[Sussex] Laptop choice

[Geoffrey J. Teale]

Karl E. Jorgensen wrote:

>No mega-successes due to lack of experience... but I cannot recommend
>Dell.  My last Dell (this one as it happens) cost me 53 phone calls just
>to get it delivered. But it *was* delivered. Only 22 days later than
>first promised.
>
>Back then, they did not support Linux (they tried at some point later
>and stopped very quietly again), so I had no option but to purchase it
>with windows. They were not willing to sell it to me without an OS. And
>not without a hard disk either.  So I've got a legal copy of Windows ME
>(!). Unopened. It might have been OK if I'd accepted the initial license
>it presented during the first boot.
>  
>
Hmm, well I have to say that horror stories aside, Dell are no worse 
than the bulk of PC manufacturers (in that they currently don't support 
Linux on their laptops).

It might also be worth you're while noting that (contrary to popular 
belief) Dell don't even manufacture all of their laptops, the ones we 
use at work (ultra-portable models like the X200, X300, and so on) are 
just rebadged Samsungs.

>My next laptop will be an IBM one. But I'm stingy, so this one has to
>die a (preferably horrible) complete death first...
>  
>
Historically IBM would have been an excellent choice, I have an R40 
which has been robust, compatible and well supported. 

Unfortunately IBM has sold it's Thinkpad business to a Chinese company 
(Lenova) and I cannot vouch for anything about the new machines.  The 
suitability of Thinkpads for Linux users has always come as a result of 
two factors:

 - IBM had a very stable product line with a limited, compatible set of 
hardware across the range.
- IBM sell an awful lot of laptops

.. these two things together meant that you could be sure that there 
would always be thousands of other people trying things out (and fixing 
them) or hardware that was (if not identical) basically the same thing 
in a different shaped box.   Dell on the other hand tend to change there 
hardware specs without changing the product name (and certainly don't 
have any real stability across their range) and they do so with very 
little notice and with no guarantee of computability.

I've been researching this area a little bit for work, if you want 
absolute certainty and real Linux support for your machine the only 
vendors I can currently point you at are:

www.tadpolecomputing.com
www.nextcomputing.com

Be warned thought, these are not cheap options!

--
G.J. Teale
Free Software Foundation