[gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring

[gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring

[Devon Miller]

I am in the process of shopping for a new linux laptop.

I'm currently running on an HP Pavilion ze1000 with an upgraded disk.
It mostly works, but the VIA graphics chips means no compositing, no
beryl, and anything  OpenGL is slow.

I'm looking to upgrade and while I'm aware of the vendors specializing
in Linux laptops. I also keep seeing some comparably equipped machines
at the local office super store for sub $1000 prices.

Does anyone know of a bootable CD intended for testing laptop (or
desktop) functionality?

I'm hoping someone out there has built something on top of Knoppix or
Gentoo's LiveCD that will examine the hardware and report what's good
and what's bad.

Anyone familiar with such a disc?

dcm
-- 
gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list

RE: [gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring

[Wayne Oliver]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Devon Miller [mailto:devon.c.miller@gmail.com]
> Sent: 16 May 2007 02:13
> To: gentoo-user@lists.gentoo.org; gentoo-laptop@lists.gentoo.org
> Subject: [gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring
> 
> I am in the process of shopping for a new linux laptop.
> 
> I'm currently running on an HP Pavilion ze1000 with an upgraded disk.
> It mostly works, but the VIA graphics chips means no compositing, no
> beryl, and anything  OpenGL is slow.
> 
> I'm looking to upgrade and while I'm aware of the vendors specializing
> in Linux laptops. I also keep seeing some comparably equipped machines
> at the local office super store for sub $1000 prices.
> 
> Does anyone know of a bootable CD intended for testing laptop (or
> desktop) functionality?
> 
> I'm hoping someone out there has built something on top of Knoppix or
> Gentoo's LiveCD that will examine the hardware and report what's good
> and what's bad.
> 
> Anyone familiar with such a disc?

Just about any live CD will do the trick, only problem is I doubt any
livecd ships with the proprietary drivers you may need to get 3D and
wireless working out the box.

Wayn0
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gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring

[Iain Buchanan]

On Wed, 2007-05-16 at 08:12 -0400, Devon Miller wrote:

> Does anyone know of a bootable CD intended for testing laptop (or
> desktop) functionality?
> 
> I'm hoping someone out there has built something on top of Knoppix or
> Gentoo's LiveCD that will examine the hardware and report what's good
> and what's bad.

any live CD should do (even the gentoo live cd?) - just run `lspci`,
then come back here with the results!  If they're friendly, you can even
go back and forth with a usb-key and try compiling things on it, or
installing binary drivers (if you want to go that way).  all on your
live-cd of course.

There is a not-too-bad list of live CD's here:
http://www.frozentech.com/content/livecd.php but I don't so much like
the top of the list :)

HTH,
-- 
Iain Buchanan <iaindb at netspace dot net dot au>

<dracus> Ctrl+Option+Command + P + R
<Knghtbrd> dracus - YE GODS!  That's worse than EMACS!
<LauraDax> hehehehe
<dracus> don't ask what that does :P

-- 
gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring

[Benno Schulenberg]

Devon Miller wrote:
> I am in the process of shopping for a new linux laptop.
>
> I'm currently running on an HP Pavilion ze1000 with an upgraded
> disk. It mostly works, but the VIA graphics chips means no
> compositing, no beryl, and anything  OpenGL is slow.

If OpenGL acceleration is a must, you really have only one choice: 
get a laptop with an Intel integrated graphics chip, GMA 950.  It's 
the only chip with an open source driver that is supported by the 
vendor.  It's working pretty well here.

Benno
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gentoo-user@gentoo.org mailing list

Re: [gentoo-user] shopping for a laptop - tools to bring

[Aleksandar L. Dimitrov]

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Hash: SHA1

On Wed, 16 May 2007 08:12:35 -0400
"Devon Miller" <devon.c.miller@gmail.com> wrote:

> I am in the process of shopping for a new linux laptop.
> 
> I'm currently running on an HP Pavilion ze1000 with an upgraded disk.
> It mostly works, but the VIA graphics chips means no compositing, no
> beryl, and anything  OpenGL is slow.
> 
> I'm looking to upgrade and while I'm aware of the vendors specializing
> in Linux laptops. I also keep seeing some comparably equipped machines
> at the local office super store for sub $1000 prices.
> 
> Does anyone know of a bootable CD intended for testing laptop (or
> desktop) functionality?
> 
> I'm hoping someone out there has built something on top of Knoppix or
> Gentoo's LiveCD that will examine the hardware and report what's good
> and what's bad.
> 
> Anyone familiar with such a disc?
> 

I didn't actually try this one, but I would suggest you build one on
your own, or you just take the 2007.0 liveCD and a USB-stick with the
necessary stuff for portage/distfiles. lspci is the most important
thing, some kernel sources would be nice, so you could see whether or
not chipset and sound cards and the like are supported.

This is a mini-HOWTO that discusses the process of creating a liveCD.
http://gentoo-wiki.com/HOWTO_build_a_LiveCD_from_scratch

Regards,
Aleks

> dcm
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