Best *nix compatible laptop & enthusiast sites.

[JediFonger]

i didn't wanna buy another old desktop that'll take a huge amount of space just to try *nix. wanted to try *nix on somn small and can be tucked away when not taking up precious space. so i thought of laptops.

which brand/model combo yields the best *nix installations? i don't want somn so old&moldy it can't run XGL. i want somn fairly recent, hopefully with discreet graphics so i can do some media center stuff on it like video/DVD playback and spdif, etc.

[quip]

You can check out a few sites like http://www.linux-on-laptops.com/ , but in the end, I have found in my limited experience (a dell latitude and a toshiba) that most hardware will be supported. Some things to look out for (in other words, probably will work but will take a lot more effort than you want to exert): ati graphics, any winmodem NOT supported by the smartlink drivers, and certain wireless chipsets, although the latter are getting more support via ndiswrapper as of late.

The only thing that I do not have going on my Toshiba are the specialized hotkeys; i.e. the multimedia keys on the side of the keyboard. I might be able to get them going, but I just don't care right now. Find a couple of models that you like that fit your price range and do some research, or come back and ask about specific hardware.

[psych-major]

I have had excellent luck installing linux on several different models of Thinkpad, including t20 and r51.

I have it running now on my Dell Latitude, but with Ubuntu rather than my fave, Slackware.

But if you're scouting around, I would definitely check out Thinkpads. a 3.5lb t20 with a PIII can be had really cheap, and will run Linux very nicely, with hot-key support...

[dkeav]

vote for thinkpad, been running it on several models t2x, r50,51, t30, t40p, t41
works great, freebsd runs quite well on them as well

the ibm acpi is well documented and supported

[JediFonger]

i have a few Compaq/HP's, do they work well with *nix?

[dkeav]

all depends on chipsets

[JediFonger]

intel 855/852 chipsets. 1st gen centrinos basically. i would imagine they're all fairly well supported.

[dkeav]

should be yes, my t41 which is early centrino i think has same chipset, it works quite well

[JediFonger]

coo. when i do my next wave of upgrades, i'll have to retire one of these laptops to *nix it up.

[dkeav]

go for it, i upgraded mine to intel ipw2200 if you mess with wireless cards on thinkpads you will have to modify the bios a bit, but its no biggy

currently running freebsd-stable on it, runs great, power management works great, wireless works great

[blobaugh]

i have a compaq x1000 series and everything works with linux. well i havent ever tested the modem in linux, everything else works though.

if you have a laptop laying around download ubuntu 6.10 and boot it. it is a live cd so you will know right off if everything works. if it works on the cd it will work on an install. if you are looking to buy one take the cd to shops and ask them if you can test it.

[JediFonger]

ubuntu has one of those *nix bootdiscs? whoa i didn't know that!!! very cool, thank you =D.

found it:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD

[XiaoKJ]

ubuntu has one of those *nix bootdiscs? whoa i didn't know that!!! very cool, thank you =D.

found it:
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LiveCD
Actually, ubuntu always installed from the livecd IIRC. Or maybe, after the first few releases, they decided to consolidate the livecd into a livecd installer, then making a alternate install cd for edge cases.

[JediFonger]

last time i tried *nix was 4+ years ago w/mandrake, debian woody, redhat, etc. my #1 complaint about the desktop was always the clunkiness and incoherency and lack of dependency (software package) controls.

furthermore, i was stubborn about trying to learn *nix commands cold turkey. i wanted to install an entire OS from cmd line through gui from scratch instead of 'wizards'/guides. that's why debian woody distro. unfortunately, i never got the gui to run. i finally learned how to make drivers into the kernel, etc. i couldn't even figure how to adjust the screen rez/dpi for the console itself pre-gui. i figured how to install xf86, but never got beyond the .conf files for booting window managers.

just last night, i finally got around playing with ubuntu 7.1 live bootcd! holy cow, what a huge difference this desktop vs. what we had before? WOW!

i could even get the xgl to work! that's simply amazing, internet connection was a cinch, everything was zippy and the programs/apps work out of box and the package managers are awesome. man, i can't wait to find time to install this again!

it's a GREAT TIME to be in *nix!!!

oh and pertaining to this thread and for the record, i'm dedicating a toshiba satellite a10-s177

having said that, i do feel like the stubborn part of me still wants to learn howto install an entire gui from scratch. is this still possible? i know debian unstables/betas still exist as well as gentoo.

[psych-major]

having said that, i do feel like the stubborn part of me still wants to learn howto install an entire gui from scratch. is this still possible? i know debian unstables/betas still exist as well as gentoo.you can also install Slack from and with only a CLI environment

[JediFonger]

coo thx. that'll be a the next timesink =P. @least i have things up+running =D.

[bwkaz]

Entire GUI, from scratch, hmm.

LFS, followed by BLFS?

:p

(I'm only half-joking. LFS starts out with an existing Linux system's command line, then builds a full system from sources from there. BLFS starts out with an LFS system (which is command-line-only), and gives you instructions on how to install tons and tons of other software, including an X server, window manager, GNOME or KDE or both, etc., etc. However, the LFS book assumes you have at least some experience with the Linux command line, so it may not be the best fit.)

[JediFonger]

coo beans, thanks =D.