On Sun, 18 Jan 2015, j...@ageinggracefully.ca wrote: > I have never installed used nor installed linux on a laptop ($500 - > $600), however I have decided to buy one but before doing so I need > some advice. These are the questions that come to mind.
Before doing anything, even buying a laptop, read everything you can on Linux. Better to know what you're doing before you do it. 15 years ago, I read and studied and researched Linux 6 months before I finally chose a distro and installed it. Avoid too new laptops. It takes the Linux community time to catch-up to new hardware. If it's been on the market for 6 or more months, then it will probably be fine. Any problems will have been solved and available on the 'Net. Some manufacturers don't play nice with Linux. I've always had problems with HP, both desktops and notebooks. Thinkpads, however, have never given me any problems. The more generic the hardware, the better. Generally speaking. There are a couple Linux compatibilty sites out there. One just for hardware like wifi chips, graphics, etc. The address escapes me, but a search should turn it up. Also, there's: www.linuxonlaptops.com > 1. Graphics radeon or nvidia? I have nvidia on my desktop but have no > experience with radeon. Had few problems with either, but I just need basic graphics. No 3D. No animation buffering. Etc. For games, etc. I usually go with nVidia just because I've had more experience with it.. > 2. WiFi what to avoid? I avoid Intel wifi chips. In fact, I try to avoid ALL Intel stuff even CPUs. > 3. Dual boot? What problems should I expect? Shouldn't be a problem, but RTFM before doing it. Windows has gotten very quirky with 7 and 8. Also, there's that hidden restore partition that has to be dealt with properly. If I need Windows, I prefer to run it in a VM and not dual boot. > I will install Jessie from a thumb drive and upgrade to testing when > Jessie becomes stable. Why compound your problems by upgrading to a new testing? Testing by its very nature is buggy. Install Jessie, set it up, fix any problems, use it until you need a new laptop or the new Testing becomes the new Stable, THEN upgrade to it. I NEVER upgrade to a new version until the old one starts having unfixable problems or fails my current requirements. That means I usually run a version 5 to 7 years. B -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: https://lists.debian.org/20150118105233.04ac6...@debian7.boseck208.net