I loaded Ubuntu 6.10 (Edgy) on this laptop. Got AIGLX/Beryl working for a pretty smooth 3D desktop.
The media keys on the side like play/pause, next etc were mapped to XF86AudioPause/AudioNext/AudioStop etc so they work with media apps. Some more tweaking required to get the function keys working but these are rarely used except for the mute key which I got working using Gnome's Keyboard Shortcuts.
Status:
1. ACPI (Everything seems fine except revoking after suspend doens't work... this might have something to do with Nvidia drivers - not sure.)
2. Ethernet works.
3. Nvidia 320MB GF7300 with proprietary nvidia drivers.
4. Wireless (Update: Now tested and working.)
5. MMC Slot (Tested with SD card using tifm_sd kernel module)
6. Touchpad (Works out of the box but without scroll. Need to tweak xorg.conf to get scroll working and also some other features like middle click)
7. PCMCIA - not tested.
8. Built-in modem - not tested.
9. Firewire/S-Video out not tested.
Overall, I would say this is a pretty good laptop to use linux with.
Pretty decent laptop. I would recommend it to use linux on. Vista, like all other versions of windows, slows done after a couple of months use (forced to dual boot in order to develop win32 apps and also to test web apps on IE *sigh*, shameful thing is, I haven't really got around to programming in linux yet, though I use bluefish for web dev).
Back to the laptop: the battery life on this laptop sucks though. I would give it a 2/10 for battery life. It lasts just more than 2 hours which is a def no no for all of you who are constantly on the run.
I would recommend an extra battery + car charger if you've got the dough.
LinuxQuestions.org is looking for people interested in writing
Editorials, Articles, Reviews, and more. If you'd like to contribute
content, let us know.