[olug] Linux Laptop v/s. Apple Powermac

[Sam Tetherow]

Don't have any advice in the laptop arena, but as a twin parent, 
congratulations!  Hang tough and sleep while you can.

Robert A. Jacobs wrote:
> Okay...so, yesterday I find out my wife is pregnant with twins!  We knew
> she was pregnant...just not THIS pregnant.  Upside:  raising two more
> geeks.  Downside:  Losing the home-office to make room for TWO of every
> conceivable infant artifact out there.
> 
> Upside:  I pretty much get to replace my "office" with a mobile office
> -- I'm now in the market for a laptop and wireless SOHO solution.
> 
> What to do?  Apple's Powermac looks really awesome but its very
> expensive...would love to have one but not sure its "worth" it when I
> could purchase an Intel-based laptop for a lot less and install Debian
> on it.
> 
> So, a few questions to all of you out there that probably have a lot
> more experience with these issues than I:
> 
> POWERBOOK QUESTIONS
> 
> 1.  Does Apple's "AirPort" wireless solution play well with non-Apple
> base stations?  
> 
> Since I'm losing the office, I'll probably convert everything to
> wireless -- wife's computer is an Intel machine running Windows 2000 --
> so, I assume, I'll need a wireless network card and basestation that are
> compatible with Wintel platforms.  Assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that
> Apple's AirPort cards are Apple exclusive.
> 
> 2.  I realize that MHz is not a true indication of processing power and
> that Apple technology tends to be higher quality but how do the various
> Apple processors compare to Intel/AMD processors?
> 
> 3.  Having never used any of the BSD's, what is their application
> packaging system and how does it compare to the various packaging
> systems out there?  If you've got Debian experience, how does it compare
> to Debian?
> 
> GENERAL QUESTIONS
> 
> 1.  What should I be looking at/for?  More importantly:  what should I 
>     avoid?
> 
>     This laptop will likely become my main computer.  I'm not a computer
> game player (I've got a PlayStation 2 for that) but I am a Java/J2EE
> Developer so I'll likely be running web and application server software
> to support my developement efforts.
> 
>     Things I know I want for sure:  
> 
> 	* A Wireless solution that is compatible with wintel wireless
>           solutions
> 
>         * A 15" screen.  Probably will not go the 17" route --
>           doubt I can afford one of those.
> 
>         * If I go with something other than the Powerbook, the laptop
>           should be Linux compatible. 
> 
> 	* A minimum of 512M RAM.  My current, non-laptop home system has
>           1 GB DDR RAM - way overkill at the moment but purchased with 
>           an eye towards the future.
> 
>         * A solution that will likely meet my needs for at least 3
>           years.  If you know of something on the horizon that would 
>           affect my purchase decision, I'd love to hear about it.  
> 
> 	  I'm not a hardware guy; I don't feel like I need the latest
>           gadget just because it is available.  I typically purchase new
>           components for my computer only when I need them (the last 
>           hardware I bought was over a year and a half ago) and then I
>           favor quality over "gee whiz".  I try to get the most I can
>           out of my systems before I replace them.
> 
>           This laptop purchase is actually an "out-of-cycle" purchase 
>           for me...  
> 
>     Things I would REALLY prefer:
> 
> 	* No Microsoft Tax!
> 
>         * To support businesses local to Omaha (mail me off-list if you
>           are a local business owner and think you can help me out).
> 
>         * To support small businesses (if no locals are available).
> 
> 2.  Anyone got references to places dealing in Linux Laptops? Places to 
>     avoid?
> 
> 3.  Budget is not an issue yet.  I haven't decided what I want to spend
>     because, frankly, I don't have enough information to go on.  
> 
> 4.  Anyone had luck with Ebay/Auction sites and this type of purchase?
> 
> Thanks for the input, guys/gals.
> 
> rob
> 
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-- 
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sam Tetherow                           tetherow at nicusa.com
Director of Development
NIC Labs (PSSG)                        http://www.nicusa.com