Linux-friendly laptops

[Madison Kelly]

Jamon Camisso wrote:
> 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

I've used Thinkpads for ten years and change now (first was a 486!) and 
every one of them ran Linux with minimal fuss. My current one is a T40, 
and one of my main client's is a T43p which also worked with minimal fuss.

I was worried about Lenovo taking them over and I expected to see a 
drastic drop in quality to meet price demands, but so far it's not 
seemed so bad. So ya, vote #2 for a Thinkpad. They're worth the extra money.

Madi
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