[H-GEN] Toshiba notebook.

[Byron Ellacott]

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On Thu, 2002-10-24 at 11:11, Andrae Muys wrote:
> Either today or tomorrow I plan to buy myself a notebook, at the moment the 
> one I'm seriously considering is a Toshiba TE2100.  However it does come 
> with a GeForce4 420GO video card, which I haven't been able to find in any 
> hardware compatibility lists anywhere.  I was wondering if anyone had any 
> experience with this chipset?  (Or this notebook for that matter?)

Unless you really want Windows compatibility, I would suggest you
investigate the iBook.

While Apple hardware is not in any sense more reliable, it is
consistent.  The iBook hardware is VERY well supported by Linux - with
the only exception being a glitch or two with the sound device (you
REALLY want to compile the sound device as a module ;)

There are also non-software advantages and disadvantages for the iBook. 
First, in a price/performance view it is an excellent deal, as you'll be
hard pressed finding equivalent hardware on an Intel laptop for the same
price.  It also has built in 10/100 Ethernet, USB, CDROM (or DVD/CDR,
depending on the model) and firewire.  Later models also have Bluetooth
built in.  It lacks PCMCIA however, so if you have or will need to have
PCMCIA cards you would need a USB reader.  On the other hand, the
primary use for PCMCIA slots is networking, and the iBooks have an
internal slot for a wireless card.

I bought a slightly older model iBook, and have had no troubles with it
except for the sound issue - if the sound driver is compiled in, or the
module is in memory when the machine is suspended, on occasion a
feedback loop will occur when the machine is opened.  I've never even
tried the built in modem, I don't know if drivers exist for it or not ;)

Debian installed on it flawlessly, the special keys on the keyboard all
work, but it is important to note that the touchpad has only ONE mouse
button - I emulate a second button with a keypress.

I personally refuse to ever touch an nVidia product ever again, having
experienced the joys of their binary only drivers.  ATI on the other
hand I have had no problems with at all.

-- 
bje

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