Re: [Dorset] Microsoft Vista Refund
Provided you buy an intel centrino platform laptop and avoid the amd/broadcom/ati package that comes with amd's turion mobile platform your fine with any modern distro. Hugh 2009/3/24 Sean Gibbins s...@funkygibbins.me.uk: Mark Elkins wrote: Sean Even though a staff discount is available is this Acer laptop the best you can buy to run Ubuntu? It might actually be a better to buy a Dell (or other make if you can get it) with Ubuntu pre-installed. The reason for this advice has been covered on the Dorset LUG before - basically that it can be very time consuming and close on impossible to get everything working - due to the complex components used in laptops as opposed to desktop pcs. For example internal wireless cards on laptops are a particular problem. Mark Elkins Chair and Treasurer OSSG Hi Mark, That was a staff discount on top of a £100 price drop, which combined came to approximately £140, plus Tesco Clubcard points (don't laugh - six of us have traveled to Europe several times for free with those!) and the convenience of being able to pick up a box and walk away with it. You were bang on regarding the wifi, but I have been doing battle with laptop wifi cards for several years now and relish the challenge! Seriously, I made some enquiries about the laptop prior to Ellie handing over cash to ensure that there were no insurmountable issues, and having performed the Ubuntu 64-bit installation last night I can happily report that everything she currently uses is working, although I haven't tried suspend and hibernate yet, and there is mention of a built-in Web cam that I have yet to physically locate, let alone configure. There may be other exotic aspects lurking, but we will tackle those if, as and when. So, to summarise, at this early point in its life it seems to be a decent bit of kit for the price. Sean -- The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows. Frank Zappa -- Dorset LUG: http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ irc://irc.blitzed.org:6667/dorset List info: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/dorset Next meeting: Bournemouth, Wednesday 2009-04-01 20:00 -- Dorset LUG: http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ irc://irc.blitzed.org:6667/dorset List info: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/dorset Next meeting: Bournemouth, Wednesday 2009-04-01 20:00
Re: [Dorset] Microsoft Vista Refund
John I beg to disagree with your statement although I would agree that things are improving all the time. Mark --- On Tue, 24/3/09, John Cooper l...@discoverlinux.co.uk wrote: From: John Cooper l...@discoverlinux.co.uk Subject: Re: [Dorset] Microsoft Vista Refund To: mark_elk...@bcs.org, Dorset Linux User Group dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk Date: Tuesday, 24 March, 2009, 6:59 PM Mark Elkins wrote: Sean Even though a staff discount is available is this Acer laptop the best you can buy to run Ubuntu? It might actually be a better to buy a Dell (or other make if you can get it) with Ubuntu pre-installed. The reason for this advice has been covered on the Dorset LUG before - basically that it can be very time consuming and close on impossible to get everything working - due to the complex components used in laptops as opposed to desktop pcs. For example internal wireless cards on laptops are a particular problem. Mark Elkins Chair and Treasurer OSSG This is not true anymore. I haven't seen Ubuntu fail to discover all the components and configure them correctly. They really have spent much time sorting the wireless side. The worst case scenario for wireless is you pay $15 to linuxant for their excellent driverloader software and it just works. There are still too many people spreading the FUD (fear, uncertainly, doubt) even with the Linux community which doesn't actually match the reality of a modern Linux distro. John. -- -- Discover Linux - Open Source Solutions to Business and Schools http://discoverlinux.co.uk -- -- Dorset LUG: http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ irc://irc.blitzed.org:6667/dorset List info: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/dorset Next meeting: Bournemouth, Wednesday 2009-04-01 20:00
Re: [Dorset] Microsoft Vista Refund
On Tuesday 24 March 2009 21:18:48 John Cooper wrote: Mark Elkins wrote: John I beg to disagree with your statement although I would agree that things are improving all the time. Mark --- On Tue, 24/3/09, John Cooper l...@discoverlinux.co.uk wrote: From: John Cooper l...@discoverlinux.co.uk Subject: Re: [Dorset] Microsoft Vista Refund To: mark_elk...@bcs.org, Dorset Linux User Group dorset@mailman.lug.org.uk Date: Tuesday, 24 March, 2009, 6:59 PM Mark Elkins wrote: Sean Even though a staff discount is available is this Acer laptop the best you can buy to run Ubuntu? It might actually be a better to buy a Dell (or other make if you can get it) with Ubuntu pre-installed. The reason for this advice has been covered on the Dorset LUG before - basically that it can be very time consuming and close on impossible to get everything working - due to the complex components used in laptops as opposed to desktop pcs. For example internal wireless cards on laptops are a particular problem. Mark Elkins Chair and Treasurer OSSG This is not true anymore. I haven't seen Ubuntu fail to discover all the components and configure them correctly. They really have spent much time sorting the wireless side. The worst case scenario for wireless is you pay $15 to linuxant for their excellent driverloader software and it just works. There are still too many people spreading the FUD (fear, uncertainly, doubt) even with the Linux community which doesn't actually match the reality of a modern Linux distro. John. So you are questioning my expertise in Linux? Things improved many years ago with the 2.6 kernel. Today they have surpassed Windoz making Linux far superior and laptops are no longer problematic. John. RHCE. Surely the question should be why is it, if anybody disagree's with your opinion, you take it as an insult? Mark was purely saying it how he see things, there was no mention of your Linux Expertise Tim -- Dorset LUG: http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ irc://irc.blitzed.org:6667/dorset List info: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/dorset Next meeting: Bournemouth, Wednesday 2009-04-01 20:00
Re: [Dorset] Microsoft Vista Refund - Information Sought
John Carlyle-Clarke wrote: This came up before with BeOS. Checking Wikipedia and cited links leads to http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/02/20/be_inc_sues_microsoft/ http://www.internetnews.com/ent-news/print.php/3073811/ Short, biased summary: Be Inc. had some agreements to ship dual boot systems and systems preloaded with BeOS. PC makers pulled out or severely crippled the offering after pressure from MS. Devious sods. Apologies if you are subscribed to Hants and reading this for the second time, but I found a way to 'work the system' myself: copied from a post to Hants http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.205-3315.aspx In summary, the same machine with twice the storage, an extra 1GB RAM and Windows Vista Home Premium for £50 more. Now, bearing in mind I can get a £34 refund on Vista Home Premium, that's £16 for 1GB RAM and a 160GB upgrade on the hard drive! /copied from a post to Hants I'm not sure that this outweighs the risk or hassle already discussed or that I am that devious for that matter! Sean -- The computer can't tell you the emotional story. It can give you the exact mathematical design, but what's missing is the eyebrows. Frank Zappa -- Dorset LUG: http://dorset.lug.org.uk/ irc://irc.blitzed.org:6667/dorset List info: https://mailman.lug.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/dorset Next meeting: Bournemouth, Wednesday 2009-04-01 20:00
