Hi all,
some time back, I asked the following:
On Mon, Sep 30, 2002 at 01:15:58PM +0200, Thomas Ribbrock wrote:
> I'm currently looking into buying a small(ish) laptop that I intend to use
> mainly for Internet Radio (mplayer/RealAudio) and MP3 playing[0], preferably
> running RHL 7.3.
[...]
> [0] It might see some use as webterminal as well, but I already have an idea
> how much resources that would require.
In the meantime, I did buy a laptop, so I thought I'll add my experiences
for the archives.
I settled for a Toshiba Libretto 100CT, with a P166MMX, 64MB and (now) a
20GB drive and RHL 7.3 [0]. It's not the fastest machine, but definitely one
of the smallest around[1]. With regard to mplayer and mp3's, my experiences
are thusly:
(Note: I'm running Window Maker as desktop, which to me is one of the best
compromises between features and size/speed.)
MP3: 128kbps MP3's work fine, using xmms
OggVorbis: Files encoded with -q 5 (+/-160kbps according to xmms) are just
about doable. I had to increase buffer sizes significantly to
warrant continous play while switching desktops and suchlike. The
110CT (P233MMX) might do a lot better here.
mplayer: No problem.
In all three cases, one cannot start up any big programs without disturbing
the sound. Once the programs are started (e.g. Mozilla), it works
surprisingly well. Unfortunately, the 64MB RAM are the maximum...
Conclusion: For that type of usage, a P166MMX seems just about enough - more
is probably recommendable[2]. For me, it's a great (well, *small*...)
compromise, especially as the screen of the Libretto is excellent, despite
its size.
[0] I hope to find the time to write up an article for Linux on Laptops in
the near future... :-} RHL 7.3 is a lot more difficult to install on
this laptop than RHL 6.2... :-/
[1] http://www.silverace.com/libretto/libretto100u.jpg
(original size...)
[2] I might try recompiling a few things (e.g. ogg related stuff, xmms,
kernel) for i586 to get the last bit of peformance. It mightn't be much,
but every little bit helps.
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Thomas Ribbrock | http://www.ribbrock.org | ICQ#: 15839919
"You have to live on the edge of reality - to make your dreams come true!"
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