IBM ThinkPad T22 w/Linux Review

Augustus writes: "LinuxHardware.org has just posted the first review of IBM's ThinkPad T22 with the LinDVD software DVD player that was mentioned on Slashdot back in April. The T22 should finally be available to consumers and it's a fine piece of hardware at a decent price. The review covers the basics: software, support, price, and especially the hardware."

Comments

Linux laptop comes standard with winmodem?

[BierGuzzl]

Eeek!! and that's not even the worst of it! First, LAN isn't even a standard feature. Second, this puppy comes preinstalled with "Caldera Openlinux", later on referred to in the article as "Corel Openlinux". <shudder/> Which is worse, the laptop being reviewed or the half-assed job of reviewing it?

Re:Linux laptop comes standard with winmodem?

[Lumpy]

The biggest problem is that IBM tout's that they are pro-linux but refuses to stop using low-grade hardware that they know is designed for Win-only use. It costs so little to put a real modem in there (My compaq E500 has a real modem built in.) and it eliminates 90% of all serverice calls related to modems. winmodems fail constantly and have huge issues that everyone knows about... Any manufacturer that uses soft-modems,soft-ethernet should be shot on sight unless their laptop is marked as a low-end economy unit..

I never have reccomended any IBM laptops or hardware for linux use because of these incompatability problems that are always present by their own decision. Compaq isn't the greatest, and after the HP merger will only get worse, but at least I can install linux and have every piece of hardware work without fighting. (Note: this is the corperate class hardware, their consumer class is all crap, 100% of it.)

I dont believe a company is behind linux until they start producing hardware that has linux in mind.... Hell, even tuxtops werent 100% linux compatable...all in the name of cutting costs and corners.

Winmodems...

[Gregoyle]

Funny how the review bellyaches about a Winmodem as a resource hog and a pain in the neck. I remember way back when (oh, maybe 6 months or a year ago?) if the modem was a winmodem, you didn't even bellyache about it being a resource hog. It just plain didn't work.

One thing I wonder about, though, is what kind of support comes with this laptop? Normally you don't get support from Corel unless you bought the product over the counter, and I wonder if IBM will give it's (Linux) laptop buyers the same kind of support as its desktop buyers. A lot of established Linux users scoff at using customer support, but that is the sort of thing that convinces businesses to buy, say, 500 units for their sales force.

Price

[Rogerborg]

• it's a fine piece of hardware at a decent price

Debate over the modem/LAN specification aside, if you're swapping a $400 (retail) M$ OS/office suite for a $30 (retail, with discs) Linux distro, then you've just bought yourself $370 of retail margin right there to spend on goodies, or to leverage at point of sale.

Re:Price

[spike666]

seriously, at $2649 this is way overpriced. i thought the idea behind linux was to reduce costs...

for the cost i would seriously look at an Apple iBook for $1299 and throw in the Airport card and Airport Base station. and with those added in, we're still only at $1600... and i'm running OSX which is pretty decent. or i could run linuxppc. and i'll still have $1000 to use to buy drinks for all those who say my new iBook looks gay.

Reinstall??

[Strog]

Can you reload LinDVD if you wipe it and install another distribution??

If so then maybe I will take another look at IBM for my linux laptop.