I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life > 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
On 1/7/10 8:37 PM, James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life> 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
How about Thinkpad W500 ? It is a bit expensive, but .. with UBuntu or OpenSUSE os.
-- Eero
On 1/7/10 8:55 PM, Eero Volotinen wrote:
On 1/7/10 8:37 PM, James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life> 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
How about Thinkpad W500 ? It is a bit expensive, but .. with UBuntu or OpenSUSE os.
Also Dell (http://www.emperorlinux.com/mfgr/dell/rhino/) E6500 / M6400 is good solution.
-- Eero
Eero Volotinen wrote:
On 1/7/10 8:55 PM, Eero Volotinen wrote:
On 1/7/10 8:37 PM, James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life> 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
How about Thinkpad W500 ? It is a bit expensive, but .. with UBuntu or OpenSUSE os.
Also Dell (http://www.emperorlinux.com/mfgr/dell/rhino/) E6500 / M6400 is good solution.
-- Eero
FWIW I am using CentOS 5.4 x86-64 on a Thinkpad X200 and 32 bit on a Thinkpad A31. Until recently I was using CentOS 5.3/4 32bit on a Thinkpad x31. All have been/are very reliable and are used 8-10 hrs per day in software development. I too prefer this environment to Windows. roger wells
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
Roger K. Wells wrote:
Eero Volotinen wrote:
On 1/7/10 8:55 PM, Eero Volotinen wrote:
On 1/7/10 8:37 PM, James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life> 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
How about Thinkpad W500 ? It is a bit expensive, but .. with UBuntu or OpenSUSE os.
Also Dell (http://www.emperorlinux.com/mfgr/dell/rhino/) E6500 / M6400 is good solution.
-- Eero
FWIW I am using CentOS 5.4 x86-64 on a Thinkpad X200 and 32 bit on a Thinkpad A31. Until recently I was using CentOS 5.3/4 32bit on a Thinkpad x31. All have been/are very reliable and are used 8-10 hrs per day in software development. I too prefer this environment to Windows. roger wells
perhaps I should have mentioned:
1. Wireless works on all three 2. Battery life on X200 exceeds 2 hours 3. X200 is Intel core duo 2, 4 Gb RAM, 250Gb encrypted HD. 4. X200 OS is 2.6.18-164.9.1.el5.centos.plus #1 SMP Wed Dec 16 11:24:24 EST 2009 x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux 5. X200 is new in August, A31, X31 are a few years old 6. I use a LG USB DVD burner for X200 & X31 (X31 is now WXP again)
rkw
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
How about Thinkpad W500 ? It is a bit expensive, but .. with UBuntu or OpenSUSE os.
-- Eero
I can second this, I recently obtained a Thinkpad W500 and it has been working flawlessly under Fedora 12. I will hazard a guess that the wireless may not work out of the box in CentOS, but everything else *should* be fine.
Plus, with a screen that gets to 1900x1200 I no longer require a second monitor.
The one I have has:
Core2Duo T9900 @ 3.06GHz 6GB PC3-6500 DDR3 320GB 7200 RPM drive
Fedora 12 is nice because it supports almost everything out of the box, sounds works 100%, network 100%... etc. The only thing that doesn't work is the fingerprint reader because fprintd doesn't have support for the device (I had the same problem on my Toshiba Tecra A10).
Also, as far as I have read, Fedora 11/12 will be the base for the upcoming RHEL 6 and therefore CentOS 6.x so theoretically if it works in F12, you will be alright for the next CentOS release.
Tait
Quoting Tait Clarridge tait@clarridge.ca:
How about Thinkpad W500 ? It is a bit expensive, but .. with UBuntu or OpenSUSE os.
-- Eero
I can second this, I recently obtained a Thinkpad W500 and it has been working flawlessly under Fedora 12. I will hazard a guess that the wireless may not work out of the box in CentOS, but everything else *should* be fine.
Plus, with a screen that gets to 1900x1200 I no longer require a second monitor.
The one I have has:
Core2Duo T9900 @ 3.06GHz 6GB PC3-6500 DDR3 320GB 7200 RPM drive
Fedora 12 is nice because it supports almost everything out of the box, sounds works 100%, network 100%... etc. The only thing that doesn't work is the fingerprint reader because fprintd doesn't have support for the device (I had the same problem on my Toshiba Tecra A10).
Also, as far as I have read, Fedora 11/12 will be the base for the upcoming RHEL 6 and therefore CentOS 6.x so theoretically if it works in F12, you will be alright for the next CentOS release.
Well, centos is not optimal system for laptop due to old drivers and so on.
Personally I prefer ubuntu, fedora or opensuse on laptops.. or OSX.
-- Eero
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 16:35 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
Well, centos is not optimal system for laptop due to old drivers and so on.
Personally I prefer ubuntu, fedora or opensuse on laptops.. or OSX.
Well that is really what the OP asked for.... NOT. There have been good answers so far, why do Apple-junkies always tend to advertise apple stuff even to other long time apple users?
Chris
financial.com AG
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On 1/8/10 11:06 PM, Christoph Maser wrote:
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 16:35 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
Well, centos is not optimal system for laptop due to old drivers and so on.
Personally I prefer ubuntu, fedora or opensuse on laptops.. or OSX.
Well that is really what the OP asked for.... NOT. There have been good answers so far, why do Apple-junkies always tend to advertise apple stuff even to other long time apple users?
You can also run Linux on Apple computers.
-- Eero
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 22:31 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
You can also run Linux on Apple computers.
He was advertising OSX not Apple hardware
financial.com AG
Munich head office/Hauptsitz München: Maria-Probst-Str. 19 | 80939 München | Germany Frankfurt branch office/Niederlassung Frankfurt: Messeturm | Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 49 | 60327 Frankfurt | Germany Management board/Vorstand: Dr. Steffen Boehnert | Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer | Dr. Yann Samson | Matthias Wiederwach Supervisory board/Aufsichtsrat: Dr. Dr. Ernst zur Linden (chairman/Vorsitzender) Register court/Handelsregister: Munich – HRB 128 972 | Sales tax ID number/St.Nr.: DE205 370 553
Christoph Maser wrote:
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 22:31 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
You can also run Linux on Apple computers.
He was advertising OSX not Apple hardware
That was not advertising. There is a big difference between advertising and a user stating a preference, presumably with reasons based on experience.
Am Samstag, den 09.01.2010, 18:49 +0100 schrieb Les Mikesell:
Christoph Maser wrote:
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 22:31 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
You can also run Linux on Apple computers.
He was advertising OSX not Apple hardware
That was not advertising. There is a big difference between advertising and a user stating a preference, presumably with reasons based on experience.
Sure, your opinion. But to me the question was "a suitable laptop for running CentOS" not "what is the best OS to run on a laptop"
Chris
financial.com AG
Munich head office/Hauptsitz München: Maria-Probst-Str. 19 | 80939 München | Germany Frankfurt branch office/Niederlassung Frankfurt: Messeturm | Friedrich-Ebert-Anlage 49 | 60327 Frankfurt | Germany Management board/Vorstand: Dr. Steffen Boehnert | Dr. Alexis Eisenhofer | Dr. Yann Samson | Matthias Wiederwach Supervisory board/Aufsichtsrat: Dr. Dr. Ernst zur Linden (chairman/Vorsitzender) Register court/Handelsregister: Munich – HRB 128 972 | Sales tax ID number/St.Nr.: DE205 370 553
Christoph Maser wrote:
You can also run Linux on Apple computers.
He was advertising OSX not Apple hardware
That was not advertising. There is a big difference between advertising and a user stating a preference, presumably with reasons based on experience.
Sure, your opinion. But to me the question was "a suitable laptop for running CentOS" not "what is the best OS to run on a laptop"
And as you might have noticed, there weren't an overwhelming number of replies from people happy with their experience with CentOS on laptops. It's not unreasonable to use/recommend the best thing for the intended purpose and CentOS isn't a particularly good fit on a laptop.
On 01/09/2010 06:31 PM, Les Mikesell wrote:
Christoph Maser wrote:
Sure, your opinion. But to me the question was "a suitable laptop for running CentOS" not "what is the best OS to run on a laptop"
And as you might have noticed, there weren't an overwhelming number of replies from people happy with their experience with CentOS on laptops. It's not unreasonable to use/recommend the best thing for the intended purpose and CentOS isn't a particularly good fit on a laptop.
That's your opinion. I'm perfectly happy running CentOS on my Dell XPS M1330, and furthermore pretty much everything works fine straight out of the box:
http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/Laptops/Dell/XPS_M1330
Those that are happy don't always speak up. Mostly it's those who are unhappy or have things not working that you hear from.
JMHO.
On Sat, Jan 9, 2010 at 12:57 PM, Ned Slider ned@unixmail.co.uk wrote:
On 01/09/2010 06:31 PM, Les Mikesell wrote:
Christoph Maser wrote:
Sure, your opinion. But to me the question was "a suitable laptop for running CentOS" not "what is the best OS to run on a laptop"
And as you might have noticed, there weren't an overwhelming number of replies from people happy with their experience with CentOS on laptops. It's not unreasonable to use/recommend the best thing for the intended purpose and CentOS isn't a particularly good fit on a laptop.
That's your opinion. I'm perfectly happy running CentOS on my Dell XPS M1330, and furthermore pretty much everything works fine straight out of the box:
And my Dell Latitude D400 works great. http://wiki.centos.org/HowTos/Laptops/Dell/Latitude-D400
Those that are happy don't always speak up. Mostly it's those who are unhappy or have things not working that you hear from.
Exactly.
On 1/8/2010 3:06 PM, Christoph Maser wrote:
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 16:35 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
Well, centos is not optimal system for laptop due to old drivers and so on.
Personally I prefer ubuntu, fedora or opensuse on laptops.. or OSX.
Well that is really what the OP asked for.... NOT. There have been good answers so far, why do Apple-junkies always tend to advertise apple stuff even to other long time apple users?
Assuming you wanted an answer... For one thing the powerbooks got 'close lid, sleep, open lid wake up, grab a fresh network connection and continue' right about a decade ago and the odds of that working with any PC hardware/OS combination even today are pretty dismal and it makes a laptop nearly useless if you can't just open it in a new location and click the next link on a page within a few seconds.
Assuming you wanted an answer... For one thing the powerbooks got 'close lid, sleep, open lid wake up, grab a fresh network connection and continue' right about a decade ago and the odds of that working with any PC hardware/OS combination even today are pretty dismal and it makes a laptop nearly useless if you can't just open it in a new location and click the next link on a page within a few seconds.
-- Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com
It is personal preference. I have a Macbook Pro running Fedora 12 just fine. It does go to sleep and wake up and reconnect with ZERO issues.
I also have a Macbook Pro running CentOS just fine as well. However Fedora is a lot farther ahead driver wise and application wise. It also took longer to configure CentOS to a good state.
Chris
It is personal preference. I have a Macbook Pro running Fedora 12 just fine. It does go to sleep and wake up and reconnect with ZERO issues.
same
I also have a Macbook Pro running CentOS just fine as well. However Fedora is a lot farther ahead driver wise and application wise. It also took longer to configure CentOS to a good state.
I agree.
I have CentOS 5.4, Fedora 12, Debian stable and MacOS 10.6 on this MacBook Pro (2008).
I use Fedora when I need flexibility (like in the train or plane), and CentOS when I'm settled down somewhere and want a powerful computer for (java) development. Both share an LVM logical volume with all non distro stuff (like checked out code, maven repository, media files, etc.)
You pay a bit more for the Apple hype, but they are excellent computers IMHO.
Chris W Tucker wrote:
Assuming you wanted an answer... For one thing the powerbooks got 'close lid, sleep, open lid wake up, grab a fresh network connection and continue' right about a decade ago and the odds of that working with any PC hardware/OS combination even today are pretty dismal and it makes a laptop nearly useless if you can't just open it in a new location and click the next link on a page within a few seconds.
It is personal preference. I have a Macbook Pro running Fedora 12 just fine. It does go to sleep and wake up and reconnect with ZERO issues.
Yes, it is not impossible to make other OS/hardware combinations work, just rare. Some hardware doesn't even provide a 'lid open' event. I just ran into that with a new sony CW model. It came with windows 7 configured to only sleep a short time, then hibernate instead of the hybrid mode you'd obviously want for a quick wakeup as long as possible, and it makes you hit a key or the power button before it wakes up.
I also have a Macbook Pro running CentOS just fine as well. However Fedora is a lot farther ahead driver wise and application wise. It also took longer to configure CentOS to a good state.
I'm not sure I'd call it running CentOS if you had to add drivers/components/firmware to make it work. Even on my dual-boot laptop I tend to run the linux partiton under vmware player instead of booting into it. One of the things I use it for is to access linux disks through a USB ->ide/sata adapter cable and the 2.x versions of vmware handle that well enough to be usable.
I also have a Macbook Pro running CentOS just fine as well. However Fedora is a lot farther ahead driver wise and application wise. It also took longer to configure CentOS to a good state.
I'm not sure I'd call it running CentOS if you had to add drivers/components/firmware to make it work.
So what you are essentially saying is any OS that you install on any machine, that you have to add drivers to, is not running that OS??
Chris
Chris W Tucker wrote:
I also have a Macbook Pro running CentOS just fine as well. However Fedora is a lot farther ahead driver wise and application wise. It also took longer to configure CentOS to a good state.
I'm not sure I'd call it running CentOS if you had to add drivers/components/firmware to make it work.
So what you are essentially saying is any OS that you install on any machine, that you have to add drivers to, is not running that OS??
Not in the sense that you can say the OS 'works' on the hardware in question. You might say you can make it work if you add/replace parts.
So what you are essentially saying is any OS that you install on any machine, that you have to add drivers to, is not running that OS??
Not in the sense that you can say the OS 'works' on the hardware in question. You might say you can make it work if you add/replace parts.
Ok, I will say this is totally subjective. I will conclude by saying that my Macbook pro is running CentOS 5.4 just fine, with no hardware removal or replacement :) I have an older Toshiba satellite used just for a file server, and it has 5.3 on it. To me, and employees, they work just fine. Almost any OS, M$ Windows included, has needed drivers at some point. Cheers, Chris
Chris W Tucker wrote:
So what you are essentially saying is any OS that you install on any machine, that you have to add drivers to, is not running that OS??
Not in the sense that you can say the OS 'works' on the hardware in question. You might say you can make it work if you add/replace parts.
Ok, I will say this is totally subjective. I will conclude by saying that my Macbook pro is running CentOS 5.4 just fine, with no hardware removal or replacement :) I have an older Toshiba satellite used just for a file server, and it has 5.3 on it. To me, and employees, they work just fine. Almost any OS, M$ Windows included, has needed drivers at some point.
Agreed on the subjective point. If you don't need features, you don't miss the fact that they might not work and some people might use a laptop as a stationary desktop replacement. But for me, the point of a laptop is to be able to resume your work in a matter of seconds anywhere. On the other hand, my use might be atypical in that I keep a Centos freenx session running on a stable server and can reconnect to it from anywhere if I want a full environment and would do that rather than try to duplicate it to run standalone on a laptop. This works the same with the NX client whether it runs on linux, windows, or OSX so I usually just run thunderbird and firefox locally because they are equally OS-agnostic and don't mind network restarts and fire up the NX connection for my Centos work, with a VMware image available if I need it. If I didn't have a stable server or reasonable connectivity everywhere I might need a different approach.
In case anyone is interested in the result of the advice and discussion that my query generated, I bought a Macintosh PowerBook on Saturday.
My initial experience was very satisfactory. The strong points were the ease of set-up, an amazingly short start up time (even from a cold start), and a simply unbelievable battery life.
The weak points including the magnetic coupled power supply--the d/c cable from the transformer to the laptop is simply too short. Even with the optional long a/c cable and plug the cable is just too short to avoid dislodging it frequently when adjusting ones sitting position. another 40 to 50 cm of cable length is required I think.
Another weakness is a re-occurring problem with the AirPort wireless adapter. The Mac worked with my existing WPA2/TKIP shared secret mixed-mode wireless home lan out of the box (once the key was provided). When Internet connectivity was established I immediately updated the OS to 10.6.2. Once this completed I worked on the system for a few hours getting somewhat accustomed to the Apple way of doing things. Everything worked very well.
The next day however, after again working with the system on the wireless network without problem for several hours, I performed an Apple software update. Immediately following this update the AirPort wireless network adapter began exhibiting poor performance with many dropped packets, resulting in poor response times, and frequent disconnections from the wireless network.
I spent about seven hours tracking this problem down, resetting the PRAM and so-forth on the basis of instructions found on various blogs, FAQs and forums. Apparently this problem is fairly common although strangely absent from the official Apple FAQ, at least as far as I could see. Along the way I discovered that with OS-X 10.6 the PRAM no longer holds any network configuration setting so older how-to's which advise this are useless.
In the end I followed a frequently encountered recommendation to purge:
/Library/Preferences/SystemConfiguration/com.apple.airport.preferences.plist
and immediately restarted the powerbook. This seemed to clear the problem, although by this time it was after midnight and I did not stay up to test it extensively.
I also uncovered and issue with Firefox 3.5.7 and Mac Java. If one has a Java application active in any tab then switching tabs results in the java application window staying visible, although no longer responsive. The contents of the active tab are thereby obscured while those portions of the page that are not under the java window are displayed. Switching back to the tab containing the java app restores responsiveness to the application window.
I could not find any thing on this from Google, although I am not sure how one describes this circumstance to a search engine.
I am really not enthralled with the inability to cut and paste from a Safari web page, or any desktop application for that matter, directly into a terminal window. This is a particular PAI for me as I often have to connect via ssh to remote sites and perform maintenance in vi. The inability to cut and paste is excruciating and I am investigating alternatives to mac terminal. This lack and the poor colour support in Termian.app is, to me, surprising functional omissions for a GUI orientated OS. This is a feature that I could even manage between MS-IE and cygwin's rxvt on MS-WinXP.
Anyway, these minor points aside (although if the AirPort connectivity issue is not resolved then that will be a show-stopper) I seem to have been captured by the light side. We will have to see if I escape or become assimilated.
In case anyone is interested in the result of the advice and discussion that my query generated, I bought a Macintosh PowerBook on Saturday.
My understanding is that PowerBook are (were) based on PPC architecture and are not sold by Apple anymore. Since you talk about Mac OS 10.6 (aka. Snow Leopard) I assume that you bought an intel-based one, so I guess this is either a MacBook or a MacBook Pro.
(I still have an old PowerBook 12'' running Fedora 11 PPC, that I don't really use anymore but we went through a lot of weird countries and experiences together, so I keep it and let my 1.5 year son play with it from time to time... Sorry for the sentimental OT)
Anyway, these minor points aside (although if the AirPort connectivity issue is not resolved then that will be a show-stopper) I seem to have been captured by the light side. We will have to see if I escape or become assimilated.
If I may give you an advice: before you have configured to much on the Mac OS side, please repartition it and leave a 20/50 GB space on it (at the end)
This is very very manageable to use Linux on these computers, Fedora and even CentOS (see my previous posts, and our discussion off-list), but a sticky point is the repartioning. Very often the simplest way is to reinstall MacOS (there are other ways though). So even if you don't plan to use Linux on it on the short time, just leave some space for it now on the harddrive. As long as you have done that, Linux installation is painless (using rEFIT) and safe for your MacOS install.
(and the terminal is quite good on Linux...)
Feel free to contact me offlist or open a new thread if I can help you with that (as I told you before, this is on my TODO list to add documentation regarding Mactels on the CentOS wiki)
My 20$ (at least)
On 1/11/2010 9:35 AM, James B. Byrne wrote:
I also uncovered and issue with Firefox 3.5.7 and Mac Java. If one has a Java application active in any tab then switching tabs results in the java application window staying visible, although no longer responsive. The contents of the active tab are thereby obscured while those portions of the page that are not under the java window are displayed. Switching back to the tab containing the java app restores responsiveness to the application window.
I've never liked browser tabs much so I tend to open everything in new windows - but FF 3.x should have a feature of being able to drag a tab out and have it become a window. Does doing that to the tab with the java app fix it?
I am really not enthralled with the inability to cut and paste from a Safari web page, or any desktop application for that matter, directly into a terminal window. This is a particular PAI for me as I often have to connect via ssh to remote sites and perform maintenance in vi. The inability to cut and paste is excruciating and I am investigating alternatives to mac terminal. This lack and the poor colour support in Termian.app is, to me, surprising functional omissions for a GUI orientated OS. This is a feature that I could even manage between MS-IE and cygwin's rxvt on MS-WinXP.
I'm using 10.5 and haven't found much of anything that won't cut/paste, but I use a mouse with the right button enabled and use the pop-up menus to do it (mostly because that is much less confusing when you jump around among windows/mac/linux). This should even work between local apps and virtualbox, NX, remote windows desktop, vnc, etc.
Anyway, these minor points aside (although if the AirPort connectivity issue is not resolved then that will be a show-stopper) I seem to have been captured by the light side. We will have to see if I escape or become assimilated.
If you only want to be partly assimilated you can run virtualbox or VMware fusion with other OS guests, use the NX client from www.nomachine.com with freenx/Centos on another machine, or the remote windows desktop client with windows on another machine. But, Apple has a way of timing their OS and ilife updates on a different cycle than hardware releases so don't be surprised if you have to buy those over again if you really are assimilated.
Les Mikesell wrote:
On 1/8/2010 3:06 PM, Christoph Maser wrote:
Am Freitag, den 08.01.2010, 16:35 +0100 schrieb Eero Volotinen:
Well, centos is not optimal system for laptop due to old drivers and so on.
Personally I prefer ubuntu, fedora or opensuse on laptops.. or OSX.
Well that is really what the OP asked for.... NOT. There have been good answers so far, why do Apple-junkies always tend to advertise apple stuff even to other long time apple users?
Assuming you wanted an answer... For one thing the powerbooks got 'close lid, sleep, open lid wake up, grab a fresh network connection and continue' right about a decade ago
but they still only have one mouse button, making them a PITA for anything other than OS X.
but they still only have one mouse button, making them a PITA for anything other than OS X.
On Fedora 12 you have the middle and right button with the trackpad (with resp two and three fingers, along with two fingers scrolling etc.). It works very well. Even before I regularly used Linux on Macs (used to be PPC) and I had keyboard shortcuts to simulate clicks (which is what Mac OS users had to do as well)
On CentOS this is indeed the biggest problem. (I did not succeed in simulating the buttons as I used to do on Fedora! any hints/ideas would be welcome...). This is probably a showstopper if you want only CentOS (as I said previously I combine it with Fedora 12) and are not often in a situation where you can use an USB mouse.
At Thu, 7 Jan 2010 13:37:46 -0500 (EST) CentOS mailing list centos@centos.org wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
Low-end (read: cheap) Dell laptops tend to be junk. Dell is somewhat between a rock and a hard place WRT selling computers with an O/S *other* then MS-Windows, due to M$ OEM licensing. Also, Dell (and other makers) have had troubles with people chosing the *cheaper* Ubuntu computers only to discover that MS-Windows software not working on them and returning them as 'defective' (this is probably a mis-information issue by the marketing people). You may have to call Dell up and work you way through the phone sales idiots to get what you want.
Another alternitive is an older model IBM Thinkpad -- they have *Intel's* wireless adapters built-in -- Intel's wireless adaptors are the most painless wireless adapters in existence since they are supported by an open-source driver that is included with the base kernel distro. Almost all others require all sorts of fun and games to get working under Linux.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life > 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
I have an (old) IBM Thinkpad X25 and it works great (yes, it is older).
Unless you buy a used laptop, you will pay the Microsoft Tax. It is almost impossible to buy a *new* laptop with anything other than MS-Windows pre-installed (unless you buy a MacBook).
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
OK, my IBM Thinkpad X25 has a 1.4ghz P4 (32-bit), will support up to 1gig of RAM, as big an *IDE* hard drive (I believe 160gig drives are available), but has no DVD/CD drive (I have a 40gig drive in it presently). I'm presently running CentOS 4.8, but plan on upgrading to CentOS 5.4 soon.
Note: "64 bit, core duo 2, 2-4+ Gb RAM, and writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive" are somewhat counter indicated with "Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in), Battery life > 2.0 hrs.". You will need to make a trade off here (i.e. the extra 'goodies' will mean more weight and/or less battery life).
Another note: unless you are doing something like SETI@Home, you *don't really need* a multi-core processor. 99% of desktop applications are single threaded (and there is no point in multi-threading them). Only Firefox is 'multi-threaded', but the extra threads are all I/O bound most of the time (mostly downloading content, which is bad news on a dialup connection...[wishing a single-threaded version of Firefox existed]). (Multi-core processors draw more power than a single core processor and need more cooling...)
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
On 1/7/2010 1:14 PM, Robert Heller wrote:
Low-end (read: cheap) Dell laptops tend to be junk. Dell is somewhat between a rock and a hard place WRT selling computers with an O/S *other* then MS-Windows, due to M$ OEM licensing. Also, Dell (and other makers) have had troubles with people chosing the *cheaper* Ubuntu computers only to discover that MS-Windows software not working on them and returning them as 'defective' (this is probably a mis-information issue by the marketing people).
I don't think the return issue is actually true: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/dell_reality_linux_windows_netbooks/
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com wrote:
On 1/7/2010 1:14 PM, Robert Heller wrote:
Low-end (read: cheap) Dell laptops tend to be junk. Dell is somewhat between a rock and a hard place WRT selling computers with an O/S *other* then MS-Windows, due to M$ OEM licensing. Also, Dell (and other makers) have had troubles with people chosing the *cheaper* Ubuntu computers only to discover that MS-Windows software not working on them and returning them as 'defective' (this is probably a mis-information issue by the marketing people).
I don't think the return issue is actually true: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/dell_reality_linux_windows_netbooks/
I'd agree though that the low-end Dells have quality issues. Though I haven't returned any of the five or so Inspirons that I've purchased, all of them have had issues that required in-warranty repair. These range from physical sound issues, hinges popping open, unequal LCD illumination, and DVD Reader failures. The two XPSs I own have been rock solid, however. The Inspirons run CentOS well though.
On 1/7/2010 1:49 PM, Kwan Lowe wrote:
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Les Mikeselllesmikesell@gmail.com wrote:
On 1/7/2010 1:14 PM, Robert Heller wrote:
Low-end (read: cheap) Dell laptops tend to be junk. Dell is somewhat between a rock and a hard place WRT selling computers with an O/S *other* then MS-Windows, due to M$ OEM licensing. Also, Dell (and other makers) have had troubles with people chosing the *cheaper* Ubuntu computers only to discover that MS-Windows software not working on them and returning them as 'defective' (this is probably a mis-information issue by the marketing people).
I don't think the return issue is actually true: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/dell_reality_linux_windows_netbooks/
I'd agree though that the low-end Dells have quality issues. Though I haven't returned any of the five or so Inspirons that I've purchased, all of them have had issues that required in-warranty repair. These range from physical sound issues, hinges popping open, unequal LCD illumination, and DVD Reader failures. The two XPSs I own have been rock solid, however. The Inspirons run CentOS well though.
I've always thought the Latitude line was a lot more reliable than the Inspirons. I carried a D600 everywhere for years, then a D630 more recently with no problems with either, but they have just changed the whole series. I have Windows/Ubuntu dual-booting on the D630 only because Centos 5.0 didn't work with the wifi - but the current version might.
At Thu, 7 Jan 2010 14:49:40 -0500 CentOS mailing list centos@centos.org wrote:
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 2:39 PM, Les Mikesell lesmikesell@gmail.com wrote:
On 1/7/2010 1:14 PM, Robert Heller wrote:
Low-end (read: cheap) Dell laptops tend to be junk. Dell is somewhat between a rock and a hard place WRT selling computers with an O/S *other* then MS-Windows, due to M$ OEM licensing. Also, Dell (and other makers) have had troubles with people chosing the *cheaper* Ubuntu computers only to discover that MS-Windows software not working on them and returning them as 'defective' (this is probably a mis-information issue by the marketing people).
I don't think the return issue is actually true: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/12/dell_reality_linux_windows_netbooks/
I'd agree though that the low-end Dells have quality issues. Though I haven't returned any of the five or so Inspirons that I've purchased, all of them have had issues that required in-warranty repair. These range from physical sound issues, hinges popping open, unequal LCD illumination, and DVD Reader failures. The two XPSs I own have been rock solid, however. The Inspirons run CentOS well though.
Just about all of the low-end Dell boxes (laptops or desktops) tend to be low-quality boxes -- you gets what you pay for. Higher end Dells seem to be OK (eg 'Workstations', servers, etc.).
CentOS mailing list CentOS@centos.org http://lists.centos.org/mailman/listinfo/centos
Robert Heller wrote:
Just about all of the low-end Dell boxes (laptops or desktops) tend to be low-quality boxes -- you gets what you pay for. Higher end Dells seem to be OK (eg 'Workstations', servers, etc.).
In October I found a discard Dell Optiplex GX50 - older low-end dell. Found it in an illegal dump pile in a field.
Replaced dead hard drive, re-attached heat sink to CPU (had become detached, probably when dumped - perhaps a blessing, whoever built it had used way too much thermal paste).
It's been running CentOS 5.x 24/7 since without a hitch. But for laptops I think you are correct, and my found computer did have a problem (dead drive) when found.
-=-
Back to laptop question - I have always preferred the Thinkpad T20 series over anything else. I would suggest running Ubuntu on it, I have moved all my desktop stuff to Ubuntu.
Most laptop vendors that I have seen that pre-install Ubuntu install the 32-bit version. I use 64-bit and have no regrets, so I would recommend burning the 64-bit iso and installing that.
Two notes though with 64bit -
1) Don't use the Ubuntu packaged flash plugin. It is 32-bit and will pull in a bunch of 32-bit plugins. Get the "alpha" 64-bit plugin for Linux from Adobe. Works very well for me (in Ubuntu and CentOS) - and is more stable than the 32-bit plugin running in a wrapper.
2) I have no clue about installing a native 64-bit Java plugin. I don't have one and don't want one. Maybe icedtea is working for 64-bit better now? I got sick and tired of Java media in web pages being generally crappy and problematic, so I refuse to install a Java plugin anymore, but if you need Java plugin (IE for your work) check to make sure 64-bit browser plugin exists before going 64-bit (though 32-bit may work via wrappers)
General Desktop Note - CentOS or Ubuntu or Fedora -
1) Give Google Chrome and Midori a try. I really like both, Chrome is a little more polished but not open source, Midori is open source but has some bugs still with HTML5 multimedia (IE it won't play them if they are not set to autostart, but also won't revert to fallback)
2) If you don't mind using software that isn't FOSS, spend the money on the fluendo codec package -
http://www.fluendo.com/shop/product/complete-set-of-playback-plugins/
It handles h.264/WMV/DivX/etc. extremely well, "just works", and comes packaged in both RPM and .deb (as well as tarball). It does not provide AC3 decoding, that's my only gripe, but it does just about everything else much better in my experience than the "free" gstreamer plugins.
I haven't tried the fluendo DVD player (which does do AC3 decoding) but reviews I've seen on it are not very good, stick with something like VLC or Xine (my choice) for DVD playback seems to be better.
Another alternitive is an older model IBM Thinkpad -- they have *Intel's* wireless adapters built-in -- Intel's wireless adaptors are the most painless wireless adapters in existence since they are supported by an open-source driver that is included with the base kernel distro. Almost all others require all sorts of fun and games to get working under Linux.
I think that Thinkpad W-series is the best of Linux laptops, it is still sad that they are using ati card instead of nvidia.
My work computer is fujitsu-siemens celsius H250, it is very good but build quality is poor ..
Usually this kind of laptops can take up to 8GB of main memory.
-- Eero
On 01/07/2010 02:14 PM Robert Heller wrote:
At Thu, 7 Jan 2010 13:37:46 -0500 (EST) CentOS mailing list centos@centos.org wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Sorry about the dead HP, but congratulation on being able to dump Microsoft. I've always kept it on mine (doing a dual-boot) just because when I have a hardware problem and have to call up tech support, they want me to run MS stuff for testing and if I only have Linux, they say they "don't support Linux" and so I then own the hardware problem.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
I currently have 21 days uptime on my notebook, a four-plus-year-old Dell Inspiron 600m. I've often had more than double that uptime. I bought it with a half gig video RAM (not shared), a half gig of system RAM, and a 60M HD, the latter two of which I upgraded to 2G RAM and 320G HD.
It's solid. Yes, I've had about one hardware problem a year, but got an extended warranty, so I just call up their tech support, walk through the problem with them (they've always been reasonable or better than reasonable), and someone comes to the house, generally the next day and fixes it in a half hour.
At the end of the fourth year the extended warranty could no longer be renewed. I called them up again because, with all the typing I do, I wore the letters of several of the keys. Other than that, the keyboard was fine. But they replaced it. In fact, with some confusion over whether I was going to replace it myself of someone else was to come out, I wound up with a spare new keyboard. Similarly, the touchpad was worn down. They replaced that too. The hardware tech also wanted to give me a new screen, but I told him-- at least twice-- that, no, I really didn't need it. The CD/DVD R/W was questionable, so they replaced that too. While the tech was here, I had him take out and blow out the fan (which was really clogged up). With the RAM and HD upgrades I did myself, I pretty much have a new machine. I had one other Dell laptop before this, corporate supplied, and I was happy with that one too.
This 600m is cool because it has a swappable bay. That is, I press a button on the side and the CD/DVD drive slides out and I can put a second battery or a floppy drive in its place. With the second battery in it, I've run this machine for more than seven (7) hours unplugged.
The Intel wireless (b/g) has always worked fine. The only headache there was getting it correctly right on Linux initially. No problems at all attributable to hardware.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
This Dell sort of has the same issue. I fixed this by spending $3 on a TV tray a little wider than the laptop, big enough so that the DVD tray can pop out enough to insert/remove the disks, but with lips low enough lips to not get in the way of plugging in USB sticks and other stuff. The little bit of extra space is a handy place for pens and pencils and sharpies, scraps of paper and USB sticks.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I ran opensuse for the first four years on this machine, then switched over to centos. Way too many folks on the opensuse lists with severe ego/attitude problems. Ubuntu isn't on my OS horizon simply because I don't want to type "sudo" fifty or a hundred times a day. And I prefer rpm/yum to other package management systems. It's what my job calls for and I don't have a choice in that.
The (relatively) old programming maxim, "Fast, good, cheap... pick two," generally applies to buying a laptop too.
Hope you find something which works well for you.
....
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life > 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
I have an (old) IBM Thinkpad X25 and it works great (yes, it is older).
Unless you buy a used laptop, you will pay the Microsoft Tax. It is almost impossible to buy a *new* laptop with anything other than MS-Windows pre-installed (unless you buy a MacBook).
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
OK, my IBM Thinkpad X25 has a 1.4ghz P4 (32-bit), will support up to 1gig of RAM, as big an *IDE* hard drive (I believe 160gig drives are available), but has no DVD/CD drive (I have a 40gig drive in it presently). I'm presently running CentOS 4.8, but plan on upgrading to CentOS 5.4 soon.
Note: "64 bit, core duo 2, 2-4+ Gb RAM, and writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive" are somewhat counter indicated with "Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in), Battery life > 2.0 hrs.". You will need to make a trade off here (i.e. the extra 'goodies' will mean more weight and/or less battery life).
Another note: unless you are doing something like SETI@Home, you *don't really need* a multi-core processor. 99% of desktop applications are single threaded (and there is no point in multi-threading them). Only Firefox is 'multi-threaded', but the extra threads are all I/O bound most of the time (mostly downloading content, which is bad news on a dialup connection...[wishing a single-threaded version of Firefox existed]). (Multi-core processors draw more power than a single core processor and need more cooling...)
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 10:37 AM, James B. Byrne byrnejb@harte-lyne.ca wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
I have an Everex StepNote laptop that works fine with CentOS (came with Ubuntu, but I don't like that), but I would not recommend any Everex computers to anyone. For one thing, the company is out of business, so all warranties are DOA. My laptop works fine, so far, except that the headset plug for earphones (and, hence, extension speakers) does not work. I'm not in a financial position to get it repaired, so I have a fine, multimedia capable laptop with a crappy, mono speaker that sounds like most laptop speakers - tinny and crappy.
Aside from that,....
mhr
Le jeudi 07 janvier 2010 19:37:46, James B. Byrne a écrit :
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
Not a Panasonic CF-52 :-( https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=477708
Hey
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 6:37 PM, James B. Byrne byrnejb@harte-lyne.ca wrote:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life > 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
If you can take a little smaller screen you might think about getting a IBM X301. I love mine to bits. It is a really good piece of kit. A little pricey but you pay for quality. I really USE my laptops and never had a problem with a Think Pad (X series)
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Works pretty much out of the box with CentOS 5. rpmforge has the rest. Full install took me less then 2 hours.
On Thu, Jan 7, 2010 at 11:37 AM, James B. Byrne byrnejb@harte-lyne.ca wrote:
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life > 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
I'm writing this on a ThinkPad T61 (used), which meets all your requirements. I'm running Fedora 12 for a couple of reasons: NetworkManager and power managment have matured a lot since F6/CentOS 5. Also, the current generation mulitmedia apps are easier to install on F12. All the hardware was recognized and supported out of the box. I haven't tried CentOS on it, but it should also work. (I'm hoping for CentOS 6 within the next year so I won't have to reinstall fedora too often).
Previously, I was using CentOS 5.4 on a ThinkPad A20 (500MHz 512MB), which was useable, but slow.
The website thinkwiki.org is a good resource for those looking to run Linix on a ThinkPad.
You might also search for service manual for the laptop. That will tell you whether the manufacurer think it is serviceable.
A MacBook is another idea. They have genuine UNIX, better than average sound, a well-integrated system, no Windows.
Jim
On 07/01/10 18:37, James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Given that all the basic functionality required is provided, the main thing that I am looking for is reliability of the host itself. I do a deal of traveling so physical robustness is an issue. But I also use my notebook for hours at a time, generally every day. This means that I am typically on a/c current rather than batteries and that power regulation and heat dissipation are also concerns. The power regulator circuit is in fact what I believe has failed on the nx9420.
Not infrequently I have the notebook on my chest or lap while working at home. So the ventilation clearances provided by a flat desk support are frequently absent and the notebook design must accommodate this.
I would like to use CentOs as this is what I am most familiar with. But, I am open to CentOS alternatives like Ubuntu or even a non-Linux alternative like a PowerMac with OS-X.
I have already looked at the Dell site on the basis of a friends recommendation. While Dell mentions Ubuntu is available for some of their notebook computers they do not seem to provide any way to actually configure a system with it.
So, my desires are:
WANT:
Robust construction Reliable quality Reasonable weight (< 2.5 kg all in) Supported sound and video reproduction of reasonable quality 15-17" lcd screen Out-of-the-box support for wireless networking Battery life > 2.0 hrs. Not MS-Windows
PREFER:
64 bit core duo 2 2-4+ Gb RAM 120+ Gb HDD writable multi-mode DVD/CD drive CentOS-5+
Your system suggestions, both for hardware and OS, are most welcome.
I'm not really into the whole laptop market scene my self, so I'm not going to suggest any hardware. However, I do wonder, why you don't simply buy a laptop that suits your needs, then simply wipe the OS off? (If it was the evil that is MS on it)
Though it may get price changes (Due to MS Tax), but sometimes I find in laptops the price tax isn't all that high any more.
For example, you could get choose a Windoze machine, but before buying, look into the technical details, then Google the parts to see what will work and what won't and if need be, choose another :-).
As for OS Choice, my personal preferences are:
Absolutely needs reliability (Such as Server): CentOS/RHEL General Use (Such as Standard PC): Fedora (Latest, upgrade as soon as new one is out)
I've never used Mac OSX so I have no comments with it :-)
Just my 2c :-)
Thank you for the many helpful suggestions. I have to spend a bit more time researching this evidently.
Sincerely,
James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Others have already suggested it, but I figured I'd chime in. I have had good luck with Thinkpads and CentOS. I am currently running CentOS 5.4 on a T61 and an X31. If you decide to go that route, you will probably need to spend a little time hacking at the setup to get it to a level where you are happy with using it. However, I believe you'll ultimately be satisfied as I am. thinkwiki.org is a good resource for figuring out what you need to get certain laptop features to work properly. Also, you will likely need to use rpmforge and/or elrepo drivers.
- Ryan
On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 10:19 PM, Ryan Pugatch rpug@linux.com wrote:
James B. Byrne wrote:
I have a defective HP-Compaq nx9420 and so I am looking to replace it. I have pretty much decided to buy no further MicroSoft based products and would very much like to hear recommendations for a suitable notebook host to provide me with Linux based alternative.
Others have already suggested it, but I figured I'd chime in. I have had good luck with Thinkpads and CentOS. I am currently running CentOS 5.4 on a T61 and an X31. If you decide to go that route, you will probably need to spend a little time hacking at the setup to get it to a level where you are happy with using it. However, I believe you'll ultimately be satisfied as I am. thinkwiki.org is a good resource for figuring out what you need to get certain laptop features to work properly. Also, you will likely need to use rpmforge and/or elrepo drivers.
My Dell Latitude D400 works beautifully with CentOS 5.4. I even wrote a Wiki on it on setting it up. I think the only thing I had to do "by hand" was set up the volume up and down and mute buttons -- and CentOS/Gnome provides an application for that. So, once I found that, it was a snap.
I should mention, I also changed out my BroadCom WiFi card for an Intel, since there is native CentOS support for Intel (the BroadCom chip set happened to be one of the "not fully supported" versions). That was about $15 from eBay, and the BroadCom WiFi card went into my wife's Dell (she didn't have an internal card and uses XP).
-
Alain Portal -
Chris W Tucker -
Christoph Maser -
Eero Volotinen -
Geerd-Dietger Hoffmann -
Jake Shipton -
James B. Byrne -
James Szinger -
ken -
Kwan Lowe -
Les Mikesell -
Marcelo M. Garcia -
Mathieu Baudier -
MHR -
Michael A. Peters -
Ned Slider -
Robert Heller -
Roger K. Wells -
Ron Blizzard -
Ryan Pugatch -
Tait Clarridge