Reccommendations for Linux Laptop

[Captain Newbie]

Here's the deal:

I'd like to have a laptop whose hardware is known to be 99.9% compatible with current kernels, capable of running Gnome (although sometimes it will not be used), that is lightweight, small, and has a decent to long battery life. It's got to have a PCMCIA slot, and built-in-wireless is actually optional since I intend to use a PCMCIA card as wireless anyway for most of the time.

DVD-R is nice. So is built-in ethernet.

Want to use it for--
1) Wardriving! and other network security stuff, I intend to learn as much about security as possible.
2) Working with Eclipse/Java for my classes
3) The usual 'lappie stuff'.

I'd prefer to not spend a boatload of cash, and for our purposes let's cap it at $1400 unless any of you know about something that is Truly Awesome and is marginally more. I would also prefer to NOT PAY FOR WINDOWS THAT I MOST LIKELY WILL NOT USE if that's manageable.

Discuss.

 

[jcw122]

Well first off, I don't have anything hardware wise to add. Except I think Pentium M's are freeking awesome, they would be a good idea to use.

Next, software wise, depending on which Distro you pick...if they have a LiveCD...USE IT to do the install. That way you'd have a good chance of being able to use the OS while it's installing onto the CD...while being online and getting help if needed.


BTW, got a budget?

Additionally, check out the Brand sticky in Laptop section, on reliable/popular/good brands.

 

[su root]

Never, ever have had an issue (nor heard of any issues) with running Linux on IBM Thinkpads (pre-Lenovo). I have a G40, it's a desktop replacement, you may want to look into the T series... T40, T42 or so.

All of the hardware is discovered and available immediately, including internal wireless. KDE has support for the Thinkpad buttons right off, or there's a project called TPB that'll get them working under your choice of window manager. http://www.nongnu.org/tpb/

Edit: You may want to look into the security auditor collection, it's a knoppix distro that contains a few dozen tools. Otherwise it takes you an hour or so to get them all installed and configured individually into a distro of your choice.

 

[Captain Newbie]

Budget is preferrably under $1400. I don't need to be able to play UT2004 on it, so under $1K is Most Excellent.

 

[UnseenMenace]

I run an Acer Aspire 1522 WLMI with AMD64, 3000+, WiFi, with kubuntu64 and consider this to be a really good combination, but its worth looking at http://www.linux-laptop.net/ to see what experiences other people are having with laptops you are considering.

I would also check ndiswrappers homepage to check that others have had reasonable success in getting the wireless to work

 

[UnseenMenace]

Ohh and if your interested the Acer Aspire 1522 WLMI specs are as follows :-

AMD AthlonTM 64 3000+
15.4″ WXGA Widescreen Display
512MB DDR RAM (2×256)
60GB hard drive
DVD-RW
64MB NVIDIA GeForce FX Go5700
Lithium-ion battery with up to 3 hours battery life

it also has two pcmcia slots four USB, firewire, ethernet.... its a good product which im currently running Kubuntu Dapper on without any issues, its a laptop thats well worth looking at

 

[Captain Newbie]

Alright Unseen, thanks for the reccomendations.