Linux - Laptop and NetbookHaving a problem installing or configuring Linux on your laptop? Need help running Linux on your netbook? This forum is for you. This forum is for any topics relating to Linux and either traditional laptops or netbooks (such as the Asus EEE PC, Everex CloudBook or MSI Wind).
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I can only hope emachines has improved on service and quality. My SO had an emachines laptop when we met and it wasn't too good. Mind you, that was 4-5 years ago....
Originally posted by GaMMa If 300 people have an i5150 and 100 complain that looks like a lot of people
But if 30 people have a ______ and only 10 complain you're going to think it's a better laptop.
IBM is great for Linux btw, but bad for gaming
yeah, IBM basically sux for gaming. (unless you're like me, that is, and only play things like gnuchess, the bsd text games, tetris, etc. )
i hear you about the percentage issue regarding complaints. dell seems to have more than their fair share these days, however, and that 34 page thread on their forum with people listing the identical overheating problems over and over really scared me away from getting a dell. and maybe it's only a percentage of machines with the problem, but why risk it when it's a known issue. your temps look good, though, so you'll probably be okay. and i think the three year warranty was definitely a smart move -- who knows, maybe Dell saves their known good notebooks for people who get the extended warranty.
Distribution: Fedora Core 2, SuSE 9.1 Professional
Posts: 189
Rep:
Also consider the ASUS laptops. I am on one now running Fedora
Core 1 and they are *VERY* Linux Friendly. The one I have now used
SIS video chipset and AC97 Audio. I have almost the bottom of the
line model (A2500H) and it's working great. I use an external hardware
phone modem, and usually an external mouse as I am not using the synaptic
touchpad driver...
yes, definitely check out Asus. i am considering the Asus M6000N -- it's a really nice machine for a good price. i would guess it would handle just about any game with that mobility radeon 9600 (if you can get the drivers installed in linux j/k, it's not too hard). the Asus build quality is supposedly really good, and the synaptic (no relation ) touchpads are way better than the Alps that a lot of other places are using now, including Dell and HP that i know of offhand. here's a rebadged version of the M6N with good pictures: http://www.powernotebooks.com/specs/PowerPro/c3-17.php
@Bobmeister: how is the keyboard on your Asus? have you tried other Asus models? kb is very important for me, which is why i lean toward the IBMs, but i've heard the kbs on the asus are pretty good.
Distribution: Fedora Core 2, SuSE 9.1 Professional
Posts: 189
Rep:
Hi Synaptical...
I have heard that the keyboards are fine too. I bought this LOW LINE
model not worrying about the keyboard, and it is fine, however NOT the
BEST...and here is why.
Keep in mind that this might not be the same with the better ASUS models....
The keyboard is held down at the top by a clipped sliding panel that comes out
for access to some of the stuff on the topside. The keyboard is NOT really
tightly attached and just lifts right out. It makes it easily replaced, but also
since it just "sits" there, it rides on the backplate and bends inward a little
bit when you type. That's because it's just sitting ON the backplate and not
fastened down very well. This gives the keyboard a little bit of flex, and
a little bit of a "cheap" feel to it. I would definitely research this a little
on the other ASUS models before you plop money on one. The
overall machine is really nice though, and seems built very well (keep in
mind that this is pretty much the bottom of the line (A2H models)...
The keyboard itself seems fine and the buttons have a nice feel to them...WAY
better than the old beater I was using.
Anyway, what I was SO happy about was that I installed my Linux Distro
and everything just worked...configurations were a snap, and i am in
a hotel room right now on the modem (external) actually using LINUX
ON THE ROAD!!!! YEA!!!!!
So, that has been a dream of mine for a while and with the ASUS, it's
a reality!
Originally posted by synaptical yes, definitely check out Asus. i am considering the Asus M6000N -- it's a really nice machine...
I have an Asus M6Ne (M6B00N) and have been a long time supporter of Asus quality, but not any more. The laptop is good quality but the BIOS has a bug that effects ACPI and Asus has ignored thousands of emails asking them to fix it. Read here --->Asus Petition
1) If you want Linux support DON'T buy Asus... Buy an IBM.
2) If you want to play games buy an XBOX or stick to Windows.
3) If you want portability, usability and half decent gaming then buy a Powerbook.
since this thread is reopened, i will chime in again to say i ended up getting an IBM (R40), and it's been great. everything works -- speedstep, acpi, sound, radeon, navpad keys. the only thing i can't get is the ultranav buttons to work with the synaptics touchpad. with the stock linux drivers both ultranav and touchpad work, but not some of the touchpad features, like the corner "hot spots" and the touchpad scrolling (which i'm really used to). but overall it's not a huge deal, and it's great to have everything else work really easily (slackware 10, btw). i would strongly recommend IBM notebooks.
I have a Fujitsu P5020 running Slackware 10 kernel 2.6.9 and it's an absolute beauty!
It takes some configuring to get work due to a buggy video bios from Fujitsu. but after a quick patch everything's fine. And fluxbox with gdesklets and aterm transparancies is dead sexy on a 10" 1280x768 widecreen!
as an aside. I'm well known amongst my friends for being a bit of a distro whore! i've tried slackware, fedora, red hat, suse, mandrake, debian, turbolinux and a bunch of others on this machine and the only one that I've ever managed to get everything working in is slackware! I would heartily recommend it to anyone with a laptop!
Location: Argentina, corrientes (far from buenos aires, to the north)
Distribution: Ubuntu :(
Posts: 74
Rep:
similar trouble
hi, i don`t have many options, i inherited a compaq armada 1571 dm, and wanted to ask if it's sane to atempt to install slack there... even in win 98 i had problems using both video and audio drivers at once... althogh win sucks, it's plenty of drivers. SO, what can u tell me about that? thanks.
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