>>>>> "Robert" == Robert Kopp <[email protected]> writes:
Robert> I'm about to get a new laptop, and it would be nice to get one Robert> at a retail store whose hardware was supported by Linux. The Robert> only problem I have ever encountered with earlier laptops was Robert> with the Wifi adapter, but now that most of the new ones don't Robert> have PCMCIA slots (to provide Wifi connectivity if the Robert> built-in Wifi adapter doesn't work), this is an important Robert> point. I suppose it boils down to whether the Wifi chipset is Robert> supported by Linux, then. Could someone direct me to a source Robert> of information on this subject, or suggest laptops that are or Robert> are not suitable on these grounds? Wifi on Linux has been a horrible hodgepodge for a long time, but it is (painfully) slowly getting better and better. Today, it is even usable, with some occasional problems. Basically, wait six months and things are better. In another six months, it'll be better again. Two years from now, I expect it'll be super awesome with sauce. linuxwireless.org has some information about supported hardware. If the laptop has intel or atheros radios, the drivers are pretty good. Broadcom radios historically have had worse drivers because they are reverse engineered and based on lots of guess work. USB radios often have decent support too, so pcmcia is not your only option for pluggable devices. I have more experience with the Atheros radios, but for managed-mode either Atheros or Intel radios should keep you (reasonably) happy. Both have vendor cooperation now, which helps a great deal. -- Russell Senior, Secretary [email protected] _______________________________________________ PLUG mailing list [email protected] http://lists.pdxlinux.org/mailman/listinfo/plug
