norman wrote: > router. I am wondering whether the Inspiron 1525 would be a suitable > machine to get and would welcome helpful comment, please.
Yes. I have a Dell Inspiron 1520 and am delighted with it. It runs Ubuntu flawlessly and the recent improvements (funded by Dell & Intel) for the Intel graphics chipset in Hardy means that even the cheap i965/X3100 based laptops can run Compiz, including full screen video, without problems. The keyboard layout is very sensible (separate keys for page up/down, home & end, unlike come other laptops), the WiFi functions well and reliably, and the optional Bluetooth module Just Works. I paid extra for 2GB RAM instead 1GB since I occasionally dual-boot into Vista. To be honest even with a dozen applications open, including graphics editing, Ubuntu Hardy rarely uses more than 700MB, so if you don't intend to dual-boot, and you need to keep costs down, 1GB will do. The dual-core processor does help performance a great deal, though, and I would really miss that if I didn't have it. Another extra I got was the extended life battery (9 cell instead of 6 cell). With bluetooth and WiFi turned off, and the screen brightness reduced to half-way, this provides around 5 hours of use. With WiFi or Bluetooth turned on (but not both), it provides around 4 hours 30 mins. I expect the standard 6-cell battery would provide 2-3 hours. Hibernate and standby modes Just Work. The only niggling issue I had was if I set the machine to blank screen instead of standby when the lid is closed. Annoyingly, if I then connected an external monitor, mouse and keyboard, the LCD backlight would come back on, even though the lid was closed (an overheating risk). I solved this with a custom /etc/acpi/local/lid.sh.pre script: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-power-manager/+bug/41994/comments/21 -- Andrew Oakley -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.org/UKTeam/
