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Linux on Laptops Manufacturer Report Card Updated
wehe writes "The Linux on Laptops Manufacturer Report Card
was updated. The changes are based on some of the criticisms the
first announcement at SlashDot has got.
A matrix of Original Equipment Manufacturers - OEM relations
was added together with tips and tricks how to identify the original laptop manufacturer. Also a list of
Linux laptop and PDA resellers was added.
Unfortunately even in our times of Linux success, support by laptop manufacturers
is seldom, or if provided not much helpful. Though the marketing departments of
some major manufacturers have announced Linux support for their laptops sometimes, it
was not developed or silently dropped. Because of the rapid development
(every manufacturer creates new models almost every three months) and the specific hardware of
mobile computer devices and accessories (see
Linux Mobile Guide for details),
it is important to have current and reliable information about their Linux compatibility.
A current example is Intel`s new Centrino(TM)
technology. Though there are many
Linux laptop installation reports
available already, Intel still does not provide full Linux support yet.
Note: the URL of the original "Linux on Laptops Manufacturer Report Card" has
changed from MobiliX to TuxMobil, because of severe trademark trouble
with Asterix and Obelix, as reported on
SlashDot."
1st post
Still #1 -- Lonely Gay Geek
The laptop support in 2.6 is incredible. They have rewlitten the carbus (PMCIA) layer to support more decives and have Improved the power management support. KDE 3.2 will also have a laptop compatibility layer to support all the obscure hardware on it. So if you want to use laptops, use linux 2.6 when it cums out.
Nero-burning ROM for Linux!
this is /., so more than likely I'm going to get modded down for this.
one of the biggest plusses linux has got going for it is that it is free. this substantially reduces the cost of putting it on a machine - especially when couple with a DIY roll-it-yourself desktop.
I don't know how many people have tried assembling their own laptops. Not many, I'd venture. So, more than likely, you're going to have to buy one. As a general rule of thumb, they're not cheap - nowhere near ballpark for a cheap PC.
So the only reason I can think of to use Linux on a laptop (once you eliminate the value factor) is because it's *nix, or maybe just because it's not MS.
And when that becomes your primary motivation, why on earth would you look anywhere else other than Apple to get a laptop? These are the sleekest laptops out there - they're running an OS based on *nix and it's not MS to boot. There's hardware-software integration the likes of which would send this "scorecard" through the roof. And the hardware is just phenomenal - the new Powerbooks are some of the best laptops you can buy; the screens rock, Airport Extreme, great battery life, Firewire 800, bluetooth built in.
I guess this is why Apple portable machines are turning up at all the Linux conferences (and the traditional Linux markets, like Bioinfomatics and Java programmers). So - begs the question - what relevance does the Linux on laptops scorecard have?
-- james