Inspiron 1420n Laptop?

[Joseph Sinclair]

I recently recommended (against my better judgment) a 1505n for a relative (who promptly had it shipped to me so I could "set it up", they're WAY too used to windows).
So far the machine seems to work fine, out of the box the only problem was that the video couldn't handle the resolution of the screen (it wanted to do 1024X768, but the screen is 1280X800).  A quick search on the Ubuntu fora and I found that there's an Intel video resolution fix program I needed, a quick apt-get install, and the video works fine.
I haven't tried the wireless yet, but the drivers and firmware are pre-installed, I just need to take it someplace with wifi to test, and haven't had time.
They ordered the upgraded battery, and that turns out to have been a really good idea, it fits in the same space as the original, but almost doubles the runtime.

I, too, noticed the Dell Ubuntu laptops, besides being deucedly hard to find, keep moving around and changing.  I think they're experimenting with different configs and placement to see what strikes, to them, an optimum balance between increased sales/profit and not getting MS too mad at them for clearly selling systems without the Windows Tax.

Intel 4229 is a basic wifi mini-pci card intended for "built-in" wifi in laptops.  It has excellent GPL driver support (but still requires a binary blob for the "firmware").

I don't generally like Dell (ask me about my customer service nightmares with them sometime), but any laptop with all Intel components should work well with Linux, check linuxcertified to be sure.  I actually prefer AMD chips and ATI chipsets myself, but their Linux support is nearly worthless at the moment.


Phillip Waclawski wrote:
> So, I'm still interested in getting a laptop that I can run Linux on,
> and now I'm not so pressed for time.
> 
> Has anyone gotten the new Dell Laptops? I'm curious because the prices
> for the various upgrade features seem to change daily. The 2Gig ram is
> now extra, when it was included, the 4 gig ram has gone down, but is
> still obscene. The cost for other colors went up $30....
> 
> I would love a review, or suggestions for other laptops (or someone who
> can tell me what an Intel 4229   device is from a wireless perspective?)
> 
> Thanks,
> Phil W.
> 
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> CIS Faculty: Phil Waclawski
> http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/~waclawski
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