Re: Choosing a notebook

mbstevens <NOXwebmasterx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

roodwriter@xxxxxxxx wrote:
"Thomas Sowa" <t.sowa@xxxxxx> writes:

Hello,

I have already some experience in Suse Linux and would like to try
myself on

Debian. I plan to buy a Notebook in near future and just can't
decide what

combination would go best with Debian:

1. Some people tell me to buy a Mac and make 2 partitions, but Macs
are

expensive and I'm not sure if they are as good as the Mac advocats
claim

them to be. Does it matter for Debian wether it runs on PC or Mac?

2. I rather thought to buy a PC, but can't decide which company to
choose.

Does anyone know a company that has an open source friendly
corporate

philosophy, good Hardware and a nice price?

3. I would like to have my Notebook with integrated WLAN 802.11
a/b/g,

Bluetooth, IEEE 1394, Digital Camera Memory Stick Reader, integrated
digital

camera...can Debian handle it? Is the configuration of it all
complicated,

or does Debian recognize them automatically?

4. My Lexmark X1150 (wasn't a good choice) isn't Suse compatible.
Are there

recomendable printer/scanner combinations that would work with
Debian and

not waste too much money for inc? Is a printer/scanner combination
recomendable?

5. Does a Dual-Core-Processor make a difference?

I thank you in advance,
Thomas Sowa


On these kinds of questions I've been recommending that people do
what
I did: Take a Knoppix disk shopping with them. I was surprised that
all three stores I tried let me put the disk in and find out which
lap-warmers worked and which didn't.
It's not a perfect solution. You can't test everything in the store.
But it'll eliminate the total losers right off the bat.

On my last couple of laptops I took the path of being flexible
about the distro to install, trying one after another until I fould
one that ran well and recognized most of the hardware. Distros with
the newest kernels seem to do better with USB, but the winmodem drivers
locate/install still eat up some time. Too bad serial ports are so
rare on laptops.



I didn't bother with the driver hunt when my built-in modem didn't
work. I use a serial-to-USB cord adaptor for my external serial modem.
Works fine, though it is one more thing to carry. The cables run about
US$15 to US$20.

I'm frequently where there's no broadband or wireless service so a
dialup modem is a necessity to me.

--Rod
______________________
Author of "Linux for Non-Geeks--Clear-eyed Answers for Practical
Consumers" and "Boring Stories from Uncle Rod." To reply by e-mail
take the second "o" out of the e-mail address.
.

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