I wholeheartly support answer from MartinK on 1st page -- if it's your starter laptop buy second hand/refurbished ThinkPad. T5xx is 15.6" but you can be satisfied with T4xx which is 14", all matte displays and resolution from 1366x768 up (I recommend minimum 1440x900 for 14", tho).

You can install mSATA SSD and keep "old" HDD and with Intel graphics you can't miss considering linux support (although I have some second thoughts as it seems they ditched support for ubuntu 14.04 with latest drivers. Nothing that can't be fixed manually, but still ...

Replacement batteryes are dirt cheap and available anywhere + very few fakes. Any T series up to Tx30 is OK. True workhorses and for anyone who take laptop on road, not just to nearest coffe shop