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Re: Linux on notebooks, which one to buy?
On Wed, Mar 22, 2000 at 02:26:05PM +0200, Nathan Fain wrote:
> I'm about to purchase a notebook computer for the sole purpose of putting
> Linux on it. The Q is, which one will give me the least hassle (which is
> something I just don't have the time for right now)?
>
> Sony (which I wanted to get) couldn't tell me jack about support for Linux.
> And I made it very clear to them that I wanted to buy a Sony but wasn't
> going to do so for that sole purpose (That I couldn't know before had as to
> if the hardware would work, in one way or another, in Linux).
I put Debian (originally slink, no potato) on a Sony PCG-N505VE. This
is a great peice of hardware, but I can't say it was an easy task. I
didn't make it any easier on myself, by not having a CDROM and
constantly forgetting the external floppy drive elsewhere, but I did
get away with a pure network (read: Internet) install. Most of the
things I need work now, including X (a NeoMagic 2.5MB card), 2.2.14
kernel with pcmcia (my NIC is unfortunately not built-in), and apm
suspend-to-disk. I will be glad to share experience with you if you
decide to buy this. What I could not get to work--hey, if anyone has
an idea, hop in--was apm *regular* suspend (it hangs the system cold),
sound (didn't work too hard on this, as I don't need it bad) and the
modem. This model has an internal Winmodem from Rockwell, so I don't
plan on getting it to work anytime soon :-/
One general tip I do have for you: whatever 'top you decide on (and
"become new" as they say :^) *do* leave a small, first partition for
dos (or windows if you want that). Emergency/recovery hack-work is
much more difficult in latops than in "oh-lets-plug-in-a-spare-ide"
desktops. And have one of the cool bootroot diskettes handy (I got
a lot of pleasure out of those at ftp.valinux.com, and I'm told
tom's bootroot is neat too).
Good luck!
Gaal
(who has no time)
(for these kinds of)
(things)
(either)
--
believing is seeing
gaal@forum2.org
http://www.forum2.org/gaal/
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