RE: [TCLUG:22137] Linux laptop questions

["Jonathan Erickson" <jon.erickson@neicoltech.org>]

I have an IBM ThinkPad 390X running linux and have been very pleased with
it.  The only thing that doesn't seem to be supported is the WinModem.  If
you go for a ThinkPad, I'd recommend getting it without the IBM 10/100
Etherjet Cardbus adapter and buy one that has more support in the linux
community.  I'm just about to make the change from a 390X to an A20 model
and I'll post my results later to let everyone know how it goes.

Jon Erickson
NEI College of Technology


> -----Original Message-----
> From: Mark Phillips [mailto:mbp@geomtech.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2000 12:04 PM
> To: tclug-list@mn-linux.org
> Subject: [TCLUG:22137] Linux laptop questions
>
>
>
> I'm in the market for a fairly high-end Linux laptop.  So the
> first question is: any recommendations?
>
> Specifically, I've had a Dell Inspiron 3000 (with Windows, not Linux)
> for several years and have liked it a lot, so I was thinking about
> getting an Inspiron 7500 from Dell, preloaded with Linux, so that I
> don't have to spend much time setting it up, and because of my good
> experience with Dell in the past.
>
> The problem is that for reasons that no one at Dell can tell me,
> they won't sell a Linux laptop with a hard drive larger than 6GB.
> The same laptops with Windows can have hard drives up to 20GB
> or maybe 30GB.
>
> Other vendors that sell laptops preloaded with Linux do offer larger
> disk drives.  Does anyone out there have any idea why Dell might have
> this restriction?  Are the Linux drivers for larger laptop hard drives
> less stable, for example?
>
> A couple of related questions:
>
>    1. If I got a Dell Inspiron 7500 preloaded with Windows (and with,
>       say, a 20GB hard drive), and then tried to install Linux on it
>       myself, can anyone tell me what kind of experience I'd be in
>       for?  I've installed Linux on a lot of desktops and servers but
>       never any laptops, so I'm OK with putzing with it a bit, but if
>       it'll take me a week to get X up and running, for example, then
>       I'd rather pay someone else to do it.  Also, I don't want to
>       have to spend a lot of time in advance checking and
>       double-checking the specs to make sure that all the hardware
>       will work with Linux.
>
>    2. Does anyone have any experience with support from some of the
>       other Linux laptop companies, such as ASL or Tuxtops?  Are
>       they dependable?  Can I be confident that they'll still be around
>       to service the thing if it develops problems in a couple of years?
>
> I'd appreciate hearing any thoughts about any of these things.  Thanks!
>
> --Mark
>
> Mark Phillips @ Geometry Technologies, Inc.
> Suite 550, 413 Wacouta St., St. Paul, MN 55101
> Phone: 651-223-2884  Fax: 651-292-0014
> mbp@geomtech.com       http://www.geomtech.com
>
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