Re: Laptop advice
On Tue, May 13, 2008 at 10:48:35AM -0400, Brett Viren wrote: I've recently been shopping for a T61. It is easy to stay below $1k and hard to go much above $1.5k. Given their specs, I would call this cheap. Also, the fact that it comes with SuSE pre-installed means little worry about putting Debian on it. Not quite. I have seen comapnies provide binary only drivers for redhat and suse, which do nothing to help anyone else (and little to help the redhat/suse users who want to change or upgrade anything). I doubt that is the case with the thinkpad though. It's more of a Dell thing to do. -- Len Soresen -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
[EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lennart Sorensen) writes: A thinkpad that's cheap? I didn't think that was ever possible. They are quite nice in general though. I've recently been shopping for a T61. It is easy to stay below $1k and hard to go much above $1.5k. Given their specs, I would call this cheap. Also, the fact that it comes with SuSE pre-installed means little worry about putting Debian on it. -Brett. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
Hello. Thanks for all the advice. A thinkpad that's cheap? I didn't think that was ever possible. They are quite nice in general though. How to assess cheapness? I saw that prices span quite a large range... Everyone here seems to agree that a ThinkPad is nice but expensive. So what does one get for the higher price (with respect to other laptops)? This one (ThinkPad R61) is currently a special offer at my usual IT shop: http://www5.pc.ibm.com/europe/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_NF0FDxx?openOpenDocumentepi=web_express It seems that it has all the recommended components. Any gotchas I should be aware of? Best, Gilles -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 11:30:06PM +0200, Gilles Sadowski wrote: How to assess cheapness? I saw that prices span quite a large range... Everyone here seems to agree that a ThinkPad is nice but expensive. So what does one get for the higher price (with respect to other laptops)? They do tend to have rather solid cases on them, unlike the thin plastic used by many other companies. So far I am quite pleased with the build quality of the Asus R1F which has a lot more stuff for a lot less than IBM could provide a year ago when we got that one and it too runs linux very well (same video, wireless, etc). This one (ThinkPad R61) is currently a special offer at my usual IT shop: http://www5.pc.ibm.com/europe/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_NF0FDxx?openOpenDocumentepi=web_express It seems that it has all the recommended components. Any gotchas I should be aware of? I have no idea if the modem works, but certainly video, audio, wireless, screen, pointer, etc should all work fine with 2.6.22 or higher kernel. Etch would not work so well. -- Len Sorensen -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
How to assess cheapness? I saw that prices span quite a large range... Everyone here seems to agree that a ThinkPad is nice but expensive. So what does one get for the higher price (with respect to other laptops)? Cheap computers are VERY expensive, if your time is worth anything. Figure the time needed to debug 'fleeting hardware failures' and find out there isn't support for buggy components that were discontinued. Poorly designed components that are bought by the integrators at firesafe prices are part of what make cheap computers cheap. Some of these components have such poorly written specifications that it is almost impossible to write good drivers for them - the provided drivers may have enough bugs in them that they never get widely adopted and the chipset or component gets 'dumped' into 'discounted' computers. If you have more-time-than-money, it might make sense to buy a cheap computer and spend your time debugging low level drivers - but if you can do that, you probably have more-money-than-time anyway. Karl Schmidt EMail [EMAIL PROTECTED] Transtronics, Inc. WEB http://xtronics.com 3209 West 9th StreetPh (785) 841-3089 Lawrence, KS 66049 FAX (785) 841-0434 When everything is coming my way, I'm probably in the wrong lane. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
On Mon, 12 May 2008 23:40:19 +0200, Gilles Sadowski wrote: This one (ThinkPad R61) is currently a special offer at my usual IT shop: http://www5.pc.ibm.com/europe/products.nsf/$wwwPartNumLookup/_NF0FDxx? openOpenDocumentepi=web_express It seems that it has all the recommended components. Any gotchas I should be aware of? The R61 is an excellent choice. If it's in your price range, go for it. As for how to assess cheapness, I think it's quite subjective: hardware components are pretty much the same for all manufacturers, what really changes are build quality and screens. That said, there are people for whom 1000EUR is a lot of money, and others for whom it's not much. -- Best Regards, Jack Linux User #264449 Powered by Debian GNU/Linux on AMD64 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Laptop advice
Hello. Sorry if this slightly off-topic. But what laptops would you currently advise to buy? Obviously, the purpose is that all the components be supported by Debian GNU/Linux. Specifications: - Lightweight but usable (i.e. screen should be 14 or 15). - Wired network adapter - Wireless network adapter - Firewire - Webcam Many thanks, Gilles -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
On Sat, 10 May 2008 15:30:10 +0200, Gilles Sadowski wrote: - Lightweight but usable (i.e. screen should be 14 or 15). I'd stick with 13.3, since nowadays you seem to only be getting widescreen laptops. And those are pretty big. - Wired network adapter Can't think of a non supported one. - Wireless network adapter Go with Intel, be it 4965 or 3945. - Firewire Again, can't think of a non supported one. - Webcam Good luck with that. You might find something compatible with linux-UVC, but it's really a lottery. I bought an Asus Z37E barebone and customized it to my liking, and the only nonsupported thing is the webcam, as of now. I'd have gone with a Thinkpad but it was not available when I needed a laptop, but if you have the cash for it, go with one and never look back. Check out tuxmobil.org and linux-laptop.net for comprehensive information. -- Best Regards, Jack Linux User #264449 Powered by Debian GNU/Linux on AMD64 -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 01:41:57PM +, Jack Malmostoso wrote: On Sat, 10 May 2008 15:30:10 +0200, Gilles Sadowski wrote: - Lightweight but usable (i.e. screen should be 14 or 15). I'd stick with 13.3, since nowadays you seem to only be getting widescreen laptops. And those are pretty big. Certainly a 15.4 widescreen (as is quite common) makes for a very large laptop, and the 13.3 widescreen are the same resolution (1280x800) so no loss there. - Wired network adapter Can't think of a non supported one. I am sure someone can find one, but it would be unusual. - Wireless network adapter Go with Intel, be it 4965 or 3945. I will second that. As long as you have a 2.6.22 or higher kernel they simply work. - Firewire Again, can't think of a non supported one. TI made some pretty crappy ones years ago but I doubt anyone uses them anymore. Most are UCHI1394 compliant. - Webcam Good luck with that. You might find something compatible with linux-UVC, but it's really a lottery. Yeah I can't think of any that would work for sure either, although I have never wanted a webcam so I haven't looked much. I bought an Asus Z37E barebone and customized it to my liking, and the only nonsupported thing is the webcam, as of now. I'd have gone with a Thinkpad but it was not available when I needed a laptop, but if you have the cash for it, go with one and never look back. My wife has an Asus R1F tablet, and so far everything (except perhaps the modem, haven't checked) works with linux perfectly. Haven't tried the stylus interface under linux although it should work being a wacom tablet design. Check out tuxmobil.org and linux-laptop.net for comprehensive information. -- Len Sorensen -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
On May 10, 2008, at 7:29, [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Lennart Sorensen) wrote: On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 01:41:57PM +, Jack Malmostoso wrote: On Sat, 10 May 2008 15:30:10 +0200, Gilles Sadowski wrote: - Lightweight but usable (i.e. screen should be 14 or 15). I'd stick with 13.3, since nowadays you seem to only be getting widescreen laptops. And those are pretty big. Certainly a 15.4 widescreen (as is quite common) makes for a very large laptop, and the 13.3 widescreen are the same resolution (1280x800) so no loss there. 1440x1050 is a nice crisp resolution on a T61. - Wired network adapter Can't think of a non supported one. I am sure someone can find one, but it would be unusual. - Wireless network adapter Go with Intel, be it 4965 or 3945. I will second that. As long as you have a 2.6.22 or higher kernel they simply work. Atheros is even better than intel imho. It allows for more tricks with airsnort and friends. I bought an Asus Z37E barebone and customized it to my liking, and the only nonsupported thing is the webcam, as of now. I'd have gone with a Thinkpad but it was not available when I needed a laptop, but if you have the cash for it, go with one and never look back. Agreed. Check out tuxmobil.org and linux-laptop.net for comprehensive information. And thinkwiki.org if you are considering thinkpads. The x61 is quite cheap and light. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Laptop advice
On Sat, May 10, 2008 at 09:58:18AM -0700, Joerg Bashir wrote: 1440x1050 is a nice crisp resolution on a T61. I saw a thinkpad with a 1600x1200 about 5 years ago. Now that was a screen. IBM's sales people tried to talk them out of getting that one because they had a lot of difficulties getting those screens at the time and they would rather sell something they had in stock. Atheros is even better than intel imho. It allows for more tricks with airsnort and friends. Many atheros chips also aren't supported, or at least weren't last time I tried to get one of those working. And thinkwiki.org if you are considering thinkpads. The x61 is quite cheap and light. A thinkpad that's cheap? I didn't think that was ever possible. They are quite nice in general though. -- Len Sorensen -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of unsubscribe. Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
