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Linux support from laptop manufacturers seems still poor. But there are some independent retail shops which offer Linux pre-configured on laptops and notebooks. They offer different laptop brands, some of them e.g. Xtops.DE are specialized in pre-configured Debian or SuSE Linux on Lenovo/IBM ThinkPads.

Linux support from laptop manufacturers seems still poor. But there are some independent retail shops which offer Linux pre-configured on laptops and notebooks. They offer different laptop brands, some of them e.g. Xtops.DE are specialized in pre-configured Debian or SuSE Linux on Lenovo/IBM ThinkPads.

Sure:

http://www.shoprcubed.com/
http://system76.com/index.php/cPath/1?gclid=CLK_3M ynp4YCFRhWUAodYwQcCA/
http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux_laptops.html/
http://xtops.de/thinkpad_linux_preinstalled.html/

Hopefully you'll see why I picked the first one.

I'd like to add... A default windows xp install does not have photoshop, framemaker, pagemaker, visio, access, quickbooks, a pdf converter either.

The article also states: "I also knew my way around UNIX and that allowed me to use Internet applications I hadn't used previously." This is WRT MacOSX. Why couldn't this be a Positive for Ubuntu also? Does it not share the Unix design?

"Windows XP comes preinstalled on every computer manufacturers' products with the exception of Apple." see http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20060108-5928 .html
http://xtops.de/

Not to forget: http://pioneercomputers.com.au/ sells systems with Linux preinstalled.

I really wanted a linux laptop, but I couldn't find anything affordable, powerful and complete (meaning it has drivers to support everything the laptop has).

Easiest to buy preinstalled:

• Xtopd.de
• Linux Certified
• Emperor Linux

Whether SHARP will bring their Linux PDAs to the U.S. or not, they will be available in Europe by Xtops.DE - Linux, Laptops, PDAs. More vendors around the globe you may find in the international TuxMobil - Linux laptop, notebook and PDA vendor survey.

NoFoSt is not the only vendor of Linux laptops, there is a large and international survey of vendors, which ship pre-installed Linux laptops, notebooks and PDAs at TuxMobil. The main sponsor for TuxMobil is Xtops.DE. They are located in Berlin (Germany). They sell IBM ThinkPads pre-equipped with Linux as well as other brands. Some of them even without Microsoft-Tax.

Though not directly related to your question, it might help to know, that there are vendors dedicated to offer commercial support for IBM hardware, e.g. Xtops.DE - Linux, Laptops, Notebooks, PDAs.

The availability of the SHARP SL-6000 in the U.S. will hopefully lead to make it available in Europe (e.g. from Xtops.DE - Linux, laptops, PDAs soon. But to sell electronic devices in Europe a certain examination (CE-Certificate) has to be provided first.

You may get an international survey of Linux Laptop and PDA resellers at TuxMobil. For example there is an entry for Xtops.DE - Linux, Laptops, PDAs, which is located in Germany but sells to France, Italy, the United Kingdom and other European countries. Xtops.DE provides an English GUI and a German or English manual for the SHARP Zaurus Linux PDAs.

I ended up paying for Windows because it was that or no laptop from Dell. Now, does that sound fair to you?

It'd be perfectly fair to Dell. I don't know about the winter of 2000, but in the winter of 2004, I'd say screw Dell and make sure that a manager knows why you're buying something else instead of a Dell system.

There are others, too.

Werner Heuser, the author of the Linux Laptop Howto and several other helpful Lapop-related documents about Linux, runs a little business in Germany for Linux-Laptops. You can have a look at www.xtops.de if you're interested.

(I'm not affiliated with Werner, I just contributed parts of the Howto and wrote the old Battery Powered Linux Howto that he took over and rewrote.)

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