Looking at Laptops
Patrick Stirling
I'm in the market for a laptop, and I'm overwhelmed by the choice
out there! I've looked through several online shops, including
www.buy.com, computershopper.zdnet.com, and computers.com.
I'm posting here because my #1 requirement is to run linux, and
from looking through the info at www.linux.org, there's usually
some pain involved in installing linux!
Anyway, here are my thoughts so far. All the listed notebooks are
comparably equipped: P2/266, 14.1" TFT, 64Mb, 6.4G, DVD, touchpad mouse
AMS Tech 5042ECX
Internal 56k modem - anyone know whether it's a "real" one or
a winmodem?
Pros: a friend has one running linux, few problems
kbd/mouse and monitor connectors on the back
Cons: needs a PCMCIA MPEG2 card for DVD video
Dell Inspiron 7k
Pros: MPEG2 on the motherboard, better tech support than AMS (but
proably not
for linux!)
Cons: internal modem is a winmodem. I think you can get it without
the modem though.
From linux.org, it's quite painful to get 1024x768 on the LCD
screen, you need to make a "monitor dongle". Also the sound hw
is not fully supported by linux
Need a port replicator for external kbd/mouse/screen
Gateway 2500 or 9100
Pros: Wins reviews in PCMag & elsewhere
Cons: Don't know enough abut it!
They're all about the same price ($3k +/-). One concern is that the AMS
is the only one I've actually played with. It's very nice except for the
keyboard - but the others may be much the same for all I know; so far
all
laptops I've seen have pretty crappy keyboards.
If you have any comments, recommendations or other laptops I should look
at, I'd love to hear them!
tia
patrick
p...@psconsult.com
William H. Ball
wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I'm in the market for a laptop, and I'm overwhelmed by the choice
>out there! I've looked through several online shops, including
>www.buy.com, computershopper.zdnet.com, and computers.com.
Avoid any Compaq Presario... Compaq Armadas without an internal modem may
be OK... beware! Compaq does NOT tell consumers that the internal modems
are 'winmodems'
Ray
wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I'm in the market for a laptop, and I'm overwhelmed by the choice
>out there! I've looked through several online shops, including
>www.buy.com, computershopper.zdnet.com, and computers.com.
Have a look at the IBM Thinkpads and the Toshiba Satellite notebooks. Each
model is different of course but there seem to be quite a few Linux folks
using both of the above.
--
Ray
chu...@azaccess.com
William H. Ball
>On Fri, 20 Nov 1998 17:04:19 -0800, Patrick Stirling <p...@NSpsconsult.com>
>wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>
>>I'm in the market for a laptop, and I'm overwhelmed by the choice
>>out there! I've looked through several online shops, including
>>www.buy.com, computershopper.zdnet.com, and computers.com.
>
>be OK... beware! Compaq does NOT tell consumers that the internal modems
>are 'winmodems'
>
Presario 1235 won't work with Linux....
>
Warrior
chu...@azaccess.com (Ray) writes:
> From: chu...@azaccess.com (Ray)
> Subject: Re: Looking at Laptops
> Organization: Posted via Supernews, http://www.supernews.com - Discussions start here!
> Have a look at the IBM Thinkpads and the Toshiba Satellite notebooks. Each
> model is different of course but there seem to be quite a few Linux folks
> using both of the above.
it that controls sound), without having to boot dos?
--
Bye, Warrior
--- Microsoft is not the answer - Microsoft is a question. NO is the answer!
Kyle Dansie
>
> Hi,
>
> I'm in the market for a laptop, and I'm overwhelmed by the choice
> out there! I've looked through several online shops, including
> www.buy.com, computershopper.zdnet.com, and computers.com.
>
> from looking through the info at www.linux.org, there's usually
> some pain involved in installing linux!
>
I am using Linux on a Toshiba Satellite 4000CDS and it works great. Most
of the Toshiba portables use name brand components that are supported by
Linux.
Cheers,
Kyle
Tom Suzda
Tom
Kyle Dansie <dan...@ibm.net> wrote in article
<365883CC...@ibm.net>...
Andy Mulhearn
Running on a Zenith Z-Star 700. Only problem was that the PCMCIA network
card was a little (read a lot) to get working. Best to go for a popular
brand so loads of people can give help.
Andy
Kenneth Crudup
Patrick Stirling <p...@NSpsconsult.com> says:
>If you have any comments, recommendations or other laptops I should look
>at, I'd love to hear them!
Transmonde Vivante SE. I'm going to post a long review, but everything but
sound is supported (and that's coming, plus allegedly there's a hack). Check
their website. The machines are customizable.
I needed a good laptop with a big screen so I could work while on the road.
For $1530, I got:
- Mobile Pentium 233 MMX (Tillamook) with excellent low-power consumption
(you can get up to a 300 MHz P-II)
- 13.3" 1024x768x64k TFT screen, it's very bright even at the low setting,
with no bad pixels, and the C&T 65555 chipset is supported by XF86's
XF86_SVGA in it's sleep with acceleration
- 60W LiON battery that, I swear, with no disk and screen activity, has run
this box with a network connected for *10* hours, and I get 4+ with
normal usage, due to Linux' use of the APM and the "halt" instruction
(I've only heard my fan come on twice). It's got "intelligence" and
if you use the x-apm tool, you'll see your battery-life estimate change
as the system computes the time remaining from the life in the battery
combined with the current system draw
- 32MB of standard, easy-to-find 3.3v EDO SO-DIMM (and I bought another 32MB
of SO-DIMM off some place in Jersey from PriceWatch for only $50)
with a total limit of 128MB
- 24X ATAPI CD-ROM
- 2.1 GB UDMA E-IDE drive, and since it uses a standard Intel chipset (TX),
the UDMA works fine right out of the box (I'm currently running 2.1.128
and have "default to UDMA" selected in the kernel build
- "suspend to disk", where on a pushbutton, "apm -s" command, or low-battery
condition saves the whole machine and RAM to the hard drive, and
can be restored, and this works well under linux (the latest APM tools
even tell you how long you were "gone" when you resume)
- I don't like touchpads much, but you can plug in an external PS-2 mouse,
and get simultaneous access
- I don't use tech support much, but I've sent them E-mail after their own
hours have ended (1230 am on a Sunday morning) and have recieved E
mail from them- I guess they check it at home. They seem to know what
they're talking about, too.
I have no affiliations, but I did a DejaNews search, and this company was
very well recommended by the people who knew about them, and I have to
agree, and the price was *right*. This thing, in Linux, just *works*. I
can't wait for sound (and I'm about to volunteer my services as a developer
to the Alsa and OSS folks).
-Kenny
--
Kenneth R. Crudup, Unix Software Consultant, Scott County Consulting
ke...@panix.com 617-422-2443
I'm getting paroled out of Boston, so I've got no real address or phone yet.