[Wylug-help] linux and laptops

[James Holden]

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hannah d. wrote:
> 
> Hi All -
> 
> I've been asked to recommend a computer for a friend
> of a friend. I am going to recommend and assist with
> the installation of linux - but he wants a laptop, and
> it has been some time since I looked into this sort of
> thing.
> 
> Are there still issues with linux on certain laptops? Or has it all been
> sorted out in the last few years?
> Are there makes and/or distributions to avoid?
> 
> Bonus question:
> He's going to want a scanner and a printer too.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> .h

As ever, IBM Thinkpads are a good bet. My 600x, while a bit long in the
tooth, is 100% supported, including the power management, modem and IR.

I'm unsure of the current state of support for Intel Centrino wireless
stuff.

Avoid ATI video chipsets - the proprietary drivers have problems on
laptop hardware which sometimes differs slightly from PC stuff. You
might find strange problems with suspend/resume leading to the display
not coming back up.

Scanners - most cheap scanners work OK. The gt68xx chipset is well
supported, and is found in the Mustek 1200+ model I have. You don't use
the 'scanner' kernel module any more -configure SANE to use libusb.

Printers - having just tossed a perfectly good Epson printer because not
printing anything for a couple of weeks irreparably blocked the heads,
I'd recommend an HP (although the Epson quality was good when it worked).

James
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