Linux Laptop?

Post #198,077 by cwbrenn 3/11/05 3:17:23 PM Reply	Linux Laptop? I'm going to replace my dead alienware -- with something a) Less expensive and b) with less customized parts. I'm considering getting one with an AMD 64-bit processor, but not all models are created equal... Anyone used the hp and compaq ones? Any thoughts? Any specific recommendations? The Sager model with the 17" that is sold on just about every web laptop store on the net looks very nice. "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,099 by a6l6e6x 3/11/05 5:40:44 PM Reply	Pavilion zv5370us Notebook My wife and I bought one of [link\|http://www.compusa.com/overstock/product_info.asp?product_code=315189&pfp=OVERSTOCK\|these] for use in our travels in the motor home. While not traveling, my wife will use it with some quilting robot software. Indeed, we had to make sure it had a parallel port for that use. Anyway, the Windows XP stays on it so I cannot tell you if there are issues with installing Linux. It's very feature rich with built in wireless, firewire, NIC, S-video, modem, 5-in-1 integrated Digital Media Card reader, etc. On the down side, it is large and heavy if you intend to tote it on your body. Also, the battery is not long lasting and it has no built in floppy drive. So far (~3 months), it's performed well for us. Alex The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell
Post #198,250 by folkert 3/12/05 5:47:49 PM Reply	Yendor Mike just got an HP zd8080us... He has it working pretty much as expected. Even the NDIS drivers work through ndiswrapper for the wireless. He is using Ubuntu newest... pretty much running Hoary vs Warty. -- [link\|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net\|greg], [link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ *i_wethey* [link\|http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=134485&cid=11233230\|"Microsoft Security" is an even better oxymoron than "Military Intelligence"] No matter how much Microsoft supporters whine about how Linux and other operating systems have just as many bugs as their operating systems do, the bottom line is that the serious, gut-wrenching problems happen on Windows, not on Linux, not on Mac OS. -- [link\|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1622086,00.asp\|source]
Post #198,277 by Yendor 3/12/05 8:18:32 PM Reply	As Greg said... ...Ubuntu works as expected on my HP laptop. No major problems (the second time around -- the first time there was a bad HD which caused me to return said unit.) Wireless works via `ndiswrapper-utils`. Just copy the .inf and .sys files from the provided Windows driver CD, and you're off and running. I haven't tried any of the special digital media drives yet, but everything else works. Even the screen resolution is up to the native 1440x950 with one of the more recent releases of `xorg`. (When first installed 3 weeks ago, it was stuck at 1024x768.) -YendorMike "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
Post #198,282 by a6l6e6x 3/12/05 8:57:53 PM Reply	But, it's not an Athlon 64. [link\|http://www.pricegrabber.com/search_techspecs_full.php/masterid=5767096\|Zd8080us Notebook]. 3.4GHz Pentium 4 w/ HT Technology, 1GB, 100GB, DVD\ufffdRW/CD-RW, Windows XP Media Center Edition, 17" TFT Alex The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell
Post #198,291 by Yendor 3/12/05 9:48:04 PM Reply	Truedat... ...Which is why I didn't post in reply originally. But if Greg's gonna talk about me, I might as well confirm it myself. Besides, it does (at the least) go to show that recent HP notebooks at least can handle Linux... -YendorMike "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin, 1759 Historical Review of Pennsylvania
Post #198,312 by pwhysall 3/13/05 1:11:22 AM Reply	Re: Linux Laptop? Flee far, far away from HP/CPQ and Sony. The one has customer service and support from hell, the other makes entertainingly proprietary kit that even Windows XP doesn't work right on without the Magic Sony Drivers. Seriously, you want to consider either a Stinkpad, a Powerbook, or a Splatitude. Of those three, I'd be after the Apple kit like a rat up a drainpipe. Build quality and service is light-years ahead of anything in the PC realm. Peter [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu Linux] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes!
Post #198,647 by cwbrenn 3/14/05 7:46:48 PM 3/14/05 7:47:14 PM Reply	Possible contender I do believe I may have found a candidate. [link\|http://www.adamant.com/systdefault_snb244.asp?GotoID=SYS&SystID=SYS-NB-244&menu=SYSTEMS\|This one right here.] Anyone famliar with this company? "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young Edited by cwbrenn March 14, 2005, 07:47:14 PM EST Expand All History
Post #198,648 by Another Scott 3/14/05 7:55:26 PM Reply	No personal experience. If you seriously consider that box, make sure you get more information about the specs. What flavor of 802.11? You'd like a/b/g or b/g. What flavor USB? You'd like 2.x. What flavor PCMCIA? How many RAM slots? What's the maximum capacity? What's the speed of the HD? What's the warranty? How would you get warranty service? What's the speed of the CD-RW? Looks like a speedy laptop, but they might be skimping on everything except the processor so make sure you know what you're getting. Make sure it doesn't burn you when it's sitting in your lap! Luck. Cheers, Scott.
Post #198,655 by cwbrenn 3/14/05 8:20:53 PM Reply	Re: No personal experience. This is a list of its specifications, taken from another page. Curiously I can't seem to find any mention of USB or Firewire at all... * Processor & Cache Memory - Mobile AMD Athlon 64 Processor (Hammer) - Speed up to 3700+ (62W) - AMD Mobile Sempron Processor, 3000/3200, 128K L2 Cache * Operation System Microsoft\ufffd Windows\ufffd XP Professional Edition / Home Edition * Chipset NVidia Crush K8M * Main Memory - Support DDR333 DRAM (SODIMM); - 0MB on board memory; -2x SODIMM sockets for expansion up to 1GB * Display 15.0\ufffd SXGA+ (1400x1050) TFT * Video Graphics & Memory Mobility ATI Radeon 9700 128MB VRAM * Hard Drive 2.5\ufffd 9.5mm IDE HDD with Ultra DMA 100 supported. * Optical Drive I5.25\ufffd ATAPI 24X/24X/24X/8X/24X DVD+CD-RW Combo Module * Card Reader Built-in card reader: SD/MMC/MS/MS PRO * Fax/Modem/LAN/WLAN - AC 97 s/w MODEM - 10/100/1000 Base T PCI LAN - Included Built-in Wireless 802.11b/g - Pass and support worldwide regulation * LED Status Indicator - Power-on/Suspend - Battery Charging/full/low - Storage device access - Capital Lock - Scroll Lock - Number Lock - E-mail in box - Wireless indicator * Interface 1 x EPP/ECP Parallel port/D-sub 25-pin 1 x Headphone-out combo jack 1 x Microphone-in jack 1 x Line-in Jack 1 x VGA port/Mini D-sub 15-pin 1 x Video Connector which including SVideo 1 x RJ11 Modem jack for phone line 1 x RJ45 LAN Jack for LAN 1x SIR-115.2Kbps Infrared port support * Audio AC 97 S/W audio SoundBlaster PRO compatible Built-in Speakers/Microphone * Audio DJ On the front side Play/Pause/Stop/Fast Forward/Rewind * Keyboard - 19 mm full size 88 keys with MS Windows function keys * Hot Keys 4 Buttons WLAN, Programmable App, Touchpad \ufffdLock on/off, Power4 Gear+ Function Keys Fn+F1 Suspend switch Fn+F2 Wireless Lan on/off Fn+F5 Brightness down Fn+F6 Brightness up Fn+F7 LCD on/off Fn+F8 LCD/CRT/TV-out switch display Fn+F10 Volume on/mute Fn+F11 Volume down Fn+F12 Volume up * Battery Pack & Life -8 cells, 4400mAh Smart Battery, charging time 4hrs/2.5hrs(System On/Off) to 95% * AC Adapter Output: 19V DC, 4.74A, 90W Input : 100~240V AC, 50/60Hz universal * Dimension & Weight 12.9" x 10.6" x 1.06"-1.65" (WxDxH,) 7.48lbs * Supplied Accessories Carrying bag * Warranty & Support -1 year limited warranty -Upgradeable up to total 3 yrs "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,670 by Another Scott 3/14/05 9:15:16 PM Reply	On the configuration page it's different. I put together what seems to me to be a reasonable box. $1457.62: Mobile Athlon 64 3000+ 512 MB RAM 60 GB 7200 RPM HD XPPro 1 Year Express Tech Support Leaving out XPP would save $142.03 I would have some form of Windows available for it so that you would be sure you had a working box if you had some problems getting parts of it working with Linux. You might want to look around at [link\|http://froogle.google.com\|Froogle] to see what other "Athlon 64 mobile" PCs are out there. E.g. there's [link\|http://www.newegg.com/app/viewproductdesc.asp?submit=Go&DEPA=0&CMP=OTC-Froogle&description=N82E16834224014\|this] one at Newegg. 3400+, 1 GB RAM, 80 GB 5400 rpm, XPPro. The other specs make it sound like the same laptop. $1599, but it's out of stock. In short, the Adamant machine looks OK but probably a little overpriced unless you get a really stripped-down version. HTH. Cheers, Scott.
Post #198,671 by a6l6e6x 3/14/05 9:26:04 PM Reply	And contrast that with the recommendation I made before. I've heard of [link\|http://www.compusa.com/overstock/product_info.asp?product_code=315189&pfp=OVERSTOCK\|HP]. :) Alex The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt. -- Bertrand Russell
Post #198,675 by Another Scott 3/14/05 9:33:43 PM Reply	Wow!
Post #198,678 by cwbrenn 3/14/05 10:01:58 PM Reply	Don't be decieved... the bigger screen actually has a lower resolution (1280x800) and it has a crappier video card (64mb older GeForce, while the other laptop, while only 15", does 1400x1050 and the ATI 9700 mobile has 128mb ram and 256-bit data pathway). it's the 64mb video card that really bugs me. All the comparable pentiums have 128mb ram -- why the hell are they skimping on the AMD laptops? "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,680 by cwbrenn 3/14/05 10:26:41 PM Reply	I'll take it back. Other than the crappy video card that's a really nice machine. mutter stupid crappy video card "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,700 by Steve Lowe 3/15/05 2:23:13 AM Reply	ICLRPD (new thread) Created as new thread #198699 titled [link\|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=198699\|ICLRPD] -- Steve
Post #198,674 by cwbrenn 3/14/05 9:32:58 PM Reply	That's very strange, because I could configure a 3400+, with 1 gig of ram and a 60 gig hard drive for a little under $1500, not including shipping and handling... "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,676 by Another Scott 3/14/05 9:36:41 PM Reply	Add an OS and the price will match mine. :-)
Post #198,687 by pwhysall 3/15/05 1:35:19 AM Reply	On a non-technical note. It's arse-ugly :-) Peter [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu Linux] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes!
Post #198,806 by cwbrenn 3/15/05 2:59:18 PM Reply	True, but... ... I found it's lack of aesthetic quality vaguely pleasing. "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,809 by folkert 3/15/05 3:09:43 PM 3/15/05 3:10:47 PM Reply	Nothing here move along. Yeah go away. I can't point and click! OKAY? -- [link\|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net\|greg], [link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ *i_wethey* [link\|http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=134485&cid=11233230\|"Microsoft Security" is an even better oxymoron than "Military Intelligence"] No matter how much Microsoft supporters whine about how Linux and other operating systems have just as many bugs as their operating systems do, the bottom line is that the serious, gut-wrenching problems happen on Windows, not on Linux, not on Mac OS. -- [link\|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1622086,00.asp\|source] Edited by folkert March 15, 2005, 03:10:47 PM EST Expand All History
Post #198,810 by pwhysall 3/15/05 3:09:50 PM Reply	Mind you You're replacing an Alienware, so everything is up in the aesthetics stakes :-) Get a Powerbook if your budget will allow. You'll be boingy happy. Peter [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu Linux] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes!
Post #198,814 by cwbrenn 3/15/05 3:17:48 PM Reply	I would love to have a Powerbook, but... ... at this point I don't want to trade one monopoly for another! The technology is sweet. I'd even love to just play around with OSX for a while. But by God, the only differences between Apple and Microsoft are as follows: 1. Apple hardware and software is generally better designed and more reliable. 2. Unlike Apple, Microsoft still has vestigial traces of shame where being a software despot is concerned. "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,815 by pwhysall 3/15/05 3:21:47 PM Reply	Monopoly? I'll refer you to the dictionary definition of a monopoly :-) On the tech side, Apple lappers are so much better assembled and designed than PC ones it's not funny. And the support is superb. These things matter if the box is what you're depending on for your daily bread. And if you think Microsoft has any shame at all, then you're more charmingly naive than I thought. Of course, Apple does have the advantage that their software is mostly good and occasionally sucky, whereas our dear friends in Redmond are at the far opposite extreme of that continuum. Peter [link\|http://www.ubuntulinux.org\|Ubuntu Linux] [link\|http://www.kuro5hin.org\|There is no K5 Cabal] [link\|http://guildenstern.dyndns.org\|Home] Use P2P for legitimate purposes!
Post #198,817 by cwbrenn 3/15/05 3:43:44 PM Reply	Monopoly. Insofar as their specific market is concerned -- selling Apple computers -- they have a monopoly. They control their specific market completely and utterly. Their market happens to be in competition with Microsoft, but they are essentially different markets that do pretty much the same thing. Both are monopolies... And I said vestigial traces of shame, in that they have the courtesy to at least pretend they're not fucking over their customers. Every time Apple releases a new upgrade to OSX it extends a great big digital bird to its entire userbase and laughs, and laughs, and laughs. Oh, and it gets its user base SO FUCKING EXCITED about its new products that they do everything they can to learn more, and then they SUE THEM FOR IT. Breathe deep. That's the smell of "we're entitled to this adulation so we'll do whatever the hell we want to you, and you'll keep crawling back..." "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,819 by SpiceWare 3/15/05 3:52:04 PM Reply	Just buy it for the nice hardware then and toss [link\|http://www.yellowdoglinux.com/\|Linux] on it. Can even get it [link\|http://www.terrasoftsolutions.com/products/apple/\|pre installed] if you like. When you purchase an Apple computer from Terra Soft, it will ship with the most current version of Yellow Dog Linux pre-installed. Mac OS X is also pre-installed and may be accessed by holding the OPTION key at boot. Checking their prices, it doesn't look like they charge extra for installing Linux for you. Darrell Spice, Jr. [link\|http://spiceware.org/gallery/ArtisticOverpass\|Artistic Overpass]\n[link\|http://www.spiceware.org/\|SpiceWare] - We don't do Windows, it's too much of a chore
Post #198,812 by folkert 3/15/05 3:11:13 PM Reply	ICLRPD (new thread) Created as new thread #198811 titled [link\|/forums/render/content/show?contentid=198811\|ICLRPD] -- [link\|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net\|greg], [link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ *i_wethey* [link\|http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=134485&cid=11233230\|"Microsoft Security" is an even better oxymoron than "Military Intelligence"] No matter how much Microsoft supporters whine about how Linux and other operating systems have just as many bugs as their operating systems do, the bottom line is that the serious, gut-wrenching problems happen on Windows, not on Linux, not on Mac OS. -- [link\|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1622086,00.asp\|source]
Post #198,845 by cwbrenn 3/15/05 5:33:47 PM Reply	Ooooooooh... avadirect.com has one of those incredible 17" AMD Athlon laptops (Sager model) starting at $1300.00 Sound too good to be true? Well essentially all you get for that is the chassis, motherboard, screen, video card, peripherals. You're not required to buy a processor or CD-ROM drive or hard drive or RAM. So here's the great part: I still have the 60mb, 7200 RPM hard drive from my Alienware laptop. The hard drive, thankfully, is not a custom job. I can get a 17" laptop, sans hard drive, for under 2K. o_O "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,873 by folkert 3/15/05 9:05:41 PM Reply	You'd be a fool not to... at least try it. You can get a hard-drive any time. And get 1GB of Memory, 2x512MB pieces. Dual Channel Memory will be faster. Seriously look at Ubuntu. -- [link\|mailto:greg@gregfolkert.net\|greg], [link\|http://www.iwethey.org/ed_curry\|REMEMBER ED CURRY!] @ *i_wethey* [link\|http://it.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=134485&cid=11233230\|"Microsoft Security" is an even better oxymoron than "Military Intelligence"] No matter how much Microsoft supporters whine about how Linux and other operating systems have just as many bugs as their operating systems do, the bottom line is that the serious, gut-wrenching problems happen on Windows, not on Linux, not on Mac OS. -- [link\|http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1622086,00.asp\|source]
Post #198,892 by cwbrenn 3/15/05 10:53:25 PM Reply	Re: You'd be a fool not to... Ubuntu? Dunno... Gnome always left me cold. "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young
Post #198,883 by drewk 3/15/05 9:49:50 PM Reply	Ooooooooh... 60 whole mb Yes, I know you meant GB === Purveyor of Doc Hope's [link\|http://DocHope.com\|fresh-baked dog biscuits and pet treats]. [link\|http://DocHope.com\|http://DocHope.com]
Post #198,891 by cwbrenn 3/15/05 10:52:45 PM Reply	Re: Ooooooooh... 60 whole mb hey! My hard drive can run Windows 95 and let me store FIVE WHOLE FILES ON IT! :D "We are all born originals -- why is it so many of us die copies?" - Edward Young

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