Re: Where to start: hardware and reading material

 On Fri, 7 Oct 2011 14:54:51 +1300, BigNosed UglyGuy wrote:
> I'm a Linux beginner.  Have dabbled a little with trying on my eeepc
> 701, I'd like to pick up a cheap laptop so I can delve deeper on a
> larger machine. So I have two requests for suggestions:
>
> Are there any laptops that are easier for a newbie to play around 
> with
> and get conversant with the basics (i.e. without major config
> /hardware issues to overcome)?

 the laptop you buy will be relevant to a certain extent, however the 
 two areas which generally cause most problems hardware wise are wifi and 
 accelerated graphics.

 for the former, atheros have long been a recommended brand, as their 
 drivers are open. ditto intel

 more info:
 https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Comparison_of_open-source_wireless_drivers

 for the latter, if acceleration matters for you, there are multiple 
 options. intel provide good open drivers, but their cards don't 
 generally have the technical capabilities of say nvidia and ati/amd

 ati/amd have recently started with open drivers i believe, but they are 
 not available for all cards and may not provide access to all features

 last i looked, nvidia don't provide open drivers or decent 
 documentation

 both the latter companies provide closed drivers which access the 
 majority of/all features, and they may or may not work well with the 
 kernel/distro you choose.

 there is also the nouveau project, aiming to provide accelerated 
 drivers for nvidia cards, although progress is slow and there is only 
 meagre 3d acceleration, 2d acceleration is better. nouveau is now the 
 default in major distros such as fedora, opensuse and ubuntu

 more info:
 https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Graphics_hardware_and_FOSS

 you may also get occasional problems with some ethernet adapters, i 
 recall broadcom can be troublesome sometimes, although this is changing

> With so much to look at online, what are the best sites and books to
> help me learn more?

 a search engine. that may sound facetious, but i've found it's the best 
 way to get info on linux distros - there is so much excellent 
 documentation out there. or find the most popular forum for your distro. 
 i use ubuntu, and ubuntuforums.org is very useful

> Sorry if I'm the Xth person to ask this so far this month - couldn't
> see a similar thread in the last few months so thought I'd ask for
> help! All suggestions appreciated.

 also, i'd suggest joining your local LUG, and heading there for help. 
 check linux.net.nz for details of where the nearest group is. or if 
 you're in auckland, there are plenty of folks at Tangle Ball who know 
 lots around linux and floss in general:
 http://tangleball.org.nz

-- 
 robin

 http://bumblepuppy.org/blog/?p=237 - government bill to remove basic 
 human rights in NZ

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