I am wanting to buy a new laptop and do not want to waste money on Microsoft software which I will never use. Is there any convenient, dependable way to buy Linux-only hardware in local stores or online?

Any vendor is obliged to give you this.

Your best bet would be to buy a used one, and to just consider the reduced cost (because it's used) to be your MSFT tax savings. As jens indicated, most vendors have the incentive to install an OS, ie, MSFT, because probably 99% of the population would not be able to install their own OS. -- J.W.

http://www.emperorlinux.com
http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux_laptops.html

JW--I did manage to install it on my regular computer and was quickly addicted ........so installing it on a laptop is not the problem. The problem is that I don't want to PAY for Windows when I don't want to use it. I have asked the vendors around here and not a single one of them will sell me a computer without the expensive Windows stuff on it. I thought maybe I could buy a computer a whole lot cheaper and just put Linux on it. Although Jens said that any vendor is obliged to sell me one, none of them around here will do that; they all come with Windows period.

eBay.com is the best way to pick up cheap hardware. I got an IBM Thinkpad 570E on ebay with Windows 2000 pro and partiitioned the hard drive for MEPIS Linux and in the words of Emeril "BAM". For $200 I got a mobile version of my desktop for just about nothing. There is no need to spend alot for hardware these days. Now if I can just figure out how to remote acess my desktop I will be set. Anyone wanna help me out.


------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Desktop: AMD Athlon XP 2200+, 384MB Ram, 36GB HDD, DVD+/-RW
Laptop: Intel P3 500MHx, 192MB, 12GB HDD, CD-RW

Post a link of those vendors and I'll contact them myself.
They don't have the right to do that.

Entropius -- I totally understand your point of view, but the reality is that buying a "naked" laptop just isn't available, at least as far as I know. If there are vendors who supply laptops with NO operating system installed, I'd be all over them -- J.W.

Well, I did post two sites earlier, but here is another one (they sell empty laptops if you want J.W.)

http://www.laclinux.com/en/Laptop

Moved to Linux-Laptop & Handhelds.

Anyone know of any UK-based companies?

Gateway refused to sell me this M305 sans Winbloze... this $800 laptop cost like >$1000 because not so much the 'Bloze itself but it comes with OFFICE!!!! +$300 or so.
However there are some evil Linuxlaptops or linuxmachines from (gasp) MallWart. Also I think IBM is toeing the water.
I wish I could remember the MallWart url for the Linux laptops. They could only be gotten online though, not in the actual brick'n'mortar stores.
--gaviidae

To get a computer (laptop/desktop) without a OS, I recommend looking into Equus Computers.

They are a "white box" manufacturer with hundreds of dealers all over the US. To find one close to you, use the google.

I have a 2.8ghz P4 desktop from them. The systems they sell use regular parts which makes them super for us Linux folks. I know they have laptops, but I have never tried one.

By the way, these Equus dealers are not walk in stores with stuff on display. This isn't a problem if you know what you want.

Asus and IBM have the option to buy laptops without OS.

For the UK, go to http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/Home.html. I have a Performer (actually a Samsung). Works pretty well under SuSE 8.2 (to run the same as server etc, will upgrade to 9.1 soon) but power management not working well and I am not convinced the monitor settings are correct because images lack sharpness and some reds have blotches (anyone help with this?). But apart from these moinor things workd very well.