Leo Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 I'm looking to get a second hand (cheap) laptop to put Linux onto (I have the 9.0 powerpack) all I really need on it is a cd-rom (RW as an add on later) and a couple of USB ports. So long as it is not really slow I'l be happy. What I need to know is are there any makes to avoid/look out for and does anyone have any tips as to problems I should look out for? Thanks for your help. Leo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qnr Posted June 22, 2003 Report Share Posted June 22, 2003 I have a Compaq 732 US. Works fine with Source Mage GNU/Linux, so perhaps older Compaqs might be considered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramfree17 Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 just to give this thread a new breath of life.. what do you suggest for a linux-compatible laptop that wont break the $1,200 price tag? link to a specification page would be nice. the reason im toying with this idea is i might buy one if i get sent back to linus-land in the near future. i was looking at some sony vaio models since sony has a high linux-compatibility status but the price tags are pretty discouraging... thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYinYeti Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 This may help: http://linux-laptop.org/ Yves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 First part: just to give this thread a new breath of life...... i was looking at some sony vaio models since sony has a high linux-compatibility status but the price tags are pretty discouraging... Ive never been aware of sony anything being compatible with anything else apart from other sony stuff! You might be right, Sony owners tend to be fairly hardline and determined to use their sony so perhaps some devel gets done this way. My general feeling is Sony always do it a different way .... We had mmc/compact flash but no sony invent the memory stick. We had MP3 but .... A lot of the stuff falls into 2 categories.... 1) Genuine innvovation ... but you end up on the VHS/Betamax saga 2) Lock in to product ranges... You got the laptop now you need to change your palm to a sony and your mp3 player!!! Im sure if your rich it all works quite well together ... but then why not just buy a Mac ... if all you weant is a toy that just works seamlessly with itself and other certified products ?? second part: All that being said most laptops are pretty non-upgradable and are old before you even buy them. They have a pretty limited life in terms of the battery still holdig a charge etc... Overall, apart from battery life (which definately gets better the more you spend) I don't see a lot of difference between a BIG brand name and a lesser known one. At least not one worth the money!! Todays super-whiz-bang laptop will look positively dated in 6 months and archaic in 12.... So to me it comes down to two things: 1) What do you wanna do on it ???? 2) How heavy ?? 1) If you want to play games etc. then your looking at lots of cash.... but for a workhorse anything generic is fine. If you wanna use it on long plane/train rides then battery life is important but becoming less so...because of the powerpoints. 2) This is pretty critical because it leads to other complications.... personally, I don't mind the weight to much but i prefer to know everything is built in...especially LAN and modem. I have a friend with a really neat Compaq (tiny) but when he's on the road his bag is the same weight as mine by the time he's added a PC card modem/NW/..... When I bought mine I made a list of what I thought critical.... CD-R/DVD, TV-out for hotel rooms watching the DVD... /modem and LAN and 2x PC card slots I ended up with a Fujitsu Seimens Amilo D. At the time it was half the cost of the equivalent BIG NAME.. and its still running... The RAM was pretty generic so I stuck an extra 256 MB on top of the 128 MB supplied and it has a 10GB disk. If you use it as a tool then its surprising how much 10GB is!!! In its time its had a (second) PC card NIC put in and used as a router, its run Oracle 9i, hosted web pages for development etc. All on a Celeron 1100.... I guess its getting on a bit now.... but it still works fine for everything I need it for!!! Sure the kernel takes longer to recompile than on my Athalon 2700+ but I don't do that every day!!! Leo: I'd say make a list.... Make sure you check all the parts you need are suported (like winmodems) and then just hunt for a laptop with what you want!! caveat emptor: I'm not sure I'd wanna buy a used laptop unless the spare batteries were easily available AND fairly cheap!! You never know just when the battery packs up and it becomes something you can only use when plugged into the mains!! If this isn't important to you then I'd suggest not even getting a laptop. there are a lot of luggable machines now... I have a shuttle (see http://shuttle.com) You can buy a nice carrying bag it fits into and for going to a friends for a LAN party its perfect... Its upgradeable, I went from a 1300Mhz Duron to a 2700+ Barton recently and upgraded the memory to PC333 (all 1 GB of it). If you have a monitor at either side (like home/office) its perfect as a moveable PC. I'd say its worth a look if using it on the plane isn't important to you becuase its a better investment of money.... If you don't care about money then buy a Powerbook :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramfree17 Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 hehehe, im not really into the bigbrand name and would settle for something usable and cheap (almost everybody here knows that money and me have our differences :#:). i have already endured 3 lonely months in a finland assignment that nearly drove me nuts because i dont have a computer at the apartment assigned to me. if i do get sent back there (and in the winter, which makes it *extra fun*), i want it to be different this time. no, i dont want it for games but that would be nice. im looking for something that i can install linux to, do some open-source contributions, and use it during travel. i dont like notebooks much. but i dont think buying a desktop would be the answer since i cant ship it back home (i dont think its practical). given all that, i am submitting myself to those of you who have already used a notebook/laptop computer to shed some much needed advice. price versus usability is the balance im trying to get. this might be a futile exercise but i like to be prepared nonetheless. :) ciao! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtweidmann Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I've got a Compaq Presario 908 which works really well with MDK 9.1, its got built in modem, lan, DVD/CD-RW, usb, etc... Compaq auction off re-manufactured stock reasonably cheaply, thats where I got mine. http://www.auctions.compaq.co.uk/default.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gowator Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 Well, I kinda guessed that. My shuttle is definately carryable and cabin baggage size. I built one for a friend too and he regualrly fly's to/from Algeria with it. You could pick up a monitor real cheap from someone who's upgraded to a flatscreen, or like I did when I was in Norway, just borrow an old one from work!! Its much more pleasant to work at than a laptop and way cheaper to get a good spec. The Mobo/box I just bought was about $300 but includes 5.1 sound NVIDIA GF4 graphics, NIC, firewire,USB2 (working), TV out (untested), Dual head (untested) All you need is a processor/memory and disk/CD. If you have some lying around then well and good but an athalon 1300 is only $30 and the same for 256MB RAM. I can't believe you cant find an old CD drive or even DVD drive :D Oh and the carry bag is $25 but IMHO worth it..... When its packed into the bag its actualyl smaller than my laptop bag in terms of length/width so its easier to get into an overhead cabin :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlc Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I use a Toshiba Tecra 8100 that has worked on every Linux distro I have thrown at it. You could problaby get one on ebay cheap. 700-733 MHZ prc 256MB Savage 8MB vidieo Yamaha Sound 10-30GB HD. DVD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
william Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I have ML 9.1 on a Compaq Presario 1700 T. No problem at all. Indeed have some external devices attached (USB zip 750, USB Creative Extigy, Port HUB and USB Port mouse). ML was the distro that recognized my ethernet card during installation process despite having tried RH9. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramfree17 Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 thanks for the replies (if there are still more then keep them coming :) ). the initial bets seems to be fujitsu, toshiba and compaq. im afraid i cant buy from the auction since i dont have a creditcard and i may only be able to purchase by cash (unless somebody here can do it for me, ship it to helsinki, and have to trust me that i will pay them back by moneytransfer :) ). ill try to look around to see whats available on local stores. at least i now have something to start with... thanks guys... ciao! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquidzoo Posted September 22, 2003 Report Share Posted September 22, 2003 I have had absolutely no problems with my Dell laptop. Everything works great with Mandrake. The $1400 price tag might be a little more than you want to spend, though; but it did come with everything I need. 40Gb HD, I only got 256 MB of RAM with it (since upgraded to 512) but that was an easy fix. I would stay away from the newer Dell laptops. The integrated wireless cards that come with them are not supported yet. If you can find one that will tell you the brand of mini-pci wireless, you can check a few of the links in my FAQ on wireless to see if it is supported. If wireless is not a concern of yours, then don't worry about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramfree17 Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 thanks for the tip liquidzoo. what is the model of your dell laptop? my experience with dell (workstations) is pretty frustrating as *nix installations cant recognize the ethernet card (i think i already mentioned that in my partimage-restore thread somewhere). ciao! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liquidzoo Posted September 23, 2003 Report Share Posted September 23, 2003 My Dell is the Inspiron 8200 I can also say for a fact that the onboard ethernet card works perfectly on install. I had to use it for a day or so before I got my wireless card and access point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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