[GLLUG] New notebook purchase advice requested

[Matt Graham]

Mike wrote:
> On Oct 1, 2004, at 4:53 PM, Brian Hoort wrote:
> > My laptop broke.  :(  I'll have to buy a new one.  :)
> > I'm interested in their basic, least expensive, entry-level model.   
> > However, I don't really need Windows, and I'm thinking 
> > I can save ~$80 going with a manufacturer that will allow you to not 
> > purchase Windows. Any experience with other manufacturers?

IBM = teh awes0me.  Get a refurbished IBM laptop from pricewatch (they're
currently showing an A22e, 900MHz, 128M, 20G for $800, an R50p, 1700 MHz,
512M, 60G for $2614, and things cheaper and in between) and things should work
fine.  You will get it with 'Doze installed; fortunately, that's pretty easy
to fix.  IBM laptops are solidly built, you can find documentation on
replacing every FRU there is for every model of Thinkpad on IBM's website, and
they typically work well with Linux.

If you really want to avoid paying the Windows Tax and you want a new machine,
Sager will sell you a machine without any OS on it if you call them up and
speak to a live human.  http://sagernotebooks.com/ for contact info.  Sager
machines are often rebranded as Dell/Compaq machines so retailers can jack the
price a few hundred bucks.  I'd buy things from Sager if they offered machines
with Trackpoints.

> iBooks are a pretty killer notebooks, and they come with a Unix OS 
> installed.  Food for thought, I'm not a pusher.

iBooks are expensive unless you buy refurbished, they have touchpads instead
of Trackpoints, and Brian wanted something cheap.  It's also a pain in the
arse to replace some components (like the hard drive) in iBooks. 
http://smalldog.com/ has a bunch of refurbished iBooks though.  HTH,


-- 
Matt G / Dances With Crows
There is no Darkness in Eternity/But only Light too dim for us to see
"I backed up my brain to tape, but tar says the tape contains no data...."