You can do pretty much anything with Linux nowadays.
Yes, this machine is running a solid-state drive, and has since 2009. The main problem with them is a limit on the # of reads/writes per memory location. It's like metal fatigue with a 300,000 or so limit on state changes. Speed, yes, but I sure miss my headroom.
- Your right on the Linux and drivers. Amazing the availability of stuff. I would still suggest finding out what components they are using so you know there are drivers and you don't get stuck.
- Ask to see a picture of the board design. If you can't fix something easily or they are using nonubiquitous parts you are going to be at their mercy when problems arise (one of the great selling points for the Acer). If it looks like a design you can't easily fix, try and decipher what is their real turn around time on warranty work or what is the cost when out of warranty.
I have been lucky enough to have access to the technical people at one of the big data array storage companies. They do a lot of testing on SSDs before they commit to using anything. They are using the Samsung 840 series. They didn't give me their actual failure numbers but told me the failure points on the amount of read/writes are multiples of what Samsung publishes.
Pretty cool you are going through this much effort to buy American. From a practical business point, it is hard to commit someone else's business to 'American' principles when the shiite hits the fan. Most people are freaked when their computer doesn't work for 2 hours. Of course history doesn't repeat itself and there will never be another Pearl Harbor.
From a practical point, I ran out of options of trying to buy nonChinese products when IBM stopped making drives in Hungry. For some reason I am thinking that was around 2002.