[clue-tech] Laptop

[Michael Fierro]

On Sun, 5 Oct 2008 22:01:00 -0600
"Peter Kuykendall" <peterkuykendall at hotmail.com> wrote:

> I forgot to mention that as of last November Dell was pretty
> Linux-hostile.  I had no choice but to pay for either Vista or XP, and
> there was ZERO support for Linux by Dell for this model.
 
> Once I got it (XP) I imaged the hard drive and then installed Ubuntu
> 7.10.  That went OK but there were several annoyances in getting various

I think a lot of this depends on individual experience, and expectations. The Vosotro line is one of the newest, and Dell doesn't claim any type of Linux compatibility with it. Having problems getting Ubuntu installed on this laptop can't be considered Dell's fault. The hardware issues, on the other hand...

I have a Dell Inspiron 1521 - which also came with Vista installed. I nuked the Windows partitions immediately, and installed Hardy. Everything Just Worked, except for the built-in webcam and the wireless nic. The webcam issue was easily remedied via a quick search on Google. The wireless card was even easier, but it required a wired connection to my network (the Broadcom drivers can be installed via the Restricted Hardware feature, but that needs to pull packages off the 'net). Within an hour of unboxing, I had the 1521 running Ubuntu with all hardware features available and enabled.

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Michael Fierro                                  miguelito at biffster.org
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