On Fri, Jan 8, 2010 at 10:19 PM, Ryan Pugatch <rpug at 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). -- RonB -- Using CentOS 5.4