They also told me to bill for the GNOME video as usual."
Gotta read the whole thing.
This was funny.
The vast majority of Windows laptops will run Linux just fine, and are significantly cheaper.
All the small volume manufacturers have issues. Just install Pop OS on a think pad and keep going
Always good to do some research before you buy though.
My current laptop, a 2024 Razer Blade 13 with an AMD processor, has a weird bug where the internal speakers won’t make a sound unless you run a series of hda-verb commands.
Easy fix once you know it, but it took me some time to find the solution.
You’re right about the price difference. My MacBook gave up the ghost and I’m looking for a good Windows laptop to install Linux. Do most Linux laptop users wipe Windows or dual boot? pros/cons?
> gave up the ghost
Haha, kudos to you, fellow German! :)
The t480 recently got rudimentary coreboot/libreboot support (which is somewhat incomplete because of thunderbolt quirks as of today) but will hopefully be supported better in the future.
They are like 200 EUR on ebay for some 8GB RAM model where you can still replace the SODIMMs with 2x32GB ones.
Also use LUKS encryption, ecryptfs sucks and has a character limit of 122 characters per file, which happens more often than you might imagine.
From my personal experience, it's best to find a windows laptop that supports two m2 nvme slots. Get another cheap ssd and install linux exclusively on it. I have this setup on my laptop and didn't have to deal with wiping anything.
I've been wiping windows since 2015, before that I did dual boot.
In part the gaming support has improved.
I don't know if it's possible to give an answer to "most linux laptop users".
Nowadays you can find very detailed compatibility for arch on the arch wiki. There are some footguns like s3 sleep. It's better documented and many laptops will do pretty well.
Right now, I am on Linux Mint on a ASUS Vivobook 16 that wasn't even $500. I got this specifically because of the Intel graphics in the event I didn't want to use Windows. I don't think I made it past the Windows setup before wiping it out.
That's a very personal question. Do you plan on frequently using windows? If so, dual boot might make sense (don't forget about virtual machines and wine).
If you need windows enough to dual boot I'd just use wsl for the linux
Yep, I've wanted to explore this route for a while. I had some issues with Linux on Lenovo Legions, so this might be a nice way to keep using both OSs.
Wipe. Dual booting sucks. The reality is you'll spend the vast majority of your time using one OS.
Do try to get a Linux laptop first, though, otherwise you're paying the Windows tax and not sending the right signals to manufacturers. Dell have made Windows-free laptops for years. Unfortunately the last one I bought (15 years ago) did have ghastly "Windows keys", but maybe it's better now? I scratched mine off.
>Do try to get a Linux laptop first, though, otherwise you're paying the Windows tax and not sending the right signals to manufacturers
Why do I care about "signals" ?
You have to go where the market is at. Linux is a niche. You buy a Linux laptop you end up paying more for less hardware.
The only thing is you shouldn't buy the absolute latest hardware since Linux can lag a few months in support. Microsoft more or less gives out OEM keys. They make very little off the OS itself.
I typically dualboot. A lot of applications ( games) still don't run well on Linux. Bios updates are often handled by OEM software which only runs on Windows. You can seek out the bios files, but that's an entire thing.
> Why do I care about "signals" ?
Because if a manufacturer offers the choice then you want them to know how you intend to use it as this may affect how well they support it.
> You have to go where the market is at. Linux is a niche. You buy a Linux laptop you end up paying more for less hardware.
Not necessarily. Last I looked Dell sold the exact same hardware but you could choose a Linux or no OS option and save money.
>Not necessarily. Last I looked Dell sold the exact same hardware but you could choose a Linux or no OS option and save money.
How often do those Linux laptops go on sale.
If you need guaranteed Linux support buy a Thinkpad. Windows laptops go on sale pretty often, you almost never pay MSRP.
VMware workstation for Linux and Windows supports running a VM with specific partition(s) from your boot disk. This allows you to launch your "other" OS when needed, but still directly boot it on hardware if desired.
I think it would be simpler for them to say that they won't ship anywhere, you can't access their website with anything, or want to do business with anyone.
They have a bad business plan.
[dead]
I am one of the mods of /r/linuxhardware, and we had a long thread ca 1 year ago which until recently was completely spamming our moderation queue. There are some statements from malibal there, in case some of you are interested in digging into 'zombiegate' further. https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/15v2y21/stay...
What a wild ride just a few comments in. Now we know why "Reddit users" are banned from the company. I may just be another rando internet zombie but reading that thread made me feel so alive!
Their logo breakdown is also unintentionally hilariously pretentious https://www.malibal.com/features/about-us/
They also have a blogpost titled "Stay away from MALIBAL" (so that they are listed at the top of search engines) in which they defend themselves by saying that... Apple has more scandals...? https://www.malibal.com/features/stay-away-from-malibal/?srs...
What a disgusting company.
This is really fun to read. If someone fund me in my teenager years I would probably just act like the owner of Malibal.
This "company" must one very angry guy...who also fanatic about Linux and OSS (which is fine btw); but boy! he's got the worst sales strategy ever :)
>fanatic about Linux and OSS (which is fine btw)
I don't see how fanatism that ends up offending others is somehow fine just because its congruent with your own beliefs. Sounds like zealotry to me which is unhealthy.
Bad actors need to be called out and not let themselves speak for the entire group, regardless if they're in my camp or the other, since they end up poisoning the well and tarnishing the image of the entire group if encountered or left unchecked.
Dunno about you but I don't want to be associated with such people. These are why the Linux community gets a bad rap amongst regular people, because comments like these end up going public.
This is a silly extreme case, but it's kind of an absurd example of what happens when you live a life devoid of the principle of charity[1].
I think tons of interpersonal engineering issues boil down to a failure to apply this principle.
[1]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principle_of_charity
More on reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/linuxhardware/comments/15v2y21/stay...
It's both funny and tragic that people like the owner of that place go through life constantly meeting people who are unprofessional, ungrateful, mean zombies who miss the best deal of their life due to their bad behaviour. Stepping on the same rake again and again. Tragic is that there will always be new victims who start out by giving the owner the benefit of the doubt, and they will be losing time and money to him.
Great article, baffling situation, although it buries the lead. It takes 6+ paragraphs to say this is more than one tech support email calling him a zombie.
Much, much more.
This is hilarious. How are they making any money whatsoever? They're proven to be utterly unhinged and there's still at least 3/4 the page remaining to scroll full of petty tantrums.
> Our commitment? To tirelessly support our customers—zombie, ghost, or otherwise—while maintaining a level of integrity befitting the smallest scandal possible. After all, the abyss awaits us all… but here at MALIBAL, we’ll send you there with a smile.
These petty insults are unbecoming for a vendor of GNU/Linux systems.
Calling the author a mindless zombie over KDE/Gnome differences is pretty authentic and usual, the rest was an atypical wild read.
Funnily enough I was trying to describe this particular type of autistic to my girlfriend last night. These people are often brilliant but have terrible social skills. I've met many of them. I've interviewed several. I've had them go off on random tirades during an interview about the very specific thing they are not a fan of this week. I would never let one of these people speak directly to customers!