On 04/15/11 19:03, Paul M wrote:
Hi all,
It's time for a new OpenBSD laptop, and I have a couple of questions.
Note that I dont want to spend money on performance I dont need, but I
do want to spend money on a decent quality machine.
First, finding quality machines in the backwoods where I live is
really hard. The shops seem full of rubbish. Various retailers suggest
either Toshiba or Asus. Does anybody have any comments on these brands
in general? I'll admit to a psychological block against Toshiba, but I
have no idea where it came from, it could be completely bogus.
Second, One I've found which seems a good fit is the Toshiba Satellite
Pro C650 (with the celeron cpu, not the i3). Anybody using one of
these with OpenBSD?
I stuck a 4.8 release CD in, and the dmesg indicated problems with
these devices (sorry for the vagueness, I was scribbling down stuff in
the store. I can get better info if it's required)-
Intel GM45
Attansic something - 0x2060 - the 10/100 wired ethernet
SMBus
ehci1 timed out waiting for bios
There was also a message at the end that suggested that wd1 was not
available.
Anybody know how things have improved with these devices since 4.8,
and which are showstoppers?
The camera and audio also appeared to have limited or no support, but
I dont care about those.
Thanks for any input
paulm
Definitely use a 4.9-current CD. New things are supported all the time,
so go
with the best version of OpenBSD.
I get hornswoggled all too often in helping folks with their laptops,
and I'm really
saddened with the quality of the hardware, overall. The Lenovo
ThinkPads (NOT
the other brands that Lenovo has) have consistently been the best
laptops out
there, in terms of quality, serviceability, and life-span. The $400
laptop can be
considered a throwaway unit. Few of the "bargin" laptops friends bought
in 2009
are working today.
If you look at the Lenovo site you'll see the T series. A T420i is $799
with a 1
year warranty. Thats more money than a $499 laptop, but it is likely to
work
several years from now.
--STeve Andre'
