> Just as a warning I started by purchasing a used cheap notebook, it > was a IBM ThinkPad 760EL that I purchased from a used computer store cheap. > The problem is I got addicted to the concept of portable computer and had > to have a newer, faster, and better notebook so I now own a ThinkPad A20M. > The ThinkPad A20M is great and I can not imagine life with out it! If this > is something you are going to use alot you may want to purchase a new laptop.
Also in the category of general recommendations, just mentally add 1.5 pounds to whatever they say the silly thing weighs. Otherwise you'll find that its carrying case and your power adapter and other toys you enjoy carrying with it weigh a lot more than you had in mind! My first laptop was a p60 which ran hot (see "fastest CPU for its time"). It also was quite heavy, which I decided wasn't too bad after a few months of carrying around the Computer Shopper Guide like it was the JCPenney xmas wish book or something. I didn't realize its power brick was heavy too. And if I wanted an extra battery, another brick! And, while it's possible it's a real pain to replace the keyboard. So if you can get your hands on the model you're considering, esp. if your hands are large... it's a good idea to try out a little typing on the beast before committing your hands to live with it. If you get a lightweight with external CD, consider just buying your own external CD bay, if it's USB driven - you can probably save a bunch; you could even get a CDRW instead. Just surf the iMac aisle comparing the optional drive to the iMac boxed products. Someone I know recently saved themselves almost $200 to get a faster drive. Now, in the category of debian recommendations... Sound is really popular but lots of our questions are folks trying to spin up sound the first time; with 3 ways to do it (but only one right per machine) it really is a pain. I've seen CS4281's appearing a lot lately and they use a "normal" kernel module so I would gravitate towards it, if shown a bunch of otherwise equivalent laptops. I've not enough experience with the recent video chips to be sure of any good ones to really shoot for, (e.g rocking fast X 4 support, etc.) but the ATI Mobility family should be a safe bet if you feel lost. * Heather Stern * star@ many places...
