Buying a laptop with no OS (to install Linux on).
in [UK Linux]
|
From: Poster Matt on 24 Mar 2010 12:33 Hi, I'm intending to buy a new laptop and install Linux on it. Searching around I've found it very hard to find a laptop for sale with no operating system on it. In fact a company called Novatech (which I've used before) is the only one I can find. Are there any other companies that you guys know of that sell OS free laptops? It seems to me that there's a good chance that I will be forced to pay for Windows even though I don't want it, a kind of Microsoft tax achievable only as a result of their tremendous market dominance. Secondly - are there any laptop specific things I should keep in mind when buying a laptop to install Linux on? Driver or hardware issues and such like? I've never installed Linux on a laptop before. Finally are there any specific Linux distributions that I should think about using or ones that I should avoid? Many thanks and regards, etc..
From: Martin Gregorie on 24 Mar 2010 13:22 On Wed, 24 Mar 2010 16:33:29 +0000, Poster Matt wrote: > Secondly - are there any laptop specific things I should keep in mind > when buying a laptop to install Linux on? Driver or hardware issues and > such like? I've never installed Linux on a laptop before. > Make sure it has a DVD reader, and a DVD writer would be even better) because most distros are on DVD these days. Make sure it hasn't got an ATI display because those are abominably supported by Linux (ATI don't want to know about Linux). Intel graphics are OK (I'm using them) and nVidia are considered the best. Personally I *hate* touchpads (they give me RSI) and quite like the IBM- style 'joystick' button in the keyboard. These days I use a Logitech USB Optical Wheel Mouse or equivalent. It 'just works' when plugged in and the wheel both scrolls and acts as the middle button of a proper Unix 3- button mouse. > Finally are there any specific Linux distributions that I should think > about using or ones that I should avoid? > I like Fedora - it works well on my Lenovo R61i - despite mine having suddenly gone completely silent about 2 days after I installed Fedora 12 and without any assistance/interference from me. Sound was fine with Fedora 10 and I skipped 11. I have raised a bug.... One gotcha that will apply to all laptops and distros (and probably all OSen too): *never* set the machine to hibernate when you close the lid or the battery goes flat. The problem is that hibernate uses some non- volatile flag to subvert the boot process: when it shuts down, running applications are written to disk and the machine powers off. On restart the BIOS checks the flag, reloads all saved stuff and starts running where it left off instead of running GRUB. The problem is that if something crashes during restart you're buggered. Its extremely difficult to persuade the machine to boot off a rescue disk or, indeed, to do anything other than unhibernate and crash again. When it happened to me I thought I'd bricked a relatively new laptop. I did eventually persuade it to do a normal boot though I can't now remember how I managed that. Needless to say it is now configured to hibernate when the lid is closed and to shut down when the battery is flat. -- martin@ | Martin Gregorie gregorie. | Essex, UK org |
From: ian on 24 Mar 2010 13:38 Poster Matt wrote: > Hi, > > I'm intending to buy a new laptop and install Linux on it. Searching > around I've found it very hard to find a laptop for sale with no operating > system on it. In fact a company called Novatech (which I've used before) > is the only one I can find. > > Are there any other companies that you guys know of that sell OS free > laptops? It seems to me that there's a good chance that I will be forced > to pay for Windows even though I don't want it, a kind of Microsoft tax > achievable only as a result of their tremendous market dominance. > > Secondly - are there any laptop specific things I should keep in mind when > buying a laptop to install Linux on? Driver or hardware issues and such > like? I've never installed Linux on a laptop before. > > Finally are there any specific Linux distributions that I should think > about using or ones that I should avoid? > > Many thanks and regards, etc.. I found it cheaper to buy one with windows and over write it with SUSE Linux I have a Lenovo 3000 N200 everything worked out of the box except the modem and the fingerprint reader,using SUSE 11. It now has 11.2 on it and works fine with the above exceptions. What I did was dual boot until the manufactures warranty had run out then uninstall windows. It had Vista on it so that was no great loss. Before you buy try one out with a live disk at somewhere like PC world ,then you will know what works and what does not. -- Output certified Microsoft Free Checked with SUSE11.2
From: Jim A on 24 Mar 2010 13:58 Poster Matt wrote: > Hi, > > Are there any other companies that you guys know of that sell OS free > laptops? It seems to me that there's a good chance that I will be forced > to pay for Windows even though I don't want it, a kind of Microsoft tax > achievable only as a result of their tremendous market dominance. The only one I'm aware of is Linux Emporium http://www.linuxemporium.co.uk I've only ever bought a WiFi dongle from them a few years ago when finding one supported by Linux could be tricky. The prices from Linux Emporium can be higher than other suppliers for the same laptop with Windows - I think it's worth it for peace of mind. > Secondly - are there any laptop specific things I should keep in mind > when buying a laptop to install Linux on? Driver or hardware issues and > such like? I've never installed Linux on a laptop before. A friend of mine tried putting MacOSX and Linux on a Dell Notepad and found one of the wireless devices (can't remember whether it was WiFi or Bluetooth) simply wouldn't work unless you installed Vista, loaded the driver and initialised the device somehow first! Personally I would be very cautious about buying a laptop without knowing it's reasonably well supported (but I'm no expert and I'm not keen on tinkering). I'm hoping to buy one soon and will go to Linux Emporium for it unless any of the manufacturers come up with a supported Linux one in the mean time. I saw a rumour that MSI might be producing a moblin SuSe version of one of their netbooks (the Wind U135 if I recall) soon, but I don't know if it will be made available in the UK. > Finally are there any specific Linux distributions that I should think > about using or ones that I should avoid? I've had good results with Mandriva on my little Eee netbook (the machine I'm using now). If you have the time I'd try two or three distros and see which you prefer. -- www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride
From: Mark Hobley on 24 Mar 2010 13:46
Poster Matt <postermatt(a)no_spam_for_me.org> wrote: > Are there any other companies that you guys know of that sell OS free laptops? > It seems to me that there's a good chance that I will be forced to pay for > Windows even though I don't want it, a kind of Microsoft tax achievable only as > a result of their tremendous market dominance. It is actually anti-competitive practice to refuse to unbundle Microsoft Windows from the laptop. You should be able to get the full amount off for the software. If the suppliers refuse to do this, then file a complaint with trading standards. (You can probably do this online now). We really need the European Commission to start fining suppliers for this. Getting the complaints going is at least a start. > Secondly - are there any laptop specific things I should keep in mind when > buying a laptop to install Linux on? Driver or hardware issues and such like? Yes! Make sure that your laptop works, by asking on here before purchasing. Also make sure that the graphics chipset is made by Intel or ATI, so that it works properly with the open source drivers. Avoid Nvidia based graphics chipsets. Mark. -- Mark Hobley Linux User: #370818 http://markhobley.yi.org/ |