Running Ubuntu Lucid LTS on that shiny Sandy Bridge Thinkpad

So, you've got yourself a fancy new Thinkpad x220 or T520, and you're trying to get Ubuntu running on it.

Intel's Sandy Bridge platform isn't widely supported in the Linux world yet. If you're running Ubuntu's current release, Natty, it will work without much fuss. You might just need to update xorg's Intel graphic driver and libdrm from a suitable PPA. To get the full 3D acceleration, you'll also want to get betting familiar with the X220 Mesa PPA.

If you're running Lucid LTS 10.04, you'll need to grab the backported Natty kernel from the Ubuntu Kernel Team's PPA, as well as the updated Mesa libraries.

Here's how to add them and update your drivers:

apt-add-repository ppa:kernel-ppa/ppa
apt-add-repository ppa:glasen/intel-driver
apt-add-repository ppa:f-hackenberger/x220-intel-mesa

apt-get update
apt-get install -y linux-image-generic-pae-lts-backport-natty
apt-get dist-upgrade -y

This will give you a fully-working desktop with accelerated 3D graphics and the swhooshy Desktop Effects.

Mind you, you'll be running a configuration that isn't supported by Canonical, and isn't an official distribution any more. The best way to stay supported is to buy supported hardware, like a non-Sandy Bridge laptop or one of the many that are based on AMD CPUs.