From owner-freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG Fri Jan 2 12:43:34 2004 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id F1A9416A4CE for ; Fri, 2 Jan 2004 12:43:33 -0800 (PST) Received: from sizone.org (mortar.sizone.org [65.126.154.242]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A7BDE43D64 for ; Fri, 2 Jan 2004 12:43:20 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from dgilbert@daveg.ca) Received: by sizone.org (Postfix, from userid 66) id 3576B30754; Fri, 2 Jan 2004 15:43:20 -0500 (EST) Received: by canoe.dclg.ca (Postfix, from userid 101) id 5A50E1D1DC4; Fri, 2 Jan 2004 15:43:18 -0500 (EST) From: David Gilbert MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Message-ID: <16373.55270.209064.160847@canoe.dclg.ca> Date: Fri, 2 Jan 2004 15:43:18 -0500 To: Malcolm Kay In-Reply-To: <200401021727.43046.malcolm.kay@internode.on.net> References: <200401021727.43046.malcolm.kay@internode.on.net> X-Mailer: VM 7.17 under 21.4 (patch 14) "Reasonable Discussion" XEmacs Lucid cc: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Subject: Medium to High end notebook/laptop suitable for FBSD X-BeenThere: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Mobile computing with FreeBSD List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 02 Jan 2004 20:43:34 -0000 I'd like to recomend the Dell D-800... >>>>> "Malcolm" == Malcolm Kay writes: Malcolm> The wish list includes: UXGA display (1600x1200) on a Malcolm> reasonably large display capable of resolving most of this. UXGA (1600x1200) and WUXGA (1920x1200) are both options on the D800 Malcolm> Minimum 256Mb memory -- 512 would be nice. 2G is supported, but very expensive. 1G is affordable. Malcolm> FBSD supported LAN connection -- preferably via wireless. GigE on the mainboard and b, b/g, or a/b/g in the mini-pci slot. Dell's TM 1400 is a/b/g and supported by NDIS in 5.2. You can also buy 3'rd party ath driver mini-pci cards. Malcolm> Plenty of disk space, but prepared to settle for 40Gb or Malcolm> so. 60 Gig available, 40 gig 7200 RPM available. 2nd drive (internal) is an option. Malcolm> Internal Dialup modem that can be utilised through FBSD. No on this point. I have a pccard with an x-jack. very few laptops have the lucent chipset ... which is the only one we have a hacked linux binary driver for. I'm hoping that someone will hack NDIS to support this. Malcolm> Some method of connecting an optical mouse. (A connection Malcolm> for a conventional keyboard might also be attractive.) 3x USB. I use a USB mouse that only has a dongle ... and that stores the dongle in the mouse when not in use. Malcolm> CDROM/R/RW. (DVD play would be an attracive bonus.) All options. Dell's practially giving away DVD+RW's according to /. Malcolm> USB 3 ports. 1 firewire. Malcolm> Reasonably quick -- in the 2Ghz to 3 Ghz range Centrino 1.7. ~ equivalent to p4/2.6 Malcolm> The following aspects I don't see as being of much importance Malcolm> to me: (But of course it is possible that I'm overlooking Malcolm> some important aspect) Long period of battery use; I imagine Malcolm> power will be mostly be available. I have a 2nd battery that gives me about 4h. 2.5 h on the main battery Malcolm> Fancy power management. Power management isn't good in FreeBSD... but maybe Warner's patch will change that. Malcolm> Floppy drive. Floppy is available ... but would displace your cdrom when in use. Malcolm> The Toshiba satellite P20 seems to mostly have the hardware Malcolm> features I'd like to have (and is just about affordable); but Malcolm> I'm led to believe that there are extreme difficulties in Malcolm> getting FreeBSD operational on any late model Toshiba Malcolm> notebooks/laptops. Malcolm> Are there any suggestions as to where I might start looking? Malcolm> Is there anyone with a machine fulfilling most of my wish Malcolm> list with FBSD capability? The installation of FreeBSD is a snap on the D-800, but to be happy, you'll need: - The corrected AML code to make ACPI happy - The binary nvidia driver (faster 3D, better support) - 5.2 is going to be happier on this laptop than 5.1 was. Dave. -- ============================================================================ |David Gilbert, Independent Contractor. | Two things can only be | |Mail: dave@daveg.ca | equal if and only if they | |http://daveg.ca | are precisely opposite. | =========================================================GLO================