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Linux laptops

jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered User regular
edited June 2010 in Help / Advice Forum
I've been out of the networking game for a good minute now (about 6 years) and I was looking to get back into it. Both my college degree and career goal (Which is hopefully Raytheon!) seem to hinge on networking know-how. I get practical every day experience, but it's diluted and I'd like to get back into the nitty gritty.

So, I need a fairly inexpensive, portable, and most importantly, mostly-compatible Linux laptop. Back in the day I had an IBM Thinkpad with a P2 processor running Gentoo and I had some pretty good success with it outside of not being able to use the control buttons at the top.

So now I'm looking to get into the same deal. Wifi, Bluetooth built-in (if at all monetarily feasible), small form-factor, optical drive is probably necessary. Other than that, I'd prefer as few bells and whistles as possible.

Any ideas? I'm looking to go back to Gentoo with this build, but if someones got a better suggestion I'd like to hear it. This PC is not going to be a "general use" machine, but is going to be specifically built and set up for networking applications and a small amount of coding.

Thanks in advance!

jungleroomx on

Posts

  • elmoelmo Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    would a netbook be a option? I know the asus eee series has pretty decent support for linux and has a couple of flavours availible. no optical for it tho.

    Alternativly go for a macbook with its delicious unix under the hood?

    elmo on
  • CauldCauld Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I have a msi wind that came with linux. Only downside is I don't think there's a driver for the webcam, which is kind of stupid.

    Cauld on
  • k-mapsk-maps I wish I could find the Karnaugh map for love. 2^<3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    For the record, I would be very interested in the answer to this question too. I don't have specific recommendations but I know my friends had success with last-generation thinkpads and Gentoo so that might be your best bet.

    k-maps on
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    I'd enjoy a netbook, and if it came down to it I'd take the loss of an optical drive and simply get an external for the smaller form factor.

    The bluetooth is a pretty big deal... and a surprisingly cheap option.

    jungleroomx on
  • ImpersonatorImpersonator Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Just look up a model and then google it so you can know which distros are more compatible with it.

    Impersonator on
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Thats sort of like needle-in-a-haystack searching.

    So, since I had such good luck with my T23, I went Ebaying and found two beauties. Both for under $400, both with WiFi, enough horsepower to run the applications and tools I need, Bluetooth, and all that.

    http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-THINKPAD-X40-1-2GHz-1GB-60GB-WIFI-Bluetooth-12-/200455969303?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item2eac1b5a17#ht_500wt_1154

    http://cgi.ebay.com/IBM-ThinkPad-X32-PM-2-0GHz-1GB-40GB-Bluetooth-laptop-/120579539052?cmd=ViewItem&pt=Laptops_Nov05&hash=item1c1319c06c#ht_833wt_1137

    Think I'm going for the X40. There's support for Gentoo installs, but also Debian.

    jungleroomx on
  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Just thought I'd say I have an ASUS eeePC 1000 running Linux sitting on my lap currently. It's running Ubuntu, and everything on the computer has been supported out of the box, webcam and bluetooth included. Cost is ~200-300.

    kuhlmeye on
    PSN: the-K-flash
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Not too shabby, Kuh. I'd kind of prefer it not to have a webcam, but I'll take a look.

    jungleroomx on
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    After catching up on all the switcherooing in Linux, I think I'm gonna go with the BackTrack 4 distro. Seems to do exactly what I need the lappy to do.

    The ASUS eeePC looks like a winner, as well. I appreciate all the suggestions.

    jungleroomx on
  • ImprovoloneImprovolone Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Theres a billion different Eee models. All should function the same Linux wise, but take care to note the specs.

    Improvolone on
    Voice actor for hire. My time is free if your project is!
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Well, I'm going to order one direct from the company. But I'm also spending quite a bit of time researching compatibility before making a purchase.

    jungleroomx on
  • Dr. TrevorkianDr. Trevorkian Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    My System76 Serval Professional has been brilliant for 2.5 years. I haven't dabbled much in non-Ubuntu distros on it, but the Fedora 13 Live CD just worked fine, and last time I booted Arch everything was groovy there too.

    I highly recommend them. http://system76.com/

    Dr. Trevorkian on
  • McCow42McCow42 Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    My wife has an Asus Eee 1000 and it has worked flawlessly for a year and a half now. I've even borrowed it for network troubleshooting when I need something I can put in my backpack. I'm not a huge fan of the keyboard but I have freakishly large hands so YMMV. Highly recommended.

    McCow42 on
  • kuhlmeyekuhlmeye Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Like I said, I use a 1000 model. I love it, and take it pretty much everywhere with me since it is super light. The keyboard does take some getting used to, but once you become accustomed to, its fine. You will want to upgrade the RAM to 2 gigs, which I did for ~$30 since RAM is super cheap. With whatever model you get, you're probably gonna get a webcam, but you have to activate it in the software, it's not just on all the time. I also have one with a Solid State drive, so it boots up in about 30-45 seconds from off.

    kuhlmeye on
    PSN: the-K-flash
  • k-mapsk-maps I wish I could find the Karnaugh map for love. 2^<3Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    Dr. Trevorkian wrote:

    My System76 Serval Professional has been brilliant for 2.5 years. I haven't dabbled much in non-Ubuntu distros on it, but the Fedora 13 Live CD just worked fine, and last time I booted Arch everything was groovy there too.

    I highly recommend them. http://system76.com/

    Those are really sexy...though not really in my price range. Might be worth the investment though..

    k-maps on
  • jungleroomxjungleroomx It's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovels Registered User regular
    edited June 2010
    No bluetooth on the System76 in my price range. They're gorgeous laptops, though.

    jungleroomx on
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