Lenovo x301 linux compatibility/experiences

I'm starting law school in September and have been trying to decide on a laptop for the last few months. My main criteria are portability, build quality and linux compatibility. I think I've finally settled on a Thinkpad x301, especially since I can get it customized exactly how I want for just over $1,800 (nearly $1,000 off) on Lenovo.com with their latest markdown and e-coupon offer until June 22nd.

I think I'm about to take the plunge, but I want to make sure it will play well with Ubuntu linux beforehand. From the testimonials I've read, it seems that linux does, for the most part, work quite well, albeit with a few exceptions:

1) I've read that battery life is significantly reduced on linux relative to windows (this is my biggest issue)

2) Although linux will draw power from the extra bay battery, the estimated battery life display doesn't take it into account.

3) Finally, I've heard that there are some fan noise problems and that it often runs loud

Many of the testimonials that I read are from last year, so I'm curious what the current status is regarding the x301. Is it working well with the latest Ubuntu distro? Have any of the issues above been rectified? Are you happy with your purchase?

Thanks in advance for your feedback, I appreciate it.

 

Usually the biggest Linux problem is that there are no open-source drivers available for some hardware. But for most Thinkpads, and X301 in particular ALL hardware except the landline modem is supported (nobody uses it anyway). It means that in particular you have a complete control over the fan, battery, backlight of your display, spindown of the harddrive, CPU speed, wireless cards, and anything else that can drain the power. This can definitely be done via Linux command-line, but GUI applications may not be available yet. In Windows, GUI applications come pre-installed, but they will allow you to do only as much as their authors allow you to do.

So, for you X301+Linux will be like a stickshift car, and X301+Windows -- like an automatic car.

 

Thanks for the analogy newhren. I'm feeling pretty confident that I'm going to go with the x301.

What Ubuntu distro would you recommend?