[Novalug] Stock Ubuntu powered notbook

Bonnie Dalzell bdalzell@qis.net
Tue Feb 6 14:41:41 EST 2007


On Tue, 6 Feb 2007, Ken Kauffman wrote:

KK >-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
KK >Hash: SHA1
KK >
KK >http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/05/system-76-unveils-ubuntu-powered-darter-ultraportable-series/
KK >
KK >This got me to thinking.  Because support offering would initially cost
KK >more for Linux based machines, would you be willing to buy a standard
KK >Ubuntu laptop and pay a little more than it's Windows enabled 'brothers'?
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KK >

This is an interesing point. Here is my comparison. Ubuntu takes less
power under the hood than even Windows XP, much less Vista. So suddenly
there are going to be a lot of used Notebooks available which CANNOT run
Vista.

A couple of months ago I went into the local Computer Renaissance store
with an Ubuntu live CD and asked to see their cheapest used laptops. The
absolutely cheapest one they had was a Gateway 700 mgh Pentium III
Solo 5300. So we turned it on and stuck the Ubuntu Live disk in it. Hmm
did not complete the boot. So we stuck more memory in it. Boots fine. So I
purchased the laptop for  $195 and the additional memory for $95 (bringing
it to a 1/2 gig of RAM) and took it home and installed not only
Ubuntu but also my Amiga OS emulator Amithon on it as a dual boot
machine. I also was sold a used Comcast Wifi card for $10 and the thing 
instantly found our house's Mac Airport and went on line.

After a couple of weeks I decided a 10Gb harddrive was a bit small so I
went back and purched a 60GB harddrive and put it in and I spent another
$80 getting it a second battery.

I also bought it a back pack so I can look like a female version of the
geek in the Mac spoof ads which include Linux.

So for under $500 I have a very workable Linux/Amithlon dual boot
laptop and the linux install was trivial and painless. I am not sure
what one means by initial support being more expensive than with
Windoze.

The Linux install was done without booting into windoze - in fact when I
did it the second time (with the later purchased larger harddrive) it
was done into a completely naive harddrive.

My take on this is this:

Places like Computer Renaissance try and sell their used machines with the
latest Windoze OS on them - suddenly there are going to be a whole lot of 
machines incapable of using Vista, what a boon to people who want to run
Linux on a laptop. I am sort of sorry I purchased the Gateway when I did,
I could probably get a more powerful machine for the same price more or
less today.

So $2000 for a Ubuntu Laptop, not until I look around at used machines.

1 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
                       Bonnie Dalzell, MA 
mail:5100 Hydes Rd ---- Hydes MD USA 21082-----EMAIL:bdalzell@qis.net
 
freelance anatomist, vertebrate paleontologist, writer, illustrator, dog
breeder, computer nerd & iconoclast... Borzoi info at www.borzois.com.
 
Editor Net.Pet Online Animal Magazine  - http://www.netpetmagazine.com
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