Laptops/Notebooks

[Andrew Gould]

On Thu, Feb 11, 2010 at 8:20 AM, Vu Pham <vu at sivell.com> wrote:
>
> On 02/11/2010 05:29 AM, Ken Moffat wrote:
>>
>> Sorry, OT, but I'm soliciting opinions on decent laptops that would
>> allow dual boot, windows 7 and Debian/Ubuntu. Looking at 15" screen, HP,
>> Acer, Lenovo, Asus, maybe Dell. I'm thinking of longevity. Opinions?
>> What to avoid?
>>
>
> I do not have any particular model to mention, but I get into this problem
> and just want to share. If you think you are going to need a lot of memory
> later, prepare for that when you get your notebook. A lot of notebooks can
> only support  up to 4Gb of memory.
>
> Vu

I read an article, that I can't find, that reviewed laptops in
general.  The general message was that you get what you pay for, so
don't expect a lot of durability from cheap netbooks.  Lenovo and Asus
had good reviews.  I have a Dell Inspiron 8100 (circa 2000) that won't
die.  Dell computers and laptops appear to be the most common retail
computers that live long enough to be sold at used computer stores.

I like business purpose laptops because the more fancy-schmancy
multimedia hardware, the more likely there's going to be some
incompatibility.  HP, Dell and Lenovo (Thinkpads) have had Linux
friendly laptops in the past.

Toshiba has a netbook that comes with OpenSolaris.  I'm guessing it
should be Linux-friendly as well.  Before you buy a Toshiba, however,
find the model at a store and put your hand under the battery to check
for heat.
http://www.opensolaris.com/toshibanotebook/

IXSystems has a PCBSD/FreeBSD laptop that comes with WinXP as an
option.  If you like the specs, you might call them about
compatibility with Linux and Windows 7.
http://www.ixsystems.com/products/bsd-laptop.html

On the negative side, my family has had bad experiences with Sony
laptops (running Windows).  We will never go there again.

Advice about purchasing from Dell:  If you hate pushy salesmen,
remember:  Games are enjoyed best when both parties come to play.
(The definition of a deal in Texas is an arms-length agreement where
both parties are screwed, just a little.)  Do your research on Dell's
website and find the model and configuration you want, but do not
purchase the computer online.  Make sure you have some questions about
the laptop which may make you not buy the laptop.  Call Dell and go
through the process of configuring the computer to find out how much
it will cost.  Ask your questions and get the answers.
Then....hesitate.  "Maybe it would be better to think about it some
more and speak with my spouse."  The Dell representative is motivated
to get you to purchase the item before you hang up.  He/she is
authorized to give a little more on the price or add an accessory for
free or at a discount.

Good luck,

Andrew