[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote .. > 11. Recommend a preloaded Linux system? (Ernest Pieper) > --__--__-- > > Message: 11 > Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2006 14:07:18 -0700 > From: "Ernest Pieper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: Hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > Subject: [Hardhats-members] Recommend a preloaded Linux system? > Reply-To: hardhats-members@lists.sourceforge.net > > ------=_Part_6776_1451860.1146258438461 > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable > Content-Disposition: inline > > We are attempting to look at the some of the VistA/Open-VistA products > available. To date we have had trouble getting our WiFi cards to work with > Linux. Would anyone care to recommend an inexpensive laptop or desktop > that > comes preloaded with Linux? > Thank You, > Ernie Pieper > Pharmacist > Glenn Medical Center > Willows, CA >
I will break this into two parts. First Linux on laptops and second Linux and Wifi. Linux on Laptops: There is actually a site out there with "How To's" on installation of Linux on laptops. This is separated by brand, model, with the author's particular distribution in mind. For those who are "I need to know now!" types, download K/Ubuntu LiveCD (version 5.10 is the latest, with 6.0 around the corner if I recall correctly), boot the "laptop to be Linux'ized" from said CD, and go from there. These are stable kernel distributions that in "most" cases (insert disclaimer here) should autodetect the common chipsets for hardware out there, including wireless. Now on to Linux and Wifi... Wifi: Linux and any hardware (network cards in particular) is an "interesting" topic to say the least. The common chipsets for wireless network cards are Orinoco, Prism, Intel, and Atheros (aka MADWifi) to name a few that I can recall quickly that most "popular distributions" (reference DistroWatch at http://www.distrowatch.com) will detect. Current kernel version along the 2.6.x series (I would look at 2.6.9 and beyond in particular) are adding and enhancing these on a regular basis (though I am still fighting the the Intel/Broadcom ipw2200 set myself with Gentoo). K/Ubuntu both have LiveCD versions that I have noticed can pick up most of the "common" chipset for wireless networks. SuSE/Novell has been pretty good as well. RedHat and CentOS I have had mixed troubles and headaches personally. Gentoo can cover most, but IS NOT for the newbie of Linux nor faint of heart. One other key item to keep in mind...latest and newest does not mean it will fly right off the bat in Linux (save for those embedded software Linux kernel geek types that have to have a hobby here), so I would recommend a generation back on the chipset line. With the above in mind for an 802.11b/g setup: - 3Com makes some Prism and Atheros based PCMCIA cards (covers the whole 802.11a/b/g). - Most recent IBM/Lenovo laptops with built in mini-PCI wifi cards are Intel ipw2100 or ipw2200 or Atheros based (most are 802.11b/g). - Most recent HP/Compaq laptops with built in mini-PCI wifi cards are Intel ipw2100 and ipw2200 (most are 802.11b/g). FWIW and HTH. --- Crawford The Linux ETC Company 368 South McCaslin Boulevard PMB 146 Louisville, CO 80027 USA +1 (303) 604-2550 (voice) +1 (303) 664-0036 (fax) http://www.linux-etc.com (getting updated a bit)
