Re: New notebook! :)

From: Hactar (ebenONE_at_tampabay.ARE-ARE.com.unmunge)
Date: 03/05/05 

Date: Sat, 05 Mar 2005 15:55:51 GMT

In article <GDWTd.512843$6l.16619@pd7tw2no>,
Andrew <information@digitalbathroom.com> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm looking into getting a new notebook. Now, at the present time I have
> a Compaq Evo N800c. It's running the latest unstable version of Debian
> (which has been more stable than any windows install I've had on my
> notebook).
>
> I was thinking about going with a IBM ThinkPad TXX series notebook,

I have a Thinkpad T40, on which I put SuSE 9.1. I haven't tried to get
IrDA, the second monitor port, PCMCIA, the modem, sound-in, or parallel to
work (no need), and suspend-to-disk is a bit weird (probably my fault),
but X, sound, trackpad, pointing stick, wlan (802.11b), and both sets of
buttons work. The printer doesn't work, but that's Canon's fault not
IBM's or SuSE's. I need to set up some sort of wlan roaming thing so
it'll do it automatically, an on-screen indicator for the special buttons,
and also something to vary the CPU speed via SpeedStep based on CPU use.

> but I also want something that is aesthetically pleasing

It definitely is that.

> at around a budget of $2500.00.

USD? Multiple hundreds of dollars less. CAD? Ballpark.

> Or any horror stories about vendors which one should
> particularly stay away from. (I must say, that my Evo N800c is a great
> little linux notebook.)

Avoid cheapo vendors. If they weren't around 3 years ago, they probably
won't be around 3 years from now.

Someplace you can drive to is a big bonus over shipping your laptop to BFE
for service (I've had <1 week from "service call to IBM" to "laptop back
in my hands", but you could probably get it done in 2-3 days locally).
IBM's selling the Thinkpad production to Lenovo. The T43 might be the
last IBM Thinkpad. I don't know who gets service.

Higher-pixel-count screens eat more battery power (I think), so that'll
reduce your run time. 

-- 
-eben    ebQenW1@EtaRmpTabYayU.rIr.OcoPm    home.tampabay.rr.com/hactar
GEMINI:  Your birthday party will be ruined once again by your explosive
flatulence. Your love life will run into trouble when your fiancee hurls a
javelin through your chest.  -- Weird Al, _Your Horoscope for Today_