OT: Recommended Linux Laptops, suppliers?

[Cliff Wells]

On Mon, 2003-03-17 at 16:34, Brian Quinlan wrote:
> > Indeed.  However, I'm surprised to hear that Dell isn't shipping
> > Linux-only laptops.
> 
> I think that they stopped selling consumer Linux computers, citing a
> lack of demand. 
> 
> > They certainly were for desktops (at least at one
> > time).  How about IBM?  I understand they've certified Linux for every
> > system they make, so I'd think a Windows-free system would be easy to
> > obtain from them.
> 
> If there is limited demand for Windows-free systems, it doesn't make
> sense for them to support another product line.
> 
> > Have to disagree here.  Intel boxes, whether laptop or desktop tend to
> > be far cheaper than Apple products.
> 
> If you are looking at the bottom end of the performance barrel, this is
> definitely true.

My home-brew Athlon cost around $400 and I'll toss it out against any
Mac.

> > I have a catalog in hand at the moment (Global Computer) which
> features 
> > a Systemax 2GHz Celeron, 15" TFT display, 128MB DDR, 20GB HDD, modem,
> NIC,
> > and WinXP for $899.  
> 
> No Powerbook ships with that little RAM, that small a hard drive, no CD
> burning ability, etc. The Systemax is also 1024x768, while the 15"
> Powerbook is 1280x854 i.e. 40% more display area. Looking at the

On a 15" display I don't see > 1024x768 as being that big of a deal. 
But that's JMHO.  Amount of RAM shipped is almost irrelevant given
prices.  I bought 512MB of PC2100 yesterday for < $50.

> Systemax laptop on the web, I also don't know: how fast the NIC is, what
> the specs are on the display (e.g. brightness, constrast) and what the
> expected battery life is. The bottom line is that computer comparisons
> require more information that two lines of text from a catalog.

True.  That was the example I had in hand.  For a couple hundred more I
can find you a Sony Viao with undoubtedly better specs.

> > A
> > similarly configured iBook or PowerBook (*if* they had one at 2GHz)
> > would cost well over $2000.
> 
> Are you sure that a 1GHz G4 is slower than a 2GHz Celeron? I'm not.

I am.  Despite Apple's claims, the G4 is not that fast.  My graphic
artist friends (who often use both platforms) will concur. Is a 800MHz
PowerPC faster than a 900MHz PIII?  Yes, for some things.  Is it faster
than a 2GHz <insert any CPU here>?  Er, keep it real.  Now if they
switch to IBM's Power4 I'll be more inclined to believe their somewhat
outlandish claims.  The PowerPC is a decent chip (better than x86 in
many respects) but Motorola has really dropped the ball on clock speeds.

> > Does OSX use X11?  I ssh'd to my gf's school where they've got OSX and
> > it didn't seem like it.  If not, that would be a sad decision.
> 
> I'm not sure what using X11 would have gotten for Apple. What are X11
> strengths? OTOH, using PDF as a display technology is a boon for Apple's
> traditional market of artists and publishers.

Remote display, for one thing.  This might not matter much to many
people, but the ability to remotely run a graphical application matters
*a lot* to me.  I would think that using PDF would have been independent
of whether they use X or not.  IIRC, NeXT used Postscript over X. 
Anyway, I take it from your answer that they didn't use X?

-- 
Cliff Wells, Software Engineer
Logiplex Corporation (www.logiplex.net)
(503) 978-6726 x308  (800) 735-0555 x308