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--- In LINUX_Newbies@
>
>I have been searching off and on for computers that are preloaded with Linux and tried to contact companies that are suppose to have Linux loaded computers and have become extremely frustrated in my quest.
In addition to the obvious suspects like Dell (which has them, but you
have to look a bit I'm told), there are several companies that
specialize in Linux boxes. For example:
<http://zareason.
recommended by several friends I trust highly, although I have never
dealt with them)
<http://www.linuxcer
<http://thelinuxlapt
There are several comprehensive lists, such as
<http://lxer.
>I have found them, but some information I read says to maybe avoid at this time.
In a word, baloney! I know hundreds of people who have successfully
bought or installed Linux on laptops--such as the old HP I am typing
this on at the moment. TuxMobil has a guide to installing Linux on
just about any brand of laptop you are likely to come across, too,
although again I have not used it nor reviewed it carefully:
<http://tuxmobil.
> Soooo, my question is, would it be best for me to just go ahead and
>buy some affordable laptop and then obtain a version of Linux and
>load it myself??
That is usually what I do, and will do again very soon in all
likelihood. It has the advantage of having some early introduction to
the operating system and your hardware, so you are less intimidated by
version upgrades, distribution swaps, and the like.
> If so, are some brands more compatible with doing this than
>others? What is the easiest Linux system to start with?
Which distro is an enormous can of worms, since so many distributions
exist and so many people are enamored of their particular choice.
Quite a few on this list seem partial to Mint, although when I tried
it last about a year ago I didn't much care for it at that time. It
may well have improved in the interim, however.
Regarding notebook brands, I think the biggest kicker is somewhat
spotty support for some wireless chips. Although this is getting
better rapidly, it is certainly something to consider. If memory
serves, one that is often difficult has been the Broadcom wireless
chipset--but don't hold me to that, as this machine uses an Intel
wireless chip and its problems are something I'm more conscious of.
(With recent distributions, though, it has been a no-brainer once I
changed from WEP to WPA2 encryption).
There are many books out there that deal with beginning Linux, as well
as websites that have many tutorials on getting started. I highly
recommend you check some of these out, and make notes of those things
that strike you as worth retaining when you embark on this.
That said, modern distributions often "just work". By all means, get
several of the "live CD" versions of distributions you think worth
trying. If the machine you contemplate doesn't have a CD, don't
worry--put them on some USB thumb drives. Some distributions have live
versions already set up for simple use on USB drives, while others can
be installed through various utilities. (I use unetbootin, which has
versions for Linux machines and another for Windows boxes).
Good luck!
David
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