I’m looking at getting some training at RedHat later this year. I’m thinking about buying a laptop to drag to these classes. As far as hardware goes, I’d like to get as much ram & hard disk space as possible (I’d really like to install RedHat, SuSe, and Solaris 10 on it) and something with a built in wireless connection.
Oh, and of course, I’d like it to be cheap 
I’m looking at a Compaq Presario M2000Z at $529 (after rebates, of course :rolleyes: )
Any recommendations appreciated. Thanks!
I’ve had good luck with a KDS Valiant 6480i PTD, but with its 800mhz PIII, 128mb stock RAM, and lack of CD burner or Ethernet, it might be a bit, uh, dated for your tastes.
Check out http://www.tuxmobil.org/ for other folks’ experiences with particular models.
You might also want to take a look at vendors who will take care of the install for you. The two that spring immediatly to mind are Emperor Linux and Linux Certified. EL sells brand-name models at a few hundred bucks markup, and LC tends to sell no-name brands that would otherwise be destined for rebadging (eg, whoever really makes Winbooks.)
You should probably be able to find other resellers advertising in the Linux Journal.
One possible option for grepping hardware compatibility hands-on: bring a Knoppix or Fedora live CD with you to the WorstBuy with you, and boot the sucker up. Knoppix tends to have really, really good hardware detection, though, so it may give you an unrealistically rosy picture of your out-of-the-box compatibility with another distro. At worst, you’ll be able to do a hard-drive install of your Knoppix image if it picks up things that the other distros miss. Dunno about Fedora; I’m a Debian dude.
I don’t know about your skill level, so here’s one caveat: beware of laptops that use the Intel Pro Wireless chipsets for WiFi, ie, anything branded Centrino. They’ve released open source drivers, but last time I checked, they’re neither particularly good nor included in many distros. You’ll end up having to either compile 'em yourself or use the ndiswrapper method.
If the above paragraph means nothing to you, just avoid buying a Centrino unless you’re absolutely certain that the wifi is supported in your distro.
Personally, I’m looking for a sub-three pounder with excellent battery life for less than 700 bucks, like a used Sharp Actius MM10 or MM20.
No thanks. I’ll pass.