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What the hell is this? Why should I get worked up about "IBM refusing to deal with the fact that FreeBSD will not boot on thier laptops?" IBM sells Linux, Solaris, and Windows computers, but nowhere did they ever say that they were going to provide BSD support for anything, let alone for their laptop line.

The support for open source operating systems you'll see from IBM is far and away better than any other large OEM, with the possible exception of SGI. If you want Linux laptop support, buy from The Linux Store, or Linux Laptops. Vote with your feet. Don't whine because IBM won't deliver support they never promised.

I figured, get the fastest, strong, best now, and it'll take a little longer for it to be obsolete. But what about OS issues?

That's what I did 6 years ago. Six years was stretching it a bit, but you get the idea. My new laptop will hopefully last a while as well.

Personally, I would recommend focussing on (in order of importance):

• Keyboard -- If you are going to use your laptop with the built-in keyboard, make sure this works for you.
• Pointing device -- depending on your use, this may be as important as (or even more so) the keyboard. I loathe the erasers; mine has a trackpad.
• maximum possible RAM, preferably in a standard format -- you can never have too much, and it often makes a much bigger impact than processor speed.
• Screen -- very hard to upgrade, so get the biggest and best you can. Of course, you have to trade off the size of your screen versus the size of the screen. That is, a bigger screen is better, but it translates into a bigger overall laptop.
• Hard Drive -- it doesn't have to be huge, but make sure you can swap it out with another, standard drive. My last laptop started with 340MB, and has since had nearly a dozen different drives as big as 3+GB. My new laptop came with 6GB; I bought extra drive sleds for $20 each and have a 2GB loaded with DOS and a 10GB destined to get Linux.
• Battery -- If at all possible, have it be one of the more standard batteries. You'll need to replace it (or buy additional ones) so standard batteries are easier to find and cheaper.
• Processor -- I think processor speed is nowhere as important as available RAM. If it's upgradeable, that's great. If you've got the money, go for as fast a processor as you can, of course.

But what about OS issues?

Well, I went for a ChemBook 7400 which is one of the laptops that Linux Laptops used to sell. (Unfortunately, they stopped taking orders before I got mine.) There is also a page on running Linux on an ASUS 7400 (which is the OEM version of the ChemBook). For more general info, check out the Linux Laptop page.

It would be nice if these kid-friendly laptops could also be wallet friendly, and Linux Compatibility is nice too. Meanwhile, I know, that when i go to Uni, i'll prolly be packing something from Linux Laptops Ltd. and even they are a tad above my league, but they have the best prices for laptops that are guaranteed to run linux.

BTW, what ever happened to VA Linux's Laptops, I swear they used to make them.

Sorry, couldn't resist.
Eades explained IBM's reasoning behind the compatibility announcement as twofold: "No. 1, by claiming compatibility on Linux, we maintain the position that Thinkpad is the leader in this industry, period. No. 2, we absolutely see a lot of demand from influential people in the marketplace, particularly in education and in the smaller developer markets. When you look at your route-to-market strategy this is obviously important. Thinkpad is very strong in education and Linux is obviously targeting that. We're right there with them."
Uh, no, you're not. Thinkpads are nice, but, er,
1. Claiming compatiblity gives you nothing. You actually have to achive compatibility. This sounds like a page from M$'s corporate marketing book.
2. Many of us choose not to use RedHat. Nothing against RedHat, but many folks don't like os-specific stuff.
3. I can get a linux-laptop with a modem that works now with any distro here

This was also mentioned in an earlier slashdot story, but www.linuxlaptops.com sells a few types of laptops with Linux pre-installed and configured. I'm typing this on one (I've had it for a few weeks now) and am very pleased with it. Not a solution for everyone, but if you're in the market for newer machines, you might want to check it out.

Shameless plug: I'm auctioning a Vaio505TS with RH6.0 plus updates, the same model being sold by linuxlaptops.

Their price: $2300. My current top bid: $1575.

I thought it would be hard to sell w/ linux, so in my ad I offered to reinstall windblows for the Buyer. Since I'm loath to do this, I offered a $50 rebate to those would take it as is (w/ linux). The incentive may not have been necessary; I'm getting higher bids than a professional reseller offering stock machines (windblows only).