Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
Yyyy! 3.8 kernel does have the module. I generally find the next version of Ubuntu solves probs with drivers for relatively new equipment. Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 06/02/13 13:50, Rowan Berkeley wrote: Linux Emporium do quite a range of Lenovo's with Ubuntu ready installed. I suppose when you rate the machines against the prices, you find that for any given price you're getting less of a machine, because the margin they charge for the installation is not inconsiderable. Rowan I'm a cheapskate speedfreak - want sped, don't care too much about the box as long as the keyboard/pad are useable, don't wanna pay MS tax (cos it's the difference between, say, an i3 and an i5) and I can research driver availability before I buy and put Ubuntu on it myself ;) I can see the PC specialist and Linux Emporium options can be good if you'd rather someone else did it - although I have often had to sort out stuff for friends like Toshiba netbooks with preinstalled Ubuntu which break as soon as the first kernel upgrade comes through. But isn't it fabulous that we're having a discussion about which provider to use - it used to be absolute murder trying to find a box without Windows preinstalled. Now I can choose from eBuyer Zoostorm, PCSpecialist, Aleutia, TranquilPC, Yoyotech, Novatech, pre-built barebones from eBay, Linux Emporium . . . I feel like a kid in a candy shop ;) Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 23/01/13 15:57, Mark Fraser wrote: On 18 January 2013 09:32, Simon Greenwood sfgreenw...@gmail.com mailto:sfgreenw...@gmail.com wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com mailto:mfraz74%2bubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk http://pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. Had a look around PCSpecialist and am considering either the Genesis IV or Enigma IV. I was thinking of including a blu-ray driver seeing as VLC now supports them, but would Intel HD Graphics 4000 work or should I go for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M? I also buy from PCSpecialist, their laptops are a similar Clevo chassis to the Zoostorm but you get higher spec for lower price with the Zoostorm laptop. I just bought a PCSpecialist mini ITX since Zoostorm desktop boxes sound like low-flying aircraft. I bought the Zoostorm laptop to replace a Lenovo G500 which I accidentally left in Starbucks on Freiburg Central Station before xmas. The Lenovo was fine but it weighed a ton, I had to pay Windows tax on it (not available naked) and the spec per £ ratio is even lower with low-end Lenovos than it is with the (naked) PCSpecialist Clevos. the more expensive PC specialist laptops have prettier cases, I'd rather have the RAM though ;) Paula Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 06/02/13 13:37, Paula Graham wrote: I also buy from PCSpecialist, their laptops are a similar Clevo chassis to the Zoostorm but you get higher spec for lower price with the Zoostorm laptop. I just bought a PCSpecialist mini ITX since Zoostorm desktop boxes sound like low-flying aircraft. I bought the Zoostorm laptop to replace a Lenovo G500 which I accidentally left in Starbucks on Freiburg Central Station before xmas. The Lenovo was fine but it weighed a ton, I had to pay Windows tax on it (not available naked) and the spec per £ ratio is even lower with low-end Lenovos than it is with the (naked) PCSpecialist Clevos. the more expensive PC specialist laptops have prettier cases, I'd rather have the RAM though ;) Paula Linux Emporium do quite a range of Lenovo's with Ubuntu ready installed. I suppose when you rate the machines against the prices, you find that for any given price you're getting less of a machine, because the margin they charge for the installation is not inconsiderable. But they do work - even the radio interfaces, and for all I know, the Bluetooth interfaces too. Their installations, incidentally, are quite elaborate multi-partition affairs, probably intended for developers rather than mere nerds like me. When you run a major upgrade on them, you have the option of losing all that and getting some more free space. Rowan -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 02/02/13 10:30, Barry Drake wrote: On 01/02/13 19:28, Paula Graham wrote: So, less confusingly chatty recap: 1. find and download the driver 2. change to driver's folder in a terminal 3. sudo make 4. sudo make-install 5. sudo modprobe [module ID] Paula Paula Thanks for talking this one through in such detail. I've saved it for future reference. I know what you mean about the problems getting the driver in the first place. A couple or three years ago I bought a wifi dongle and had to compile a module. There were four different drivers I found on the internet for this chipset, and only one of them worked. Next kernel update, the module would not compile because of a deprecated function that had been removed in a GCC update so I had to re-write a couple of lines in the source. The following kernel update incorporated the wifi chipset so I haven't had to bother since, but it was a pain at the time. Regards,Barry I Know - I just bought an Epson V37 scanner - it took me half a day to get track down the 4 components of the driver packaged for debian (no ubuntu debs) from two different websites which had to be installed in the correct order - and then Ubuntu still wouldn't recognise the device until I did a bunch more tweaking - and then there's a bug which causes apt-get to whinge every time I update now. Went to fix it by purging the debian drivers and compiling from source but the source for the driver is no longer available - or if it is I can't find it. There's a discussion on Launchpad about how someone should fix it but doesn't seem to have got beyond the discussion stage. Ubuntu has more drivers oob than any other OS so 9 times out of 10 the experience is infinitely better than with Windows - but when there isn't a native driver it really is an epic pain in the btm! Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 02/02/13 07:48, Rowan Berkeley wrote: On Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 7:28 PM, Paula Graham pmg...@gmx.co.uk mailto:pmg...@gmx.co.uk wrote: OK. Verbatim instructions plus chatty asides below cos it's Friday and I'm about to quit for the week wh!(etc) Paula I can see and digest all this. But without actually doing it again right now, I'd like to ask for one more instruction from anybody who feels able to supply it: I want one which will show me any other wireless drivers that may be loitering with intent to conflict, whether assigned, unassigned, enabled, disabled, or whatever. Then I can blacklist them, which is not hard. Don't know if there's a list anywhere - doubt it given that the thing is lurking in someone's Dropbox ;) Apropos the instructions I gave though - it does occur to me that I missed out what to do if Ubuntu whinges it hasn't got gcc when you issue the 'make' command. If it does, this will fix it: sudo apt-get install build-essential Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 01/02/13 19:28, Paula Graham wrote: So, less confusingly chatty recap: 1. find and download the driver 2. change to driver's folder in a terminal 3. sudo make 4. sudo make-install 5. sudo modprobe [module ID] Paula Paula Thanks for talking this one through in such detail. I've saved it for future reference. I know what you mean about the problems getting the driver in the first place. A couple or three years ago I bought a wifi dongle and had to compile a module. There were four different drivers I found on the internet for this chipset, and only one of them worked. Next kernel update, the module would not compile because of a deprecated function that had been removed in a GCC update so I had to re-write a couple of lines in the source. The following kernel update incorporated the wifi chipset so I haven't had to bother since, but it was a pain at the time. Regards,Barry -- Barry Drake is a member of the the Ubuntu Advertising team. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 31/01/13 20:30, Tyler J. Wagner wrote: On 2013-01-31 18:46, Paula Graham wrote: I've got the i3 version of the Zoostorm laptop - 12.04 installed perfectly except wifi chip is a bit of a pain, needs to be hunted down, compiled and then recompiled every time the kernel upgrades - native driver should be in kernel 3.8. The current driver is a tad flaky, drops connection irritatingly. An important thing to remember when buying laptops is that the wireless chipset is usual a mini/micro/whatever PCI card and can be swapped out for something with better support. When I run into a weird/Dell/Broadcom wifi chipset with bad Linux support, I buy the last-generation Intel chipset on eBay for £10 and toss the old in a pile somewhere. It's cheaper and easier than you think it is. Certainly easier than compiling a driver every few weeks. Tyler I dunno, doesn't seem a huge burden to me - the driver's in a handy folder - it takes all of 20 secs to compile - prefer it to opening a brand new laptop with a perfectly good Realtek chip (and I'm clumsy with hardware). Will just tolerate mild inconvenience, upgrade when 13.04 comes out with kernel 3.8 and native driver - problem solved, feisty laptop with no MS tax for under £400 ;) Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 01/02/13 15:54, Paula Graham wrote: I dunno, doesn't seem a huge burden to me - the driver's in a handy folder - it takes all of 20 secs to compile - prefer it to opening a brand new laptop with a perfectly good Realtek chip (and I'm clumsy with hardware). Will just tolerate mild inconvenience, upgrade when 13.04 comes out with kernel 3.8 and native driver - problem solved, feisty laptop with no MS tax for under £400 ;) You could already try the 3.8 kernel from the mainline ppa if you want to test the theory. http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/v3.3.8-quantal/ Cheers, -- Alan Pope Engineering Manager Canonical - Product Strategy +44 (0) 7973 620 164 alan.p...@canonical.com http://ubuntu.com/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 01/02/13 15:54, Paula Graham wrote: I dunno, doesn't seem a huge burden to me - the driver's in a handy folder - it takes all of 20 secs to compile - prefer it to opening a brand new laptop with a perfectly good Realtek chip (and I'm clumsy with hardware). Will just tolerate mild inconvenience, upgrade when 13.04 comes out with kernel 3.8 and native driver - problem solved, feisty laptop with no MS tax for under £400 ;) Paula Well, then, Paula, may I request you write a Wireless Installation Wizard, of as general application as possible, ie providing guidance for everybody with a converted machine and no wireless, with all the commands listed verbatim, for those of us confused by the scrappy and conflicting instructions on how to do it that are scattered across Ubuntu Forums? For my part, I have downloaded a copy of The Linux Command Line by William E Shotts, which will gradually teach me how to do all this for myself. I stress: gradually. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 3:54 PM, Paula Graham pmg...@gmx.co.uk wrote: I dunno, doesn't seem a huge burden to me - the driver's in a handy folder - it takes all of 20 secs to compile - prefer it to opening a brand new laptop with a perfectly good Realtek chip (and I'm clumsy with hardware). Will just tolerate mild inconvenience, upgrade when 13.04 comes out with kernel 3.8 and native driver - problem solved, feisty laptop with no MS tax for under £400 ;) Paula On second thoughts, a Wireless Witch would be better still. But it doesn't have to be automated; just a coherent, start-to-finish set of instructions that a human can follow, that would be fine. As I said, soon laptops will have become notebooks and the network cable option will no longer exist, so there will be a general need for this. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 01/02/13 16:18, Rowan Berkeley wrote: On 01/02/13 15:54, Paula Graham wrote: I dunno, doesn't seem a huge burden to me - the driver's in a handy folder - it takes all of 20 secs to compile - prefer it to opening a brand new laptop with a perfectly good Realtek chip (and I'm clumsy with hardware). Will just tolerate mild inconvenience, upgrade when 13.04 comes out with kernel 3.8 and native driver - problem solved, feisty laptop with no MS tax for under £400 ;) Paula Well, then, Paula, may I request you write a Wireless Installation Wizard, of as general application as possible, ie providing guidance for everybody with a converted machine and no wireless, with all the commands listed verbatim, for those of us confused by the scrappy and conflicting instructions on how to do it that are scattered across Ubuntu Forums? For my part, I have downloaded a copy of The Linux Command Line by William E Shotts, which will gradually teach me how to do all this for myself. I stress: gradually OK sorry - it sounds grim but it's really easy to compile it once you've managed to find the wretched driver in the first place. Verbatim instructions plus chatty asides below cos it's Friday and I'm about to quit for the week wh! If your chip's the same as mine it's easy cos I know where the driver is, if not, you'll have to track it down (if I happen to read my email lists at the time I'll help). First you have to find out which wireless chip you have. Open a shell (ctl+alt+t) type: lspci at the prompt - it'll spit out a list of PCI devices among which the ID of your wifi chip should be found. It might not say 'wifi' but it's the networking chip that *isn't* ethernet. Google with the chip's model for the driver. On my Zoostorm, lspci lists the driver like this: 02:00.0 Network controller: Realtek Semiconductor Co., Ltd. Device 8723 So in my case I googled this string: realtek 8723 driver linux and found a bunch of people disagreeing confusingly in various forums - after reading and inwardly digesting I gleaned that there are currently two versions of the driver, one for kernel 3.2 and one for kernel 3.5. To find out which one you want, do this command to find out which kernel you have: uname -r To which my Ubuntu 12.04 replies: 3.2.0-37-generic (No, Alan, I'm not going to upgrade my kernel to a release candidate for 3.8 on my main production laptop lol - I'm going to wait for Ubuntu 13.04) So this means I need the kernel 3.2 driver Found this driver in a very helpful person's post at the bottom of the page here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/139632/wireless-card-realtek-rtl8723ae-bt-is-not-recognized - it's shared in someone's Dropbox but there's testimony from someone who'd already used the driver without having their laptop eaten by monsters so I downloaded it. I can confirm that no disaster occurred after installing it. If your chip is the same, type this command in your terminal to download it and unpack it (it's all one line, the email is wrapping it): wget -O- http://dl.dropbox.com/u/57056576/DRIVERS/REALTEK/rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_linux_mac80211_0006.0514.2012.tar.gz | tar -xz Once you've got your mitts on the driver the hard bit is done and you won't have to do it again as long as you still have kernel 3.2 (this probably won't change on Ubuntu 12.04 - the upgrades are incremental but the version stays the same). Now change directory to the driver's folder with th 'cd' command: cd /path/to/driver The real command will probably look something like this because the driver folder has a somewhat overly informative name: cd /home/myname/Downloads/rtl_92ce_92se_92de_8723ae_linux_mac80211_0006.0514.2012 Once you're in there, type these commands one by one, waiting till Ubuntu finishes chewing each command: sudo make sudo make install Then do this command to make Ubuntu load it (it'll load automatically on subsequent reboots): sudo modprobe rtl8723e And you're done. Ubuntu immediately starts scanning for the network. On subsequent recompiles, assuming you kept the driver folder, all you have to do is change to the folder and run just the 3 simple commands: make, make-install and modprobe rtl8723e - if you can't remember the module number (I can't!) the commands should still be loitering about in the BASH history - scroll up with the up key till you find them or just make a note of the command somewhere so you can just paste it in again ;) If stuck, this command: lsmod | grep wifi will give you the driver module's ID: rtl8723e It's mildly annoying but pretty quick. Any attempt to automate it IMHO will most likely result in a wasted afternoon smacking your forehead against the wall plus possible remedial cos you've made a mess. Or you can take Alan's advice and upgrade your kernel to 3.8 release candidate and see if the driver's really there, for the good of the community ;) So, less confusingly chatty recap: 1. find and download the driver 2. change to driver's folder
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 01/02/13 15:54, Paula Graham wrote: I dunno, doesn't seem a huge burden to me - the driver's in a handy folder - it takes all of 20 secs to compile - prefer it to opening a brand new laptop with a perfectly good Realtek chip (and I'm clumsy with hardware). Will just tolerate mild inconvenience, upgrade when 13.04 comes out with kernel 3.8 and native driver - problem solved, feisty laptop with no MS tax for under £400 ;) Paula If you're comfortable with that, look into dkms. It'll compile the driver for you when you install a new kernel. Regards, Tyler -- Anyone who truly understands UI design realizes that every preference option is an admission of defeat: it's there because you couldn't just get it right the first time. -- Jamie Zawinski -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 01/02/13 19:28, Paula Graham wrote: OK sorry - it sounds grim but it's really easy to compile it once you've managed to find the wretched driver in the first place. Verbatim instructions plus chatty asides below cos it's Friday and I'm about to quit for the week wh! (gallop, gallop, gallop) Paula Just saw this, 2 am being a typical start time for me. Thank you kindly. You have inspired me to plod through the whole thing once again. By the way, Mr Shotts highly acclaimed book on the Linux Command Line is here: http://gd.tuwien.ac.at/linuxcommand.org/ Rowan -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On Fri, Feb 1, 2013 at 7:28 PM, Paula Graham pmg...@gmx.co.uk wrote: OK. Verbatim instructions plus chatty asides below cos it's Friday and I'm about to quit for the week wh! (etc) Paula I can see and digest all this. But without actually doing it again right now, I'd like to ask for one more instruction from anybody who feels able to supply it: I want one which will show me any other wireless drivers that may be loitering with intent to conflict, whether assigned, unassigned, enabled, disabled, or whatever. Then I can blacklist them, which is not hard. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 19/01/13 10:21, Colin Law wrote: On 19 January 2013 10:16, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: On Friday 18 Jan 2013 09:32:35 Simon Greenwood wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. Thanks for reminding me about PCSPecialist I had visited their site before, but had forgotten that they can supply laptops without an OS. Can't seem to find the Clemo laptop you mentioned though. It is Clevo not Clemo, who manufacture the laptops that pcspecialist sell. I believe that all their laptops are Clevo but don't know that for certain. Certainly the Genesis IV that I bought recently is a Clevo. Did my earlier email not get through where I said that already? Colin I've got the i3 version of the Zoostorm laptop - 12.04 installed perfectly except wifi chip is a bit of a pain, needs to be hunted down, compiled and then recompiled every time the kernel upgrades - native driver should be in kernel 3.8. The current driver is a tad flaky, drops connection irritatingly. Having said that, the chip might vary even in the same Zoostorm model but I've got 3 different Zoostorm laptops/PCs and they all installed without fuss except for the occasional wifi hassle. Overall, adore the laptop, fabulous spec for the price, keyboard is comfy, touchpad a bit irritating but perfectly useable, screen crisp, and whilst it's certainly not an ultrabook it's not unweildy either. Paula -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On Thu, Jan 31, 2013 at 6:46 PM, Paula Graham pmg...@gmx.co.uk wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- I've got the i3 version of the Zoostorm laptop - 12.04 installed perfectly except wifi chip is a bit of a pain, needs to be hunted down, compiled and then recompiled every time the kernel upgrades - native driver should be in kernel 3.8. The current driver is a tad flaky, drops connection irritatingly. Having said that, the chip might vary even in the same Zoostorm model but I've got 3 different Zoostorm laptops/PCs and they all installed without fuss except for the occasional wifi hassle. Overall, adore the laptop, fabulous spec for the price, keyboard is comfy, touchpad a bit irritating but perfectly useable, screen crisp, and whilst it's certainly not an ultrabook it's not unweildy either. Paula It's always the wireless interface that needs skilled attention, while installing Ubuntu itself needs no skill at all. And as machines get down to notebook size, more and more of them have no network cable interfaces, so it's wireless or nothing (not to mention Bluetooth, which I haven't even grasped the purpose of yet). -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 2013-01-31 18:46, Paula Graham wrote: I've got the i3 version of the Zoostorm laptop - 12.04 installed perfectly except wifi chip is a bit of a pain, needs to be hunted down, compiled and then recompiled every time the kernel upgrades - native driver should be in kernel 3.8. The current driver is a tad flaky, drops connection irritatingly. An important thing to remember when buying laptops is that the wireless chipset is usual a mini/micro/whatever PCI card and can be swapped out for something with better support. When I run into a weird/Dell/Broadcom wifi chipset with bad Linux support, I buy the last-generation Intel chipset on eBay for £10 and toss the old in a pile somewhere. It's cheaper and easier than you think it is. Certainly easier than compiling a driver every few weeks. Tyler -- Privacy has to be viewed in the context of relative power. For example, the government has a lot more power than the people. So privacy for the government increases their power and increases the power imbalance between government and the people; it decreases liberty. Forced openness in government – open government laws, Freedom of Information Act filings, the recording of police officers and other government officials, WikiLeaks – reduces the power imbalance between government and the people, and increases liberty. -- Bruce Schneier -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 31 January 2013 20:30, Tyler J. Wagner ty...@tolaris.com wrote: An important thing to remember when buying laptops is that the wireless chipset is usual a mini/micro/whatever PCI card and can be swapped out for something with better support. When I run into a weird/Dell/Broadcom wifi chipset with bad Linux support, I buy the last-generation Intel chipset on eBay for £10 and toss the old in a pile somewhere. It's cheaper and easier than you think it is. Certainly easier than compiling a driver every few weeks. I agree with you here Tyler, an old Intel Centrino wireless chipset works very reliably. It's usually trivial to install as well, usually via a removable flap on the back or under the keyboard. -- Kris Douglas MBCS www.krisd.eu -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 18 January 2013 09:32, Simon Greenwood sfgreenw...@gmail.com wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.ukshould have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. Had a look around PCSpecialist and am considering either the Genesis IV or Enigma IV. I was thinking of including a blu-ray driver seeing as VLC now supports them, but would Intel HD Graphics 4000 work or should I go for the NVIDIA GeForce GT 650M? -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 19/01/13 10:18, Mark Fraser wrote: I've used DKMS before, mainly for Nvidia drivers. It isn't that it scares me - I used Fedora before moving over to Ubuntu and that required the re- installation of graphics drivers every time the kernel changed - I just don't fancy having to remember to check after every upgrade. You shouldn't have/need to. If you do, it's a bug we should fix. Cheers, -- Alan Pope Engineering Manager Canonical - Product Strategy +44 (0) 7973 620 164 alan.p...@canonical.com http://ubuntu.com/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On Friday 18 Jan 2013 09:32:35 Simon Greenwood wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. Thanks for reminding me about PCSPecialist I had visited their site before, but had forgotten that they can supply laptops without an OS. Can't seem to find the Clemo laptop you mentioned though. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On Friday 18 Jan 2013 12:25:16 Alan Pope wrote: On 18/01/13 02:36, Rob Beard wrote: I was under the impression that you can configure things like drivers to re-compile when a kernel changes, not that I know exactly how to configure it to do so (is it something to do with DKMS?). Yes, DKMS does that. However sometimes (not often) the upstream driver breaks when a new kernel comes out which might need manual intervention. If this scares you then choose a machine which has non-stupid wifi if possible. I've used DKMS before, mainly for Nvidia drivers. It isn't that it scares me - I used Fedora before moving over to Ubuntu and that required the re- installation of graphics drivers every time the kernel changed - I just don't fancy having to remember to check after every upgrade. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 19 January 2013 10:16, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: On Friday 18 Jan 2013 09:32:35 Simon Greenwood wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. Thanks for reminding me about PCSPecialist I had visited their site before, but had forgotten that they can supply laptops without an OS. Can't seem to find the Clemo laptop you mentioned though. It is Clevo not Clemo, who manufacture the laptops that pcspecialist sell. I believe that all their laptops are Clevo but don't know that for certain. Certainly the Genesis IV that I bought recently is a Clevo. Did my earlier email not get through where I said that already? Colin -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
I have not had any great issues with Wifi on any of the laptops I've installed on... I suspect that the find a laptop that Ubuntu will work on is becoming less and less of a factor these days, as not only does wireless hardware become more generic but the OS continues to support more and more. I'm running Ubuntu perfectly well (with Wireless) on two Currys own-brand laptops (Advent and e-Machines) Sean -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. s/ -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 18 January 2013 09:32, Simon Greenwood sfgreenw...@gmail.com wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/ There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. I think that should be Clevo. I bought a pcspecialist Genesis IV with i5 processor recently and have been satisfied. With 12.10 pretty much everything worked out of the box, and any minor issues I had were easily sorted. The only proviso is that I do not know about the situation if you have a graphics upgrade rather than using the built in Intel graphics (which works fine). Colin -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 18/01/13 07:58, Mark Fraser wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. I was under the impression that you can configure things like drivers to re-compile when a kernel changes, not that I know exactly how to configure it to do so (is it something to do with DKMS?). Saying that it might be possible to replace the wireless card with something better supported (all the wireless cards I've seen have been a fairly standard connection), or alternatively albeit not ideal you could possibly get a micro wifi adaptor (one of those USB ones which only sticks out about half a centimetre from the USB port so unlikely to cause much bother. You might also be lucky and find the wifi is supported in the newer releases of Ubuntu. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 18/01/13 09:32, Simon Greenwood wrote: On 18 Jan 2013 07:59, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com mailto:mfraz74%2bubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. There are plenty of more well known names around that price that have better support for Ubuntu. The Lenovo G700 series immediately come to mind, mostly because I've got one. A Clemo laptop from pcspecialist.co.uk http://pcspecialist.co.uk should have a similar spec for that price and they support Ubuntu as they are the same models that System76 sell. s/ Wow, PC Specialist aren't bad, same spec machine with 3 year warranty is only about another 15 quid. Rob -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
Re: [ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
On 18 January 2013 07:58, Mark Fraser mfraz74+ubu...@gmail.com wrote: Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. Simplicity resell Zoostorm / Clevo machines with Linux Mint - it works pretty well. We used to have to do some tweaking to get Wifi cameras working on some models but not since Mint 13. (~= Ubuntu 12.04). http://www.simplicitycomputers.co.uk/ -- Liam Proven • Profile: http://lproven.livejournal.com/profile Email: lpro...@cix.co.uk • GMail/G+/Twitter/Flickr/Facebook: lproven MSN: lpro...@hotmail.com • Skype/AIM/Yahoo/LinkedIn: liamproven Tel: +44 20-8685-0498 • Cell: +44 7939-087884 -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
[ubuntu-uk] Zoostorm laptop at ebuyer.com
Found this zoostorm laptop on ebuyer's website http://www.ebuyer.com/411061- zoostorm-laptop-7873-9042 and was wondering if it would be suitable for installing Ubuntu on. Some of the comments mention lack of Debian drivers for wi-fi, but there are instructions on how to compile drivers although I don't fancy going through that every time the kernel changes. -- ubuntu-uk@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-uk https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UKTeam/
