[lug] Linux Laptop

[Lee Woodworth]

On 10/16/2014 11:26 AM, Zan Lynx wrote:
> On 10/16/2014 11:02 AM, Stephen Queen wrote:
>> I'm looking for a cheap laptop that would be used as a terminal
>> (minicom/screen) an ssh client, and vncviewer. It would be nice if it
>> had wireless that was compatible with linux. The serial port for the
>> terminal could easily be a USB dongle.
> 
> No specific suggestions, but I was in Best Buy recently and they had a
> whole shelf of cheap 15" laptops around $300. I'm sure at least one of
> those models is Linux compatible. A lot of them are using AMD chips with
> integrated graphics which seem to have decent open source Linux support
> these days. I have no idea about the WiFi.

I'd be sure to investigate the graphics rendering for VNC before
committing to a low-end laptop. Tried to use an AMD A4 CPU in an HP
mini desktop and it couldn't play 1280x720 video without dropping
frames (used the open source drivers though).

The nic drivers can also be hard to come by. For ~6-8 kernel releases I had to
use a staging driver for the nic on an acer netbook.

> 
> I'd go take a look and write down some model numbers. Or look online.
> Actually, if looking online check out Tiger Direct and Newegg too. Maybe
> Overstock.com although their refurb stuff is a little iffy.
> 
> Then check the model's spec details for Linux support.
> 
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