On Thu, Nov 13, 2008 at 2:14 PM, tom quirk <tpquirk at gmail.com> wrote:
> Am interested in getting a new laptop that would be the most compatable with
> OpenSolaris.
> Would like all devices to work at install without having to install
> additional drivers, mswappers, etc..
> Are there any recommendations?
I always find these kind of generic requests kind of interesting, because there
are so many different laptop configurations. You have to have a little guidance
on what you want.
1) laptop size and weight (some people want ultra portables 10" screen, 3 lbs;
some want ultra workstations - 17" screen, 9 Lbs)
2) screen size and resolution (1024x768 doesn't cut it anymore for me)
3) graphics adapter (shared/non-shared, nvidia/non-nvidia, 3d/non-3d)
4) network port (10/100 or 10/100/1000, or 2 ports, supported. ie
Altansic is not supported, Intel Pro/1000 is)
5) wifi (brand - more than likely you want an Atheros or Intel wifi-g)
6) memory config (does the vendor fully populate with low density memory
making upgrades a complete replacement)
7) disk config (sata/ide, multiple disks, CD/DVD/CD-RW/DVD-RW/Blueray)
8) Audio (does it have to be hdaudio, or is OSS acceptable. other things to
consider are speakers, external controls for volume/mute, or ACPI'd hotkeys
that Solaris may not support)
9) ports (USB, Bluetooth [not-supported], 1394/firewire,
modem [win-modems not supported], SD [maybe supported) and counts.
10) battery life (some new laptops have 2 video adapters, so you can do 3d
gaming sometimes, an generic low power for when truly portable), multiple
battery option.
11) docking station (do you need it or not, how does Solaris handle
being booted in the dock...?)
12) with or without an OS (ie Windows XP/Vista, etc. some venders
reduce the cost without an OS)
13) power management (I haven't kept up with this so, no idea where it
is these days...)
14) mouse (some features like scrolling on track pads may not work.
my synaptics got
intermittent support)
