HP Releases Linux-Based Notebook 392
SteamyMobile writes "As the article says, 'In a sign the Linux operating system may be gaining traction beyond server and other back-room systems, HP said Tuesday it will be the first major PC maker to ship a business notebook computer pre-installed' with Linux. This is great news because, as anyone who has ever tried to run Linux (or even Windows XP) on a laptop knows, laptops come with all kinds of funky hardware, and it's often a mess trying to find and configure the right kernel modules to make things like software suspend work correctly. Having it shipped pre-loaded, and with support, makes it easy for me to decide where I'm getting my next laptop. Linux has been ready for the desktop for a while now, but it is good to see companies like HP acknowledging that."
Re:But which distro? (Score:2, Informative)
2nd paragraph "The HP Compaq nx5000 will feature Novell Inc.'s SuSE Linux"
WTF? No Wireless or DVD+RW? (Score:5, Informative)
A day late and a dollar short in my case. (Score:5, Informative)
SuSE makes this even better (Score:5, Informative)
SuSE also has a good repuation of GPL'ing their work where as Linspire won't even offer a free download AFAIK.
Bah. (Score:5, Informative)
Hardly. I owned an IBM T20 which qualifies as a business notebook computer and it shipped with Linux years ago. Here is the coverage [computerworld.com] from June 19/2000.
Re:Not sure what the article author is talking abo (Score:3, Informative)
Re:How about drivers for the current crop of hardw (Score:5, Informative)
The SD consortium folks did not publish enough information for open source drivers. You had to sign various agreements to see the specs, etc.
However, this situation is now changing...
Our dear Redmond friends recently asked them for permission to ship SD drivers in source form; we (HP) said "sure, so long as open source drivers are possible". So this got them off the dime to open up SD implementations (at least the software side; they are keeping the mechanical and electrical specs locked up; they want to ensure interoperability of the hardware, and enforce it as part of the contracts you have to sign to get access to those specs).
So the programming specs are getting opened up; this should have taken place by now. This didn't happen in time for the Nx5000.
There is an SD driver developed independently on the iPAQ handheld for Linux from information that had already leaked out over the last several years; this needs further work for particular SD chip implementations. But it was problematical to distribute, at least by a member of the SD group.
At least it is now possible for do drivers, not possible in the past. I don't know how long it will take to get support done for a particular implementation; if you are interested, go for it!
- Jim
Still not fully supported tho- (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Ahhhhh....One Second Please (Score:1, Informative)
Or you just occasionally run a program supplied by MS or any other vendor that removes dead links in all of those places. There's no reason to re-install W2K or WXP any more.
Re:$60 difference... (Score:5, Informative)
they are giving your SuSE 9.1 for the same price as XP home. We are not getting a price break.
They think this will be a low volume product, or they are not sure what the support costs will be.
Linux on Apple laptops (Score:2, Informative)
Actually, you should go and browse Yellow Dog Linux's site. They provide PowerBooks and iBooks with YDL preinstalled, dual boot with OSX. Even for these experts, not all hardware is supported.
I have installed Gentoo on an iBook with fair results; it works better on my G4 desktop. I've done better on the Dell Inspiron 2150. The best two laptops, in my experience are the Dell Inspiron 7000-7500 (old, yes, but works 100%) and the IBM T41.
It's not new (Score:3, Informative)
Take a look at http://www.emperorlinux.com/
This looks like the best solution to me, and it avoids the HP problem.
Not the Point (Score:3, Informative)
Re:WTF? No Wireless or DVD+RW? (Score:4, Informative)
I don't understand what legality has to do with it.
Re:linux-laptop! (Score:2, Informative)
one easy way to find an easy setup assistant is http://public.planetmirror.com/pub/radeonigp/
Th
Re:linux-laptop! (Score:2, Informative)
Get a Linux Laptop Today (Score:3, Informative)
This is good news, but I was at LinuxWorld today and I was sooo impressed with the guys from Linux Certified [linuxcertified.com] that I'll be seriously surprised if my next Linux Laptop doesn't come from them. When you go with a smaller vendor like Linux Certified and you have a problem, the person who answers the phone (there's the first difference, a human will answer the phone) will actually know something about Linux and be able to help you.
I applaud HP, but it's too little too late in my book. Linux Certified closed a sale today with old-fashioned customer service.
Wait, what about my Zaurus then? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:WTF? No Wireless or DVD+RW? (Score:4, Informative)
SuSE is a paid-for distribution; it contains closed-source and other non-Free components, distributed under special arrangements with the copyright holders. It is very likely that some licencing conflict somewhere precludes SuSE Linux AG from distributing cdrecord-prodvd. It is also possible that SuSE charges a premium for the "enhanced", DVD-ready version of its software, and will not allow HP to resell it.
However, all the older versions of cdrecord were released under the GPL, and the source code was already out there; so anybody else could work in DVD support independently. This is exactly what was done with the version that comes with Debian (at least, Sarge/Testing and Sid/Unstable), as the below excerpt indicates:
DVD recording also works properly on Mandrake -- the other free-as-in-beer distro. Not surprising really since a Mandrake developer is credited in the output above! It ought to be possible to get the source code from Debian or Mandrake. Once you've patched it to cope with SuSE's file structure {makes much use of /opt, IIRC; Debian is /usr all the way} you could always repackage it as an RPM. This is the best thing to do anyway if you intend to put the main binary in /usr/bin; just be sure to give it a version number higher than the distribution's official package, in case of security updates trampling on it.
.....
Note that my trials have been confined to DVD+RW discs {which, officially, aren't even DVDs; the DVD-forum clearly couldn't stand the fact that someone had managed to invent a better way of making recordable DVDs than they had, and threw their toys out of the pram}. It is no coincidence that these discs are what my TV recorder requires
There is also the more mundane possibility that the supplied DVD+RW drive is incompatible with the kernel on the supplied install/rescue disc. I found a DVD+RW in a 1U server that would boot the Debian Woody CD, but not install from it -- I was so glad I had specced in a floppy drive! Downloading and compiling a new kernel soon sorted it; but Debian doesn't require a kernel which is patched to buggery.
As for the wireless bit, well, TTBOMK the Intel