On 2006/02/09 15:37, Craig M wrote: > I've been searching for a long time, for a usable laptop to dedicate to > OpenBSD usage and after trawling the archives, it looks like IBM > Thinkpads are a good bet for OpenBSD. I'm looking for something with > wired network connectivity and I don't care for wireless. CPU speed, RAM > and drive space aren't hugely important, but I would like to be able to > run a basic X, if at all possible. It would primarily be to use whilst > sat in bed at night, so being reasonably quiet is more important to most > other considerations.
Zaurus _might_ suit your needs. They're very very quiet. I'm a lot happier with mine than with my old Toshiba 266mmx laptop. If you can find one (Wim or pricejapan.com perhaps), SL-C3000 is probably a better choice than SL-C3100 if you want to use it in low light, since the keys are a more sensible colour, and you can't use the 3100's extra flash from OpenBSD anyway. Ethernet (or wireless) can be done by USB or CF. Cheapest way is probably a Zhost cable (figlabs have them) and a USB ethernet adapter (tenner on ebay, I haven't had one that's unsupported yet). > My main question really, is does anybody know of a decent place to buy a > used laptop for OpenBSD use, in the UK? Ebay, google 'refurbished laptops', or look in micromart magazine. Second-hand IBMs from people selling more than one of them will often be ex-corporate, so may not have been quite as well-looked-after as machines that people have paid for themselves. If it's important, check things like USB/serial ports and card slots asap after (or if possible, before!) buying. Budget for a replacement battery, too, though you might not need it. Ebay is usually good for these.
