onelung02 - $1.00 may as well be a million if you don't have it. How much is $89.00? That's about $89.00 more than I can afford to give out, right now. Especially for a system that I'm not convinced I'll switch to completely. You can ask the same about Windows. The upgrade price is about the same.

JustBob - I was dual booting for a while. I agree that Linux is a good learning platform, but that's my whole point. Linux has a steep learning curve, and my plate is already so full that I don't have time to play around with it. I have a wife and three kids at home. I have a full-time job that keeps me away from my laptop for 40 hours a week, and I'm a student as well as an instructor at the local community college. Add to this that I'm trying to write a novel that's publishable so that I can get away from that 40-hour a week job, and you'll see that I just don't have anything left over to delve into this stuff.

But I"m keeping my eyes and ears open, and I'll no doubt keep trying Linux.

-Schadeboy

1.) Have work buy it for you. Receive said media, Linux books (in dead tree format) and be branded a linux geek at your office.

2.) Then proceed to do the FTP install, just to prove the statement in #1 is true!

It looks like Novell-Suse-Dell are entering in some sort of pre-load agreement on servers.

Still, I'm wondering if any of the major vendors (Dell, Gateway, HP, Compaq, Sony, IBM) ship laptops with linux loaded on them?

Anybody know?

No manufacturer that I know of ships laptops with Linux in any form. Some of this might be due to the m$ tax.

well schadeboy, the cheapest that I found XP for was 134 US dollars. Now you say that you don't have the cash, but where there is a will there is a way my man. And if it just won't work, just download personal for free. I just think that we need to support the companies that provide such great products.

Where do I get the upgrade to 9.2 from I have 9.1 and still have problems inbelieving it actually works with 64bit amd. The 9.1 says great pc but loading 32 bit software.

Will the upgrade deal with this or do you need a fresh install?

I for one will buy SUSE 9.2 pro when it's available in the UK, from the smallest retail outlet that stocks it, ie locally not via the web or direct from Novell.
That way Linux keeps my local PC shop going, and the knowledge base is there for me to use when I just have to get someone have a look at non-functioning hardware.
The beauty of Linux is that's it you only need the shop for non functioning hardware, any software glitches (self inflicted or otherwise) get solved here. Some Hardware problems have solutions offered but usually it requires a technical hand to fix non functioning stuff.
Would I buy the next M$ product? hopefully with the advances in linux I will not have too.

Mad Malc

I recently just did the FTP download and am very happy with how it worked and it was really easy to use. I have a really fast Internet Connection so it took me just a little longer to download it that it would for the CD installer to load and get past all the legalities.

I am however in full support of purchasing the OS. I want to see how it runs first - as I have an older machine and if I like it I will buy the next version. SuSE is one of the best distros I have run accross and I would like to support Novell in continuing to present an OS that is a really viable corporate option to Windows or RedHat.

I will likely buy the 9.2 Pro version. The documentation is a real time saver in the pro version and well worth the couple of hundred that you pay.

Truly,
Server Storm.

Linux Certified does. Centrino chipset ones even. How they got Centrino one's to work with the distros they ship with I don't know though, you'd have to ask them because I don't think ndiswrapper or DriverLoader works with Centrino but I'd love to be wrong.

RH/Fedora, Xandros and Linspire are the distros of choice they have available to be preloaded.

SchadeBoy,

I was expecting Nuclear Winter here, but I guess not, altough the temperatures have gotten cooler.

anyone who gives up in linux to go back to Microsoft is a quitter, which is just not cool. If they only new about Microsoft maybe they would not. First of all, you know when you click yes on the end user agreement, you are giving them right to do everything shy of raping you. Then spyware comes into play, oh man, I don't even want to get into that. I am going to put this as blunt as possible, screw Gates and his whole company, there, someone needed to say it.

I too download to eval and purchase for manuals & DVDs

I like the idea, but the smallest (?) shop where I have seen it here in Leeds is Staples. It was several pounds more expensive than Amazon.co.uk
Another one which might have is PC World, not a small place...
I do look forward, though, to the day when it will indeed be available from small computer or book shops.
It seems to be the case in some continental European countries, especially in Germany.

Hi Alessandro
If you ask a small retailer to get it for you they will, at least mine does.
The beauty of a local shop with a dedication to customer service, they don't even have a call centre based in mumbo jumbo land, staffed with technicians who have only seen a company manual and have no idea of your PC configuration.
My local shop also does a fine line in free advice, eg when asked for a firewall/Antivirus for Windoze they recommended AVG6 free edition plus Sygate Free personal firewall, they won't stock Norton, but again would get it if you ask.

Mad Malc

It must be my luck then. In the area where I live there is only one computer shop (another one closed last year, now they only do repairs). They are very nice people, but when it comes to ordering something they don't have, they are hopeless: either they say it is not worth for them or if they do order, it takes *ages*.

Probably true. The computer business is too cutthroat for little guys to make it anymore. Ever look at what it takes for one to be able to stock and sell new gear? Last I looked into Ingram Micro (one of the largest wholesaler) you had to have way high credit ability and move around $50k of inventory a month. Something that a small screwdriver shop could do after being business for a number of years already but not right away making it just like farming - next to impossible to do as a startup.