[lug] Laptops again

Sean Reifschneider jafo at tummy.com
Thu Sep 14 10:34:00 MDT 2000


Be very careful about models of laptops...  I really like my ThinkPad
240 (under 4 pounds), but the newer ones use the LynxEM+ chipset instead
of the NeoMagic that mine uses.  Despite the fact that the LynxEM+ was
widely reported as being designed for use with Linux, the driver
situation is pretty bleak.

XFree 3.3.6 has a driver, but if you close the lid without suspending
it would completely corrupt the video.  XFree 4.x doesn't even have a
driver for it.  On that laptop I ended up setting it to suspend on
lid close, which resolved that problem, but it's far less than
optimal.

It seems like the ThinkPad 240 with 300MHz CPU is what I'm using
and seems to still be available for around $1200.  It works fantasticly.
The ThinkPad 240X seems to be using the LynxEM+, and I'd personally
pass on it.

What was that company thinking?  They announce the LynxEM+ as supporting
Linux, but then apparently don't actually do any driver development work
to make that happen...  Dorks.

Sean
-- 
 If I were an Indian, my name would be "Running With No Swap".
                 -- Sean Reifschneider, 1999
Sean Reifschneider, Inimitably Superfluous <jafo at tummy.com>
tummy.com - Linux Consulting since 1995. Qmail, KRUD, Firewalls, Python




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