Hi everyone,

I want to get a laptop for my mom and of course, install Linux (MEPIS 3.43) on it. My budget is $1,000.00 and that includes taxes, shipping, etc.

First, her needs are quite basic. She does word processing / spreadsheet stuff, printing, listening to music, email and of course data storage on her hdd.

There is no need for a sound card, graphics card, wireless, etc. . .although it does need a DVD burner that will read / write both + standard and - standard. Also, a good warrenty is a must, lasting at least 3 years (something that will cover accidental damage, not just a faulty factory made product).

Secondyly, I have heard that running Linux on a laptop can be more difficult and confusing than running Linux on a desktop.

My questions:

1) Does anyone have any recommendations (i.e. Dell, Gateway, IBM, etc. . .) for a simple laptop with a good warrenty?

2) Can someone confirm if running Linux on a laptop environment is more difficult than a desktop environment and if so, then why?

I look forward to your replies. Thanks everyone!

http://www.pc.ibm.com/us/notebooks/t...ies/index.html

after you choose the dvd burner and 3 yr warranty, it comes to $938, or just over $1,000 if you upgrade the processor to pentium over celeron. that's a pretty good deal, imo, as you are probably going to have to pay for a 3 year warranty pretty much anywhere. i paid around $1200 for my r40 a couple years ago, with only 4200rpm hd instead of 5400 (60gb though), a cd-rw/dvd-r, 14.1", and 256mb ram that i had to upgrade myself to 512. this has 512 standard, and a 15" screen. i would go for it.