I'm about to change to a Linux system (a friend recommended Ubuntu, since it is user-friendly and easy to install). I've never used Linux before, nor do I have any expertise in programming. My current system runs Mac OS/X 10.4.11. The reason why I tell you all this first is to give you a hint how easy to understand the information you give must be, to be understandable for me...

I bought a new laptop with pre-installed WindowsVista. It's an acer Aspire 6930, and it comes with somme features like a fingerprint-reader and a remote control for multimedia purposes. However, I'm wondering if this stuff will work under Linux.

The technical details of the laptop are as follows:

intel core 2 duo 2x 2.0 ghz (T5800)
4 GB DDR-2
Nvidia geforce 9300M GS

The display is a 16 inch widescreen (16:9), is widescreen supported by Linux?
Will the Ubuntu distribution run stable on this system, or would an other fit better for my purposes?

Thanks a lot for your help. Bjørn

The only place you might wind up having a problem is with the nvidia card. You might have to install in text mode? Do you have a live CD? There's a text mode install option.

I've had good luck with Acer hardware, until 8.04 Ubuntu/Kubuntu, which did not want to install for some reason on an Acer 630 Travelmate, but your systems sounds much newer.

well i couldnt get my fingerprint reader to work under linx, i have hp 6715b, but i dont really care about it since its not an important thing.

Debian Development

Sorry about the 'me, too' answer, but SuSE 10.3 and a Lenovo; seems SuSE support other Lenovo models out of the box, but not mine. But as I really don't care that much, I've never really tried to fix it.

Thanks, that was helpful. Is a live CD just a CD I burn from this download? If not, where can I get one, or how can I make my own?

Textmode would mean I install without graphics?