[SWLUG] More on Laptops

[Telsa Gwynne]

On Thu, Nov 18, 2004 at 02:30:54AM +0000 or thereabouts, Rhys Sage wrote:
> 
> It has been said that "secondhand laptops are in the
> top 5 of the top 10 things never to buy secondhand".

It has also been said that if you are using Linux, a
not brand-spanking-new pieces of hardware has had more
chance of having a driver available for it. 

This was certainly true historically. If you bought
something with really really new hardware, either you
waited for some kind hacker to write the driver for it,
or you had a go yourself. Because the company was
certainly not going to help. 

I don't know whether this holds true so much now. Many
companies will now provide documentation about their 
hardware. Some even provide working code. Not all, though.

Certainly though, if I was in the market for a new laptop,
my first stop would be the linux laptops website. If it 
wasn't listed there, I wouldn't buy it. 

> And when you consider that Dell has a laptop for sale
> brand new with a 2.6ghz CPU and 30GB hard drive with
> all the features of a modern laptop for a mere 450 -
> 480 pounds, why buy some secondhand rubbish that
> you'll never be satisfied with, will never get

As opposed to what might be first-hand rubbish you'll
never be satisfied with? (Naming no Sony Vaios, obviously.)

Telsa