> > > >>> I just finished installing Gentoo on a Dell Vostro > > > > Now that it's working how do you like the screen, size, etc? That's one > > of the laptops I've been considering. > > > You just have to admire and honest (Dell) company.... > > I had a Dell laptop a few years back. It was the reason for maybe 2 years I didn't have a PC at all (which is very strange for my life). I think almost every single component on it broke in a matter of 18-24 months. It was purchased through a university, and I think the IT department must have thought I was using it as a frisbee on a regular basis . A friend around the same time had a different model and it was also a pile.
Not that N=2 statistics mean anything, of course. Not sure anymore, but Dell was built on two basic policies: 1) Make profit by cutting out the middle man (you had to order things directly from Dell) 2) Buy the cheapest (crappiest) parts in bulk and assemble. I'm using Apple now, and aside from an entourage of complaints on the "assume user is an idiot" (fixed by running Linux) and proprietary hardware (everything can be hacked), the beast is rock solid. Of course, one of my friends has the exact same model laptop and he had to ship it back like three times, so...who knows? Then again, the price of Vostros will blow Macbooks out of the water. I guess you could just buy two Dells and cannibalize one when the keyboard/powersupply/harddrive/optical drive/usb port/ethernet port/screen hinge breaks (a short list of my old Dell problems). Regards, daid
