"jim" writes:

> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
> specifically Acer laptops.
>
> Thanks!
>
> jim
>
>

Why are you asking here? Most of the advocates use Linux only at home
and not on their laptops. Most use Windows during the day. You're far
better off asking in ##Linux on irc freenode or in the general linux
newsgroup.

FWIW, I use Debian Lenny on my thinkpad x30 and except for
hibernation/suspend and the need to change the wireless card it works
fine. I even installed the entire thing encrypted.

The question you should be asking is: what HW is used in the laptop
(its probably only the wireless and the magic buttons you need worry
about) and ask about that HW specifically. A laptop is the sum of the
parts.

On May 4, 6:43 am, Hadron wrote:
> "jim" writes:
> > Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
> > specifically Acer laptops.
> Why are you asking here? Most of the advocates use Linux only at home
> and not on their laptops.

You know this how?

Although I'm inclined to agree - clearly most of the "advocates" here
don't actually use to any extend the products they are talking about,
on either side of the LINUX or Windows isle. Most of the stuff posted
here is total crap or political rhetoric.

On May 4, 3:54 am, "jim" wrote:
> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
> specifically Acer laptops.

We use openSUSE on Acer and Toshiba laptops; IMO openSUSE has the
best out-of-the-box functionality and hardware compatibility.

whitemice writes:

> On May 4, 6:43 am, Hadron wrote:
>> "jim" writes:
>> > Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
>> > specifically Acer laptops.
>> Why are you asking here? Most of the advocates use Linux only at home
>> and not on their laptops.
>
> You know this how?
>

You then go on to answer your own question ....

> Although I'm inclined to agree - clearly most of the "advocates" here
> don't actually use to any extend the products they are talking about,
> on either side of the LINUX or Windows isle. Most of the stuff posted
> here is total crap or political rhetoric.

--
< nobse> bleh... last night I had a dream... someone NMU'ed vim...
nightmare
-- in #debian-devel

On Sun, 04 May 2008 03:54:16 -0400, jim wrote:

> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops
> - specifically Acer laptops.
>
> Thanks!
>
> jim

Mine, of course! The best distro for anything is the one I use - if any
other one were better, I'd use it!

jim wrote:

> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
> specifically Acer laptops.
>
> Thanks!
>
> jim

You may just have to suck it and see. As an example, I find that Ubuntu 8.04
works really well on my Tecra M3. On the other hand, my son has a Dell
Vostro 1500 and the hardware support by Ubuntu was terrible. He is now
using OpenSUSE 10.3 and it runs perfectly.

The point here is that you may have to try a few different distros to see
which one works best on your hardware. In the end, the problem is that the
laptop manufacturers are not yet providing Linux drivers for their
hardware. I look forward to the day when that happens.

Ian

On Sun, 04 May 2008 23:13:52 +0800, Ian Hilliard wrote:

> jim wrote:
>
>> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
>> specifically Acer laptops.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> jim
>
> You may just have to suck it and see. As an example, I find that Ubuntu 8.04
> works really well on my Tecra M3. On the other hand, my son has a Dell
> Vostro 1500 and the hardware support by Ubuntu was terrible. He is now
> using OpenSUSE 10.3 and it runs perfectly.
>
> The point here is that you may have to try a few different distros to see
> which one works best on your hardware. In the end, the problem is that the
> laptop manufacturers are not yet providing Linux drivers for their
> hardware. I look forward to the day when that happens.
>
> Ian

The Linux distribution dance shifts into high gear when laptops are being
considered.

Oh well, with 600+ different versions of Linux, and growing by the day,
chances are he can find one that works with his hardware.

Maybe........


--
Moshe Goldfarb
Collector of soaps from around the globe.
Please visit The Hall of Linux Idiots:
http://linuxidiots.blogspot.com/

Moshe Goldfarb is flatfish (in real life Gary Stewart)

http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/2008/...arb-troll.html
http://colatrolls.blogspot.com/2007/...ish-troll.html

Traits:

* Nym shifting (see below)
* Self confessed thief and proud of it
* Homophobic
* Racist
* Habitual liar
* Frequently cross posts replies to other non-Linux related newsgroups
* Frequently cross posts articles originally not posted to COLA

On May 4, 3:54 am, "jim" wrote:
> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
> specifically Acer laptops.
>
> Thanks!
>
> jim

Your really better of not asking a technical question here.
Everything posted here becomes fodder for paid and professional trolls
who are on the payrolls of Microsoft and the RIAA.

Either use the alternate technical groups like comp.os.linux.misc or
even one of the laptop forums. Check to see if a local user group is
in your area and join an installfest.

For what it is worth, I'd traditionly used SuSE for laptops because it
had the broadest driver support. However, I'm more reluctant since
the Novell/Microsoft deal. I object to the deal, but more partically,
a lot of their engineers quit after the icrosoft contamination.

There is advantages of a apt-get based system as well, like Ubutua.

Good Luck and you can email personally if you'd like to discuss this
further.

ruben@mrbrklyn.com

Rube wrote:

> For what it is worth, I'd traditionly used SuSE for laptops because it
> had the broadest driver support. However, I'm more reluctant since
> the Novell/Microsoft deal. I object to the deal, but more partically,
> a lot of their engineers quit after the icrosoft contamination.

traditionly = traditionally
partically = particularly


> There is advantages of a apt-get based system as well, like Ubutua.

is advantages of = are advantages to
a apt-get = an apt-get
Ubutua = Ubuntu


You're definitely the slow one in your family, Rube.

mrbrklyn writes:

> On May 4, 3:54 am, "jim" wrote:
>> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
>> specifically Acer laptops.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> jim
>
> Your really better of not asking a technical question here.

Technical? Oh dear me.

> Everything posted here becomes fodder for paid and professional trolls
> who are on the payrolls of Microsoft and the RIAA.

What experience do you have Jim? Maybe YOU can help? I notice that my
earlier comments were on the ball. There are no COLA "advocates" giving
advice about Laptops bar one.

>
> Either use the alternate technical groups like comp.os.linux.misc or
> even one of the laptop forums. Check to see if a local user group is
> in your area and join an installfest.

Installfest!??!?!?! Ye gods. Don't forget to take something to block up
your nose and wear rubber gloves.

>
> For what it is worth, I'd traditionly used SuSE for laptops because it
> had the broadest driver support. However, I'm more reluctant since

Why does it? Surely these drivers should be in ALL distros?

> the Novell/Microsoft deal. I object to the deal, but more partically,
> a lot of their engineers quit after the icrosoft contamination.
>
> There is advantages of a apt-get based system as well, like Ubutua.

Ubutua? Never heard of it.

>
> Good Luck and you can email personally if you'd like to discuss this
> further.
>
> ruben@mrbrklyn.com

You know jack about Linux and even less about laptops.

Hadron writes:

> mrbrklyn writes:
>
>> On May 4, 3:54 am, "jim" wrote:
>>> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
>>> specifically Acer laptops.
>>>
>>> Thanks!
>>>
>>> jim
>>
>> Your really better of not asking a technical question here.
>
> Technical? Oh dear me.
>
>> Everything posted here becomes fodder for paid and professional trolls
>> who are on the payrolls of Microsoft and the RIAA.
>
> What experience do you have Jim? Maybe YOU can help? I notice that my

Apologies to Jim. I was of course referring to HPT's retarded twin
"Rube".

Quack quacked impotently:

> Why are you asking here? Most of the advocates use Linux only at home
> and not on their laptops. Most use Windows during the day.

Another garbage post from one of the most useless, lying, trolling pieces of
human excrement to ever infest COLA.

Too bad your mother didn't know of uses for a coathanger other than for
hanging up clothes.
--
Regards,
[tv]

....Just as easy as 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169

Owner/Proprietor, Cheesus Crust Pizza Company
Good to the last supper

"whitemice" wrote in message
news:3f93bda7-d313-4b48-a6bf-5e1912277e38@a70g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
> On May 4, 3:54 am, "jim" wrote:
>> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for laptops -
>> specifically Acer laptops.
>
> We use openSUSE on Acer and Toshiba laptops; IMO openSUSE has the
> best out-of-the-box functionality and hardware compatibility.

Thanks! I'll give it a go if Ubuntu doesn't work well.

jim

On Sun, 04 May 2008 19:25:16 -0400, jim wrote:

> Why don't hardware
> providers simply open source their drivers?

They are stepping on eachothers patents and copyrighted firmware. Crazy
as it is, especially with regard to Video Cards and WIFI

Don Marti is the expert on this topic.

Ruben

--
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Interesting Stuff
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software

So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998

http://fairuse.nylxs.com DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002

"Yeah - I write Free Software...so SUE ME"

"The tremendous problem we face is that we are becoming sharecroppers to our own cultural heritage -- we need the ability to participate in our own society."

"> I'm an engineer. I choose the best tool for the job, politics be damned.<
You must be a stupid engineer then, because politcs and technology have been attached at the hip since the 1st dynasty in Ancient Egypt. I guess you missed that one."

© Copyright for the Digital Millennium

> Your really better of not asking a technical question here.
> Everything posted here becomes fodder for paid and professional trolls
> who are on the payrolls of Microsoft and the RIAA.

If anyone is getting paid for the swill posted to this newsgroup I'd
be stunned. Most everything here is manic bordering on crazed.
Anyone who thinks this forum is filled with paid shills has a
persecution complex. No way that any reasonable person (or
corporation) cares at all what is posted here. Woe to the newbie who
comes here thinking they can get useful information or advice.

On Sun, 04 May 2008 18:41:06 -0700, whitemice wrote:

> If anyone is getting paid for the swill posted to this newsgroup I'd
> be stunned.

Either that or paid...
Microsoft paying people to troll. Imagine that.

Ruben


--
http://www.mrbrklyn.com - Interesting Stuff
http://www.nylxs.com - Leadership Development in Free Software

So many immigrant groups have swept through our town that Brooklyn, like Atlantis, reaches mythological proportions in the mind of the world - RI Safir 1998

http://fairuse.nylxs.com DRM is THEFT - We are the STAKEHOLDERS - RI Safir 2002

"Yeah - I write Free Software...so SUE ME"

"The tremendous problem we face is that we are becoming sharecroppers to our own cultural heritage -- we need the ability to participate in our own society."

"> I'm an engineer. I choose the best tool for the job, politics be damned.<
You must be a stupid engineer then, because politcs and technology have been attached at the hip since the 1st dynasty in Ancient Egypt. I guess you missed that one."

© Copyright for the Digital Millennium

Verily I say unto thee, that jim spake thusly:

> Mainly I am asking which distro has the best driver support for
> laptops - specifically Acer laptops.

I've run Fedora on my Acer Ferrari 4005WLMi since FC5, now running
Fedora 8 x86_64 quite happily. Graphics, audio, bluetooth, PCMCIA, DVD,
hibernate/suspend, USB, ext VGA, and LAN all just work.

Wi-Fi requires running bcm43xx-fwcutter, but that's the only hoop to
jump through, and that's common for all distros.

If it comes preinstalled with Windows, and you wish to preserve the
factory default settings, in case you need to return the machine for
repairs, make sure you back up the MBR before you install GRUB, because
Acer uses a proprietary bootloader that you will not be able to restore
later.

dd if=/dev/sda of=mbr.dd.img count=1 bs=512

--
K.
http://slated.org

..----
| 'When it comes to knowledge, "ownership" just doesn't make sense'
| ~ Cory Doctorow, The Guardian. http://tinyurl.com/22bgx8
`----

Fedora release 8 (Werewolf) on sky, running kernel 2.6.23.8-63.fc8
04:57:50 up 136 days, 1:33, 6 users, load average: 0.12, 0.04, 0.01

whitemice wrote:

> If anyone is getting paid for the swill posted to this newsgroup I'd
> be stunned. Most everything here is manic bordering on crazed.

Exactly.


> Anyone who thinks this forum is filled with paid shills has a
> persecution complex.

And guess who continually thinks and says that?


> No way that any reasonable person (or
> corporation) cares at all what is posted here. Woe to the newbie who
> comes here thinking they can get useful information or advice.

Newbs should go to the Linux forums for the best advice on what they're in
store for.