Hello, I use a Dell Latitude D630 (at the moment), on which I have been running Ubuntu 8.10. I recently decided to play around and install the new release of SimplyMepis. It had some show-stopper issues like no sound after installing, was very weird and slow about opening links in a powerpoint, sometimes actually trying to open them in OpenOffice Writer or Calc!
So I tried openSuse 11.1, again no sound or wireless, and wouldn't even recognize the NIC port. In Suse's defense, it is a broadcom-based machine w/Intel's infamous ICH8 chipset, so that _could_ be the problem, but it's been around long enough to have been worked around. Then I tried Linux Mint 7 (Gloria). No muss, no fuss, it. just. worked. I did have to select the Linux Mint driver for the wireless card, but everything else has been a non-issue. Best of breed at the moment for the Dell. You might want to give it a look, and it will install from either CD/DVD or USB. By the way, I installed both openSuse and Linux Mint while at Gupton Motors in Springfield while waiting for our bookmobile to be serviced. I had time on my hands, but really, the Mint was excellent. Place of purchase for laptop? While not exactly Nashville local, Newegg.com does have a DC in Memphis. Should your lappy ship from there you would likely see it in 2 days. Outside of that, I'd shop the usuals - Best Buy, Office Depot, Staples, Computers Plus (if you have one). They sometimes have something that fits the bill at a hell-yes price. The VMWare solution is totally do-able, and it should also work under VirtualBox as well. Excellent choice, that, especially if it is just for basic stuff. I've been running Windows 7, Ubuntu 9.04, Windows XP Pro and FreeBSD on my Ubuntu 8.10 desktop here at work for experiment and play. Hope I've helped! Jim Peterson Technology Coordinator Goodnight Memorial Library 203 S. Main St. Franklin, KY 42134 (270) 586-8397 www.gmpl.org Tweet me @GMLGeek Library Technology Blog On Wed, 2009-09-02 at 21:02 -0500, JMJ wrote: > Greetings! > > Objective: > Find a new Linux system to take on the road. It can be a new laptop, or > some other method, e.g. Linux install on an external hard drive. > > > My work schedule has changed and now instead of being on the road for > mostly just weekends, I'll be on the road for 2 1/2 months without > returning home. > > I have been using the company laptop, with PortableApps [0] for my > application needs. When installed on a 40GB external hard drive, it > works fine. I would continue to use that, but I know I'll want an > actual Linux system for my personal stuff. Plus, I can't find an > Evolution-like app for PortableApps, and I'll need that if I'm gone so long. > > The obvious option is to buy a new laptop, install Linux (Mandriva > 2009), transfer data, enjoy. I need a new laptop anyway, but I don't > have a lot of time to shop and get it shipped here, and the thought of > dealing with new hardware incompatibilities gives me a headache. So, > before purchasing a new laptop, I thought I should explore some options. > > I thought about using the "Flash" version of Mandriva, except installed > on a hard drive. However, as far as I can tell, that's only available > when purchased with a their (16GB?) flash drive. I did find > instructions on how to install a Mandriva derivative to a flash drive > [1], so perhaps that's a viable option? > > > Random questions... > > If buying a laptop is the best choice, where's a good place to shop locally? > > Could I put my existing laptop drive (with existing software install) > into an external enclosure and run that as a guest OS via VMWare? > > What other alternatives am I missing? > > > Thanks for your suggestions! > > JMJ > > > [0] http://portableapps.com/ > Also: http://www.pendrivelinux.com/ > [1] http://www.pendrivelinux.com/make-your-own-portable-mandriva-flash/ > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "NLUG" group. To post to this group, send email to nlug-talk@googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to nlug-talk+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/nlug-talk?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
