Will Linux run on an HP m7680n?

[Lennart Sorensen]

On Wed, Apr 18, 2007 at 12:43:01PM -0400, D. Hugh Redelmeier wrote:
> I've had behaviour "above expectations" from eMachines.  Inexpensive,
> little support, work OK.
> 
> But maybe I'm not critical enough.  I like my consumer HP boxes better
> than eMachines.  In fact, I like my HP boxes a lot because they seem
> to work, are cheap, and are quieter than any boxes that I've built.

Well my wife's Compaq R3240 had the power connector break, the case on
the back of the screen has huge long cracks in it, the cover on the dvd
drive is falling off, and it is about 2.5 years old and has been treated
very gently.  The HP PSC1350 printer-all-in-one, will usually print a
page or two before going into it's 'error' mode where only unplugging it
from the wall and plugging it back in again will get it restored (and of
course the windows drivers require a reboot to even attempt another
page).  My sister had a P3 733 HP machine, which was also a piece of
junk, although reasonably reliable. 

When I build a machine, I use an Asus motherboard.  My wife now has an
Asus laptop.  I hope it does as well as their mainboards have done for
the last 15 years that I have been using them.

> I buy machines very opportunistically.  My current (HP) desktop turns out
> to have been a Staples price error.  My previous (HP) desktop was a
> "debranded" refurb from Computer Warehouse Outlet (since renamed) at a
> ridiculously low price.  All my eMachines were Boxing Day specials at
> Future Shop, except for the one I just got by catching it before it
> would have been crunched at a City of Toronto Environment Day.
> 
> Here is an apparently interesting deal on now if you want a Core 2 Duo
> system:  refurb Gateway, cheap, at Tiger Direct.
> 
>   http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/searchtools/item-Details.asp?EdpNo=2912886&sku=G153-GT5238E
>   http://support.gateway.com/s/PC/R/1009189/1009189sp2.shtml
> 
> - half the price of the HP.
> 
> - Half the RAM, half the disk space, slower processor
> 
> - integrated Intel video, but the x3000 which might be good for an
>   integrated chipset.  Has VGA and DVI-I out (not common with
>   integrated video).  It is said to support HDCP which is, uh,
>   interesting (surely only under Vista, and yet this system does not
>   come with Vista; might be a lie).  Why pay for a discrete card that
>   you are going to toss?
> 
> - 2 x PCI, PCIe x16, PCIe x1
> 
> - WinXP
> 
> You may have to pay for shipping, i.e. it may not be available
> in-store.
> 
> TD sometimes has interesting stuff, but my level of trust isn't high.
> 
> I have no experience with Gateway products.  Refurb is more of a risk
> (short warranty).
> 
> For a much lower price, every once in a while, you can get a brand new
> Athlon 64 system from Dell.  But you have to be willing to take their
> low-end loss-leader.  When you configure reasonable extras, the price
> generally grows disproportionately (who would make a desktop system
> with 80G hard drives these days??).

Dell likes cutting corners I would never want cut on those machines.  Of
course I don't think expecting a machine to still work perfectly in 5 or
even 10 years is unreasonable (I still have a 486/66 in use as a file
server and firewall after 15 years.  Damn reliable box.)  I am willing
to spend 25% more if it is going to last twice as long, and have less
problems during its lifetime.  Almost every single time I have gone for
something cheap, I have been burned and very disappointed.  Maybe that
is just because I expect perfection and nothing less.

> Prices really have come done.  Even more for notebooks than for
> desktops.  For many people, it now makes more sense to buy a "desktop
> replacement" notebook than a desktop.
> 
> Very roughly: I used to spend $2500 on computers.  Now I spend $700.
> (Last year I spent most of the difference on a monitor and the
> necessary video card.  That was cutting edge and fun.  The price
> would be perhaps a third lower now.)

I seem to have always used mostly leftovers from my farther's CAD system
upgrades.  Lucky me. :)  Add a couple of new bits to the leftovers, and
perfectly good high quality system, that is only 5 years or so out of
date.  Perfect for Linux of course.

> I think that it is reasonable (not fun) to buy PCs that are not quite
> cutting edge.  It may or may not shave a year off the ultimate life of
> the machine but it often cuts as much as half off the cost.
> 
> The modem is surely a writeoff.  The WiFi is probably part of the
> price you are paying -- the machine should be cheaper without it.
> 
> We use our SCSI scanner because it can scan legal-size documents.  None
> of the consumer scanners now seem to do that.  Kevin might have other
> reasons.

Yeah legal isn't part of the consumer worlds it seems.

> We also have a slide scanner that uses SCSI.  It lost Windows support
> when WinXP came out.  Works in Linux.

I guess that makes some sense.

> Although BIOS updates are infrequent from HP, they do happen.  And
> they require MS Windows to install them :-(.  Dell seems to make
> theirs possible to install from DOS.

Asus just requires it to be on a CD or floppy and the BIOS takes care of
the rest.  Totally OS independant.

> Yes.  That makes the most difference in notebooks.  Notebook video and
> wireless are minefields (hard to swap them out!) and Intel seems to be
> the best bet.  But even with Intel you cannot assume compatibility.

True, but intel does seem to usually make it work with linux fairly soon
after release.

--
Len Sorensen
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