Linux laptop

jwar · April 5, 2005, 2:55pm

Good day.

I just bought a second-hand laptop. I plan to install GNU/Linux* on it - over the current Windows XP. (With a giant grin on my face while I do it.)

Are there any special precautions I should take before doing that?

(Yes, I’m going to be reading elsewhere about this, too.)

*Possibly Fedora Core 1 or 3, Mandrake, or maybe Knoppix.

miltownkid · April 5, 2005, 3:03pm

Try the Live knoppix CD. My brother got his wireless to work via knoppix with no problelms.

Tetsuo · April 5, 2005, 3:13pm

I can’t say enough good things about Kanotix. Based on Knoppix, with more wireless support built in. I had massive trouble getting my wireless to work under Knoppix. YMMV.

Dog_s_Breakfast · April 6, 2005, 12:12am

I second that. I couldn’t get my wireless (Centrino chip) to work under Knoppix, but it worked flawlessly with Kanotix.

Interesting footnote - the new version of Ubuntu (and it’s KDE equivalent, Kubuntu) are supposed to be released today. It is said that they are very good with wireless too. Ubuntu/Kubuntu are, like Knoppix/Kanotix, Debian based. I definitely intend to give it a try.

cheers,
DB

Rascal · April 6, 2005, 2:00am

I installed Mandrake 9.1 on my ASUS laptop that also runs WindowsXP, no problems (and no special precautions were taken).

ratlung · April 6, 2005, 2:54am

I am looking for a notebook computer at the moment, and my main intend is to run Linux on this machine. Does anybody know a good brand/model that is well supported by Linux, preferably Debian? I am not a big fan (somewhat ingnorant) of notebooks, but my job requires me to be mobile and I need Linux. Any ideas or suggestions?

Andre · April 6, 2005, 12:53pm

IBM Thinkpads seem to be some of the most “Linux-friendly” laptops. Many Linux developers use Thinkpads, and IBM is one of the biggest contributors to Linux.
I have a Thinkpad T42, and with Suse Linux everything works out of the box, including wireless.

LinuxCertified sells… well, Linux-certified laptops.

If you’re looking for a specific brand or model, check these websites:
http://www.linux-laptop.net/
http://tuxmobil.org/mylaptops.html

Here’s a Linux Hardware Compatibility List:
http://www.linuxquestions.org/hcl/index.php
… and a “Linux INcompatibility List”:
http://www.leenooks.com/

Anyway, from my experience:

If you need a modem, try to stay away from Conexant modems (Linuxant sells some Linux drivers, the free versions are limited to 14kbps);
If you want 3D acceleration, go with Nvidia (preferably) or ATI;
Most laptops have some special buttons (like volume control, mute, contrast etc.); however, most of them require software drivers to work. On Thinkpads, most of these “special” functions are implemented in hardware, so you don’t need to worry.

If I remember anything else, I will post here

jwar · April 7, 2005, 2:11pm

Thanks for the feedback.

I threw away all caution and just installed Mandrake 9.1. It’s not bad, but since I’m a graphic artist, I need the GIMP. Mandrake 9.1’s early version of the GIMP doesn’t suit me.

So, I’m throwing away all caution again and installing Fedora Core 3! (I tried to install Red Hat 7.3, but the media was bad - a fact that I didn’t find out until an hour during install. Note: New versions allow for checking of the media before installation.)

Now, if I can just get my Wacom tablet working…

Andre · April 7, 2005, 4:02pm

How old is that laptop? I think you need at least a 1GHz processor and 256 (or even 512) MB RAM to get decent performance in Fedora Core 3 or any other recent distribution.

For the Wacom tablet, check this site: http://linuxwacom.sourceforge.net/.
As far as I know, it should be no problem. I’ve actually used (well, played with ) a Wacom tablet in Red Hat 7.1 … but that was three or four years ago .

ratlung · April 8, 2005, 12:08am

Andre, thanks for the many suggestions. I was also wondering about the think pads, because IBM is big in Linux business. So I will try to get one of those. I will have to talk to my boss though, they seem a little pricy. Anyway, thanks again.

jwar · April 8, 2005, 12:06pm

Yeah, Fedora Core is too much this laptop. So, I reinstalled Mandrake only to install Morphix over it a few hours later.

Sadly, I don’t think I like Morphix. I can’t mount my floppy drive, CD ROM and USB. I can’t even access the Morphix site!

So, I’d like to install Knoppix. I’ve already tried a few times, but halfway into loading everything at the KDE splash screen, I get a black screen of death. Then I can’t see anything.

I’m having a difficult time finding out why, too…

Dog_s_Breakfast · April 8, 2005, 11:12pm

[quote=“jwar”]Yeah, Fedora Core is too much this laptop. So, I reinstalled Mandrake only to install Morphix over it a few hours later.

Sadly, I don’t think I like Morphix. I can’t mount my floppy drive, CD ROM and USB. I can’t even access the Morphix site!

So, I’d like to install Knoppix. I’ve already tried a few times, but halfway into loading everything at the KDE splash screen, I get a black screen of death. Then I can’t see anything.

I’m having a difficult time finding out why, too…[/quote]

How much memory does your laptop have? KDE insists on 128MB of RAM to run properly. It can run in less (I have it running on 64MB) if you have a swap partition. Better yet is to not use KDE if you’re memory-constrained - I’d suggest running IceWM instead. In fact, I run it on my desktop (I just love the speed).

I generally recommend Kanotix over Knoppix. I’ve found it does a better job of hardware detection. And only Kanotix would work with my Centrino wireless.

Having said that, I’m very interested in Kubuntu, which was just released yesterday. Check it out.

regards,
DB

jwar · April 9, 2005, 6:51am

Thanks, DB.

Thankfully, I logged in under the IceWM environment and I was able to get Knoppix 3.6 installed successfully. Now, I can boot up and run under KDE with no problems at all.

That other laptop (that I’m not using at the moment) has about 190MB of RAM. It’s working great.

I have 4 computers (2 laptops and 2 desktops) and I’m seriously thinking about making 3 of the 4 GNU/Linux exclusively (have to keep one, this one, Windows for my dear Wife). Two are already Knoppix only and I’m really satisfied with how it runs, though both have less than 200MB of RAM I can do complicated graphic work on them. My most expensive and newest computer runs under Windows 2000 and has given me the most headaches, ulcers and throw-me-out-the-window feelings of frustration.

Well, I’ll stop babbling. If you’re reading this and haven’t looked into GNU/Linux - are you mad?

Dog_s_Breakfast · April 10, 2005, 3:57am

[quote=“jwar”]Thanks, DB.

Thankfully, I logged in under the IceWM environment and I was able to get Knoppix 3.6 installed successfully. Now, I can boot up and run under KDE with no problems at all.[/quote]

Just to let you know, Knoppix 3.8.1 has just been released. Haven’t used it myself though (I’m currently on Kanotix).

cheers,
DB

Dog_s_Breakfast · April 10, 2005, 8:40am

[quote=“Dog’s_Breakfast”]
Just to let you know, Knoppix 3.8.1 has just been released. Haven’t used it myself though (I’m currently on Kanotix).

cheers,
DB[/quote]

One hour after I posted the above message and I see on Distrowatch that a new Kanotix has been released. It’s getting hard to keep up with these developers!

cheers,
DB