xerid
10-30-2000, 04:20 PM
What is thebest notebook to run linux
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mandreko
10-30-2000, 04:31 PM
i've never used a laptop with linux, but you may want to check out http://www.tuxtops.com
Evil Jeff
10-30-2000, 04:50 PM
I use a Dell Inspiron 7000 that is almost fully supported. Very nice. Not officially supported (ie by support staff) but they are always very helpful in giving you any info you need to do stuff yourself, and their website often has rpms of drivers, etc. (since they also sell comps with redhat). They are also supposedly implementing offering flash bios updates as images that you can use dd to make the boot floppies from instead of self extracting zip files. Never had a problem (except once, but that was my lack of knowledge) with drivers, and I'm running two network cards for super speed. All in all, I give it an A-.
Evil Jeff
www.hellincorporated.com (http://www.hellincorporated.com)
PS Linux loads about ten times as fast as win2k did, which took over three minutes!
Evil Jeff
www.hellincorporated.com (http://www.hellincorporated.com)
PS Linux loads about ten times as fast as win2k did, which took over three minutes!
Iceman
10-30-2000, 06:02 PM
Hi:
I'm partial to the SONY VAIO. I've had three of them, and all worked flawlessly out of the box with *nix.
Am using a PCG-838 (PII, 366, 192MB RAM, 6.4 GB HDD) to post this. Install of RH & MDK effortless including setting up the modem and sound.
Have also, at various times used SuSe, Debian, FreeBSD, Solaris etc.
Pros:
Has a modular design, so you can run 2 batteries (I get 6 to 8 hrs battery life with both installed. Hard drives are swappable, as is the DVD or floppy (which can also be used as an external device.)
Screen to die for (13.3 TFT) with no dead pixels.
Light weight for a machine of its size--approx 5lbs, certainly a factor if you have to have it hanging from your shoulder for extended periods of time.
Very nice touchpad (I prefer them to pointing sticks.)
Has full range of ports: USB, Parallel, Serial, Firewire, PS2, audio etc.
Other: As the CPU is an MMC, I could upgrade it if I chose to, but IIRC the max for the MMC was a PII 400 so it wouldn't be worth it.
Cons:
Linux not offically supported by SONY, but these have been on the market for a while (mine is discontinued but still available as a refurb.)
Service: Tech support is good as they outsource it.
Customer service is horrible, as they do it in house. They will always take care of you eventually, but you have to really work for it. I find that inexcusable.
Repairs: All VAIO laptops are serviced at SONY's facility in Fremont, CA. Typical turnaround time is 2 weeks--far too long IMHO. They do have service centers in places like NYC, but all those folks do is box it up and ship it to Fremont, thereby adding to the total turnaround time.
Ruggedness: the 505's are very tough, the other models are on the delicate side...one has to be careful with little plastic port cover doors etc. OTOH, I'm pretty tough on mine and it goes everywhere with me. But I leaned on the first one I had. I gave that one, an 812, to a relative and it still purrs away.
Modems: mine does not have a Winmodem, but some apparently do. I'd check before buying a particular model if dial-up were to be the primary means of connecting to the net. IIRC the F series may be affected by this--at least some of them.
Final analysis: I would buy another. Would like one of the XG series, but they are very pricey at the moment. They also do not have any legacy ports (serial or parallel) unless you buy the docking station (probably $500.)
Anyway, I'll likely run this until it's an antique. It can do anything I need it to do when away from home. I don't NEED another or newer lappie. Money would be better spent on an LCD screen for the desktop boxen. Or I may buy a late model 505 Superslim for the road and set this one up with wireless networking so I can take it anywhere in the house.
BTW...I bought mine from http://www.amstar.com I ordered on a Tuesday afternoon and got it on a Friday morning at 9 AM -- and it was shipped UPS ground from Nebraska to NY. They seem to have more of the VAIO's in stock than anyone in the US, both new and refurb. SONY does the refurb so they have the same warranty as a new machine.
Good Luck!
I'm partial to the SONY VAIO. I've had three of them, and all worked flawlessly out of the box with *nix.
Am using a PCG-838 (PII, 366, 192MB RAM, 6.4 GB HDD) to post this. Install of RH & MDK effortless including setting up the modem and sound.
Have also, at various times used SuSe, Debian, FreeBSD, Solaris etc.
Pros:
Has a modular design, so you can run 2 batteries (I get 6 to 8 hrs battery life with both installed. Hard drives are swappable, as is the DVD or floppy (which can also be used as an external device.)
Screen to die for (13.3 TFT) with no dead pixels.
Light weight for a machine of its size--approx 5lbs, certainly a factor if you have to have it hanging from your shoulder for extended periods of time.
Very nice touchpad (I prefer them to pointing sticks.)
Has full range of ports: USB, Parallel, Serial, Firewire, PS2, audio etc.
Other: As the CPU is an MMC, I could upgrade it if I chose to, but IIRC the max for the MMC was a PII 400 so it wouldn't be worth it.
Cons:
Linux not offically supported by SONY, but these have been on the market for a while (mine is discontinued but still available as a refurb.)
Service: Tech support is good as they outsource it.
Customer service is horrible, as they do it in house. They will always take care of you eventually, but you have to really work for it. I find that inexcusable.
Repairs: All VAIO laptops are serviced at SONY's facility in Fremont, CA. Typical turnaround time is 2 weeks--far too long IMHO. They do have service centers in places like NYC, but all those folks do is box it up and ship it to Fremont, thereby adding to the total turnaround time.
Ruggedness: the 505's are very tough, the other models are on the delicate side...one has to be careful with little plastic port cover doors etc. OTOH, I'm pretty tough on mine and it goes everywhere with me. But I leaned on the first one I had. I gave that one, an 812, to a relative and it still purrs away.
Modems: mine does not have a Winmodem, but some apparently do. I'd check before buying a particular model if dial-up were to be the primary means of connecting to the net. IIRC the F series may be affected by this--at least some of them.
Final analysis: I would buy another. Would like one of the XG series, but they are very pricey at the moment. They also do not have any legacy ports (serial or parallel) unless you buy the docking station (probably $500.)
Anyway, I'll likely run this until it's an antique. It can do anything I need it to do when away from home. I don't NEED another or newer lappie. Money would be better spent on an LCD screen for the desktop boxen. Or I may buy a late model 505 Superslim for the road and set this one up with wireless networking so I can take it anywhere in the house.
BTW...I bought mine from http://www.amstar.com I ordered on a Tuesday afternoon and got it on a Friday morning at 9 AM -- and it was shipped UPS ground from Nebraska to NY. They seem to have more of the VAIO's in stock than anyone in the US, both new and refurb. SONY does the refurb so they have the same warranty as a new machine.
Good Luck!
ph34r
10-30-2000, 09:28 PM
The Dell Lattitude series (CPiA, etc.) are a joy to put both Redhat 6.x and Slackware on, as long as your individual pcmcia devices are supported. Haven't tried doing a docking station with one though...
eperch
10-30-2000, 09:49 PM
See MaximumLinux mag Sept/Oct 2000 page 22
IBM will install Caldera eDesktop on their ThinkPads if you want. No models given but I think they are the two new ones: Ax and Tx
IBM will install Caldera eDesktop on their ThinkPads if you want. No models given but I think they are the two new ones: Ax and Tx
Evil Jeff
10-30-2000, 10:26 PM
With dell laptops, linux can't see through the docking station. I don't know about others.
Evil Jeff
www.hellincorporated.com (http://www.hellincorporated.com)
Evil Jeff
www.hellincorporated.com (http://www.hellincorporated.com)
Iceman
10-30-2000, 11:30 PM
Now that someone has mentioned docking stations, I must confess I don't know if they are an issue under *nix on the VAIO.
xerid
10-31-2000, 10:03 AM
Thank you everyone.
dgcartel
10-31-2000, 10:06 AM
Stay away from the IBM T20 2647-52U, its hell getting anything to run except slackware.
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