W. Chris Shank on Thu, 29 May 2003 10:08:05 -0400


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Re: [PLUG] Looking for a laptop


If you are interested in a x86 based machine: I was at my distributor
yesterday and he showed me a new line of Centrino based laptops
(http://usa.asus.com/prog/spec.asp?m=M3000-N%20Series&langs=09) - they are
sweet! The styling reminds me very much of the TiBook. I don't know how
well Linux is going to run on them yet, but I compared this to a Dell
equivalent, and it was $400 cheaper. I already sold one - 1.4Ghz Pentium
M, 512M RAM, 40G 5400RPM HDD, DVD/CDRW, Win2K = $1700. And if you want it
without Windows, subtract $130.

William H. Magill said:
> On Sunday, May 25, 2003, at 05:29  PM, Chris Hedemark wrote:
>> On Sunday, May 25, 2003, at 12:34 PM, Stephen Gran wrote:
>>
>>> I'm in the market for a new laptop (finally!) as my old one has
>>> become almost unusable.  I have about $1000 to spend, and am having a
>>> hard  time
>>> making up my mind.  I like the feel of the older Thinkpads (my old
>>> one is 600e), but I have no brand loyalty as such - I just like the
>>> keyboard
>>> and the included 3 button mouse.  I don't need any of the options
>>> that seem to come with most laptops these days, like CD/DVD burners
>>> and whatnot, as I have those in another box.
>>>
>>> I am mostly looking for a dependable, quick, and light-weight box
>>> that has a decent screen size (>14", preferably).  Obviously playing
>>> nicely with linux and/or BSD is a requirement.  If anyone has any
>>> suggestions,
>>> I would appreciate it.  I have been looking at the Thinkpad R32, but
>>> I'd
>>> like other opinions before taking the plunge.
>>
>> Apple iBook.  Great value!  OS X is BSD flavored, or you can run BSD
>> on it directly (OpenBSD is known to work, unsure about the others).  I
>>  got my Apple (a higher end Powerbook) with the idea that I'd probably
>>  put a different OS on it but I've been very happy with OS X on it.
>> X11 support in OS X is finally pretty good so I think it's a very safe
>>  bet.
>>
>> The only problem based on your requirements is the screen size;  For
>> $1000 you're only going to get a 12" screen.  For $1500 you get the
>> 14" screen (and a lot more other stuff above the $1000 model).
>>
>> The things are infectious.  At my old LUG it seemed like one guy would
>>  get an iBook, and then another, and before you knew it there were
>> more  people showing up with Apple hardware at meetings than all other
>>  manufacturers *combined*.
>
> If you've waited this long, wait until June 24 before you make a
> decision.
>
> Rumor has it that the 970 PowerPC (Power4) based machines will be
> announced (some have said given out as part of your registration) at
> the WWDC Keynote on the 23rd. [Note that the rumors originate in
> France, so you can put what ever validity percentage you want on them.]
>
>
> T.T.F.N.
> William H. Magill
> # Beige G3 - Rev A motherboard - 768 Meg
> # Flat-panel iMac (2.1) 800MHz - Super Drive - 768 Meg
> # PWS433a [Alpha 21164 Rev 7.2 (EV56)- 64 Meg]- Tru64 5.1a
> magill@mcgillsociety.org
> magill@acm.org
> magill@mac.com
>
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