From owner-freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG Mon Nov 22 10:31:12 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 3068716A4CE for ; Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:31:12 +0000 (GMT) Received: from netserver2.cyonisp.net (69-3-40-56.sdsl.lbdsl.net [69.3.40.56]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 84C1243D48 for ; Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:31:11 +0000 (GMT) (envelope-from julesg@newebmail.com) Received: from [192.168.0.104] (pool-151-199-18-56.bos.east.verizon.net [151.199.18.56]) (authenticated (0 bits))iAL1t478027625; Sat, 20 Nov 2004 20:55:15 -0500 Message-ID: <41A1BFA6.9050908@newebmail.com> Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 05:29:58 -0500 From: Jules Gilbert User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird 0.8 (Windows/20040913) X-Accept-Language: en-us, en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: freebsd-mobile@freebsd.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Subject: heard on the grapevine... 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: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 10:31:12 -0000 A friend of mine was recently contacted by DELL. They offered him a 45-day free trial of a dynamite laptop, based on 1920 pixels on a side, and AMD 64-bit internals, running at 2.2Ghz. A battery consisting of 12 cells, instead of the usual 8, which they claim will support four hours of use. Probably, it's a decent system. For free. For 45 days. Apparently, DELL has changed their marketing habits. I have a 32-bit Inspiron, model 1150, which doesn't play well with FreeBSD at all! I can't use the built-in winModem, and it has some other issues, too. My point: I expect that we need to contact DELL and get them to make things a little easier for the FreeBSD community -- because I found my Inspiron so difficult to support that I had to go back to a split disk, with some portion lost to XP. But if we were to help them along, I'll bet they would love to support us -- and sell even more laptops, too... --jg PS: Once upon a time, Ford gave me a car they were about to annouce to test-drive. For free. On the condition that afterward I answer a few questions. But this laptop trial is intended to sell their laptops. A good idea.