[clue-talk] Need new Laptop, Turnkey OS, or easy OS install

[Matt Gushee]

rex evans wrote:

> I want to experiment with Open Source
> math calculations, simulation, opengl,
> and simple data-base stuff.

Any distribution ought to be fine for this. I'm not aware of a
distribution specialized for scientific applications. Such a thing may
well exist, but if there are any laptops that have it preinstalled,
they're probably the premium-priced ones you want to avoid.

> I investigated this about 2.5 years ago,
> but linux-laptops had a large premium
> over MS-laptops of the same hardware.
> 
> I have used Unix and Linux several years
> ago.
> 
> Are there any turnkey systems or easily
> converted laptops that you guys like?

I can't recommend a specific model (much too poor to even fantasize
about a new laptop), but Linux in general is getting easier to install,
and it seems to work on a wider range of laptops than it used to.

A couple of things to consider when shopping:

 * Take along a Live CD distribution such as Knoppix, and try it out on
   any machines you are considering (and if the store associates won't
   let you, find another store: a live Linux CD installs absolutely
   nothing on the hard disk ... it's probably less likely to harm the
   machine than the OEM Windows installation). Now, Knoppix is
   exceptionally good at detecting hardware, so the fact that Knoppix
   works on a given box means that in principle it should be possible to
   install any distribution, but not that it will necessarily be easy.

 * Last time I was at Microcenter (~15 months ago), I noticed they were
   running Linspire on most or all of their display PCs. That
   suggests that they might have associates who could help you figure
   out which machines are your best bets.

 * Pay particular attention to sound and ACPI support--those tend to be
   the most problematic features for Linux on laptops.

And don't forget <http://www.linux-laptop.net/>. Great resource, though
it doesn't always cover the latest models.

-- 
Matt Gushee
The Reluctant Geek: http://matt.gushee.net/rg/