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View Full Version : Why I don’t want a laptop that can run Linux



karellen
June 4th, 2007, 08:08 AM
http://www.venturecake.com/?p=1
what do you people think? too "pretentious"?...

H.E. Pennypacker
June 4th, 2007, 08:27 AM
Before I opened this thread, I went "Oh no, not another negative post by karellen." For some reason, I got the feeling you were/are anti-Linux. I could be entirely wrong.

PS: I did actually click on the link. I realize it's not you.

Tux Aubrey
June 4th, 2007, 08:30 AM
Just another blogger setting a high bar for linux (IMO). On the other hand, there's no harm in being aspirational.

I wonder whether any of these guys have ever actually installed windows from scratch?

I also wonder how many of these people (and there seem to be thousands) could more fruitfully spend their time helping to "fix" things rather than writing yet another tedious amateur review of something they have no obvious qualifications to comment on. Ah, the wonders of the world wide web! Everyone gets to be a journalist whether they have any talent or not. I give it about as much cred as a view expressed by a Big Brother contestant.

Bachstelze
June 4th, 2007, 08:32 AM
Better buy no laptop then, I've never seen a single one that could not run Linux :p

karellen
June 4th, 2007, 08:34 AM
:)...well...no, I'm not anti-Linux as I'm not anti-Microsoft either. I think I'm somewhere in the middle, anyway I like to raise problems regarding both the aforementioned alternatives (as everyone knows pretty well that drawback windows has maybe that's why I tend to post more stuff about currently areas that Linux still needs improvements). I've used plenty of distros (beginning some long time ago with suse 9.2 and ending, for now, with Ubuntu) and I'm not going to give up linux as I'm not going to become an exlusive linux user. I need to dual-boot and I see no problem in doing this

kevinlyfellow
June 4th, 2007, 08:41 AM
I kinda think he has a good suggestion. Make a list of all laptops that are known to work 100% out of the box and not a list that gives details about how this and that works.

I don't think his intention was to say that Linux should work better with hardware, but that hardware should work better with Linux.

PartisanEntity
June 4th, 2007, 09:12 AM
I have a laptop where just about everything works, I did do some tinkering such as setting the correct resolution and buying a more Linux friendly wifi card... but I am still alive.

Next, I have decided I won't buy a car if it requires me to set my seat hight correctly...

DoctorMO
June 4th, 2007, 09:58 AM
his list is silly:

Section 1: Works flawlessly
a) Sound (including multiple apps simultaneously) - which doesn't work with windows because of 2a and 2c
b) Widescreen video - which does work with windows but not without 2c
c) 3D acceleration - not without 2c
d) Wireless and wired networking - mostly not without 2c and a hell of a lot of 2a and even some 2b in windows
e) Suspend / resume - does not work flawlessly in windows on all machines
f) Multimedia keys - not without 2c
g) Media readers (for SD cards and so on) - Work flawlessly on Linux and windows as required using Mass storage device specification on usb bus. none usb bus MSDs require 2c
h) Inbuilt camera - Major requirement of 2c
i) Bluetooth - Requires 2c
j) Modem (apparently some people use these) - Requires 2c
k) Any other advertised hardware functionality - None specific, ignored

Section 2: works without
a) any configuration editing - Linux will work on laptops built for linux
b) any terminal usage - You don't have to use the terminal but why cut off your own hand to spite your fingers?
c) any software not provided by the install CD and default repositories - Hold on when did any drivers or software come with windows? no way is this a serious argument against Linux
d) any non-prompted configuration - Ah yes lets let the installed mess up my computer without letting me know.


As above this guys talks bull droppings. windows ALWAYS requires far more 2a and 2c than linux does for the average computer; desktop, server or laptop and I fail to see why this guy is been given the time of a balanced view by anyone on these forums.