On 12/4/22 05:52, Gabor Urban wrote:
Hi,
I am planning to install Debian on a laptop the first time.That will not be
my first installing but I never used notebooks for that. I have found a lot
of useful information but I would like to have some guidance at the start.
What are the most important issues selecting a laptop I should be mindful
about?
Thanks in advance,
As other readers have mentioned, the Linux kernel in Debian Stable is
typically a year old or more. So, the latest hardware might no be
supported. My newest laptop is a 2019 Dell Latitude 5400 with an Intel
Core i7-8665U. My oldest laptop is a 2007 Dell Inspiron E1505 with an
Intel Core 2 T7400 (upgraded). Both have Intel integrated graphics
(only). Both run Debian. Both needed non-free Wi-Fi firmware packages.
I agree with the suggestion to test with Debian Live prior to laptop
purchase or Debian installation. I would use an image without
proprietary firmware, so that I could identify firmware issues. I use
the Xfce desktop; choose the desktop you prefer, if any:
https://cdimage.debian.org/cdimage/archive/11.4.0-live/amd64/iso-hybrid/
debian-live-11.4.0-amd64-xfce.iso
I typically go one step further and install Debian onto a portable drive
of some sort (e.g. USB flash drive, SATA SSD with adapter, etc.). I
then install whatever drivers, firmware, etc., are needed for my various
machines; plus my favorite sysadmin/ devops tools.
If you have a make/ model/ series/ range of laptop in mind, I suggest
posting a message to this list asking if anyone has experience running
Debian on that laptop.
David
