MESSAGE
| DATE | 2015-06-06 |
| FROM | Ruben Safir
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| SUBJECT | Re: [NYLXS - HANGOUT] Linux Laptops cheap
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On 06/06/2015 02:11 AM, Rick Moen wrote:
> One, I generally avoid brand-new laptop models, _most_ especially cheap
> ones, because they are likely to include problematic chipsets -- that
> are problematic either because they are so new that open-source coders
> haven't had time to figure them out, or because they're so awful that
> open-source coders wouldn't want to own them (hence have little
> incentive to code drivers for them), or both. Have you heard the
> technical support joke that starts 'Doctor, doctor, it _hurts_ when I do
> this'? Then, you know the punchline.
As a reality, it is not ready available for older laptops to be
purchased, and I'm not spending more than $300 for a laptop.
The Lenova's I picked up at bestbuy and with a A6, 6gigs of ram and 2
terabyes of drive space for $299. I needed it as an emergency for
school since I dropeed my HP which I brought for $250 in 2012, I
believe, and is a 17 inch screen (and which originally also had
troubles). It had problems with the touchpad and the video and I used
it for Oracle scolastic wouk and programming until my repaired HP came
back. They were so inexpensive that I ended up through a folly of
events with 3 of them. I kept one sold one and still have an extra. I
though Levovas wouldn't be a problem with Linux, but I was wrong.
For the purposes of a COTS purchase, it would be nice if they told you
what is what, but they won't. Bestbuy is not going to let you test a
system with an image either. The boxes are locked down, even the ones
on display.
With regard to preinstalled systems, if you can do it, that is great.
Never pass up an opportunity to reward a vendor who invests in the Linux
end user market.
As for the use of premade none standard modules. when they do that with
MS, MS does it and MS has the source code. Doing that with Free
Software would mean the vendor has to do it. I don't think Dell will do
that (but I could be wrong). Emperor Linux, and good Linux
distributors, __WILL__ do that and distribute the modules. And they
give you a choice of distributions. And they are top of the line and
way past my budget.
Using Free Software is not a promise of using software without problems,
but god knows it was a revelation of usability and stability when I went
from W95 to Slackware 3.2. But the problems with using Free Software
are OH so glorious!
They are great problems to have.
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