Linux-friendly laptops

[Jamon Camisso]

Tyler Aviss wrote:
> Hey all,
> 
> 
> I've been laptop shopping recently and was wondering if anyone had
> good/bad experiences to share with whatever's available in the area.
> My current laptop is getting a bit long in the tooth, and seems to be
> running a bit hot these days (despite the fans being nicely clear of
> obstruction), as well as a bit slower for modern apps.
> 
> I'm mainly looking at HP and possibly Asus laptops. Anyone recently
> buy a laptop and have any happy/horror stories to share?
> 
> Preferred specs are:
> * 14-15.4" LCD (17" seems a bit bulky/heavy, but bigger might be OK if
> light enough)
> * Good graphics card (NVidia or ATI, seems that ATI's drivers for 'nix
> are a lot better after the AMD buyout)
> * 2GB+ of RAM
> * 64-bit Dual-Core CPU, maybe around the 2Ghz+ range per core? I
> believe the Core2Duo's are supposed to perform better, but I do still
> have a soft-spot for AMD...
> * Decent soundcard+speakers. Harmon Kardon?
> * 802.11N if possible, native linux drivers a definite plus (Intel IPW
> or otherwise? preferably *not* Broadcomm, current experiences even
> with the native driver /w firmware seem to suck compared to windows)
> * Cardreader that works in 'nix
> * Bluetooth that works in 'nix (never had any problems getting BT
> working on 'nix though, even the cheap ones)
> * An integrated camera that has linux drivers would be nice
> * 3-4+ USB ports
> * DVD-RW (lightscribe would be nice)
> * PCMCIA slot (nice, but seems to be less needed with most things USB
> these days)
> * TV-in (linux compatible) would be a great, if unlikely, feature...
> * Firewire would be nice, if linux-compatible
> 
> So far I've seen a lot of nice-looking HP's at the big-box stores
> (Best-Buy, Future Shop) and some decent-seeming Asus's at places like
> Filtech, etc.

Considered a Thinkpad? T61 you can get a 14.1" Nvidia driven unit (4:3 
or widescreen) with all of the above (sans lightscribe) for around 
$1280. Just a thought. More than the equivalent HP by a hundred or more 
I'm guessing?

If you're up for a fight you can get them to drop $75 off the price by 
patiently explaining that you don't agree with the Vista EULA though :)

Jamon -- a very happy T61 user
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