Well, I had some extra cash laying around, so I finally bought a laptop. I use it when I travel and sitting around the house where my desktop isn't. I also use it as a sort of network monitoring/troubleshooting/security workstation.

Features include (for the 262670U model):

• 14.1 inch 1024x768 Screen (NeoMagic 256AV)
• 4.3GB IDE Disk, 64MB RAM
• CD/Floppy
• Two PC Slots
• Three mouse buttons + trackpoint (I really pefer the trackpoint)
• Can have two batteries
• 7.5 lbs

Installation

Installation was a breeze. After wiping out Win98, I partitioned the disk for a swap and a large '/' partition. Then booted off the CD ROM for my RedHat 5.2 install. Apm works great.

As for X11, after downloading the newest XFree-86 drivers (3.3.3.1), it recognized my display and I was good to go. I've also tried the NeoMagic driver from RedHat and Precision Insight and it appears no different.

As for sound, I've had a harder time. I haven't been able to get sound to work with the included drivers in linux 2.2.3. I think that perhaps it is a Yamaha OPL-SA3 sound and I need the OSS/Commercial drivers. I would prefer not to do that so if anyone has a "free" solution, I would love to hear about it.

Usage

I like DHCP. I have it at work and at home so that I never have to do any configuration of my laptop. There is one catch. What if I'm dialing up and not connected to a network? This causes a long delay in booting. I have a solution to this common laptop kinda like the Win 95 hardware configuration startup choices.

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