I finally need a laptop.
I started with Linux in the .96 kernel days with Slackware and currently
run Mandrake (hey, it's easy to install and it's pretty) so I have no
doubt that I can get Gentoo up and running. I've been putting off the
eventual Gentoo install because I cannot afford to have my main system
down. A new machine will solve that problem.

My requirements:
LAMP development.
Wireless networking.
VMWARE to run M$ stuff. Ugly but necessary to interface with clients.

I'm thinking 2.x Ghz and 512MB RAM and 40-60GB HD would be nice. I don't
really care much about other features.

$1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
I've been looking at the emachines laptops but fear the overheating
problems that I've read about.

> My requirements:
> LAMP development.
> Wireless networking.
> VMWARE to run M$ stuff. Ugly but necessary to interface with clients.
>
> I'm thinking 2.x Ghz and 512MB RAM and 40-60GB HD would be nice. I don't
> really care much about other features.
I think you should look at acer travelmate notebook based on centrino, but
old Pentium-4M are good under linux too. I currently have slightly modified
Acer TM 803LMi - 80Gb hdd and 1gb ram and it runs perfectly, no need to keep
windows =). And VMWARE is much faster at Pentium-M 1600Mhz than at my home
Pentium-4 2400Mhz.

> $1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
> I've been looking at the emachines laptops but fear the overheating
> problems that I've read about.
You should not buy notebook based on desktop processors, so you should look
for pentium-4M, celeron-4M, celeron-M, pentium-M - they have better
situations with overheating. And celeron-m is very affordable AFAIK.

Andrey Batyuck wrote:

>> My requirements:
>> LAMP development.
>> Wireless networking.
>> VMWARE to run M$ stuff. Ugly but necessary to interface with clients.
>>
>> I'm thinking 2.x Ghz and 512MB RAM and 40-60GB HD would be nice. I don't
>> really care much about other features.
> I think you should look at acer travelmate notebook based on centrino, but
> old Pentium-4M are good under linux too. I currently have slightly
> modified Acer TM 803LMi - 80Gb hdd and 1gb ram and it runs perfectly, no
> need to keep windows =). And VMWARE is much faster at Pentium-M 1600Mhz
> than at my home Pentium-4 2400Mhz.
>
>> $1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
>> I've been looking at the emachines laptops but fear the overheating
>> problems that I've read about.
> You should not buy notebook based on desktop processors, so you should
> look for pentium-4M, celeron-4M, celeron-M, pentium-M - they have better
> situations with overheating. And celeron-m is very affordable AFAIK.

Don't go for the Pentium-4M, but take a real mobile processor. Like Pentium
M.

On Wed, 12 May 2004 20:33:55 -0500, Jeff Fox wrote:

> I finally need a laptop.
> I started with Linux in the .96 kernel days with Slackware and currently
> run Mandrake (hey, it's easy to install and it's pretty) so I have no
> doubt that I can get Gentoo up and running. I've been putting off the
> eventual Gentoo install because I cannot afford to have my main system
> down. A new machine will solve that problem.
>
> My requirements:
> LAMP development.
> Wireless networking.
> VMWARE to run M$ stuff. Ugly but necessary to interface with clients.
>
> I'm thinking 2.x Ghz and 512MB RAM and 40-60GB HD would be nice. I don't
> really care much about other features.
>
> $1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
> I've been looking at the emachines laptops but fear the overheating
> problems that I've read about.


Check it out: http://www.mtechlaptops.com I have had great experiences
with these laptops and linux.


================================================== ===============
"There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than are
dreamt of in your philosophy."

-- William Shakespeare, "Hamlet"

>>> $1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
> Don't go for the Pentium-4M, but take a real mobile processor. Like
Pentium M.
I don't think it is possible to buy notebook with pentium-M and 512M RAM for
$1500. Maybe only celeron-m which is cut version of pentium-m (512k of L2
cache)

>>On Thu, 13 May 2004, Andrey Batyuck wrote:
> I don't think it is possible to buy notebook with pentium-M and 512M RAM for
> $1500. Maybe only celeron-m which is cut version of pentium-m (512k of L2
> cache)

You are mistaken. Check out Dell. You can get a pentium-M-based laptop
with 512MB or ram for $1500 or less EASY.

--
leosity [at] gapout [dot] com

> > I don't think it is possible to buy notebook with pentium-M and 512M RAM
for
> > $1500. Maybe only celeron-m which is cut version of pentium-m (512k of
L2
> > cache)
>
> You are mistaken. Check out Dell. You can get a pentium-M-based laptop
> with 512MB or ram for $1500 or less EASY.

Oh, sorry. I live in Russia, so we have a MUCH higher price. I bought my
notebook for $2.5k =(
But it works perfectly under Gentoo, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Modem/net/sound/X
etc. The only one problem is left to solve why it hangs when i turn off
bluetooth.

I strongly recommend the IBM Thinkpad R40. I have Centrino one with a 1.3
GHz Pentium-M. Everything works great (except the modem and IR, which I
haven't tried as I don't need them.) Pretty sure you can get one of these
babies on your budget. Had a Dell before, this is much better made.

If you're prepared to live dangerously on eBay, an X30 might be a good
choice also.

Andrew

On Wed, 12 May 2004 20:33:55 -0500, Jeff Fox wrote:

> I finally need a laptop.
> I started with Linux in the .96 kernel days with Slackware and currently
> run Mandrake (hey, it's easy to install and it's pretty) so I have no
> doubt that I can get Gentoo up and running. I've been putting off the
> eventual Gentoo install because I cannot afford to have my main system
> down. A new machine will solve that problem.
>
> My requirements:
> LAMP development.
> Wireless networking.
> VMWARE to run M$ stuff. Ugly but necessary to interface with clients.
>
> I'm thinking 2.x Ghz and 512MB RAM and 40-60GB HD would be nice. I don't
> really care much about other features.
>
> $1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
> I've been looking at the emachines laptops but fear the overheating
> problems that I've read about.

Andrey Batyuck wrote:
>>>>$1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
>>
>>Don't go for the Pentium-4M, but take a real mobile processor. Like
>
> Pentium M.
> I don't think it is possible to buy notebook with pentium-M and 512M RAM for
> $1500. Maybe only celeron-m which is cut version of pentium-m (512k of L2
> cache)
>
>

You can buy a HP Pavilion ZT3000 Pentium-M 1400mhz, 512mb DDR, 40gb hdd
and dvd-rom/cd-rw for $1500 complete with a 15.4" widescreen display
from www.outpost.com, any frys electronics or from HP direct.

On Wed, 12 May 2004 20:33:55 -0500, Jeff Fox wrote:

> I finally need a laptop.
> I started with Linux in the .96 kernel days with Slackware and currently
> run Mandrake (hey, it's easy to install and it's pretty) so I have no
> doubt that I can get Gentoo up and running. I've been putting off the
> eventual Gentoo install because I cannot afford to have my main system
> down. A new machine will solve that problem.
>
> My requirements:
> LAMP development.
> Wireless networking.
> VMWARE to run M$ stuff. Ugly but necessary to interface with clients.
>
> I'm thinking 2.x Ghz and 512MB RAM and 40-60GB HD would be nice. I don't
> really care much about other features.
>
> $1500 US is about the most that I can spend.
> I've been looking at the emachines laptops but fear the overheating
> problems that I've read about.

I installed Gentoo on a Dell Inspiron 1100 2.2 Ghz celeron 512Mb 40 G hard
drive. with a netgear wg511 wireless card. I had to upgrade the bios to
A29 so that X would work without using the 845patch. The 2.6.5 kernel has
the prism54 wireless driver in it already so wireless is no problemm. I do
use VMware to run QNX for development work. I've had no problems with it.
cost me approx $900 with upgrades and the MS tax. Buy the way Knoppix 3.4
boots up and configures everything, wireless include, without any problems
as well.