Dear All,
	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
driver support for the hardware.

Many thanks
Tom Crane.

Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
-- 
Tom Crane, Dept. Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill,
Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England. 
Email:  T.Crane at rhul dot ac dot uk
Fax:    +44 (0) 1784 472794

Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1] wrote:
> Dear All,
> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
> at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
> than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
> driver support for the hardware.
> 
> Many thanks
> Tom Crane.
> 
> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.

Consider a Mac. Rather better built than most.
(never thought Id recommend a mac, but with linux on it..)

On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
wrote:

> Dear All,
> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU, at
> least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
> around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
> support for the hardware.
> 
> Many thanks
> Tom Crane.
> 
> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.

Take a Fedora Live USB key into the store and boot the laptops that you 
are interested in to see of the WiFI works. The WiFI is the only thing 
that's problematic. You want something that works out of the box without 
having to compile drivers or worse having to use Ndiswrapper. If Fedora 
Live finds the WiFI then any modern distro will work because Fedora only 
had kernel drivers, they don't include binaries like Ubuntu. If you want 
to use SL6 or CentOS6 then you should put SL6.1 Live on a USB and try that 
also. RHEL 6 uses a older kernel so it won't have the latest WiFI drivers, 
however if SL6.1 Live works then you are golden because it means that the 
WiFI chips have been supported since 2.6.32.

Buying off of the web isn't a good option anymore because manufacturers 
don't specify the WiFI chips and they changes them on an hourly basis. In 
the past it was possible to order a laptop with Intel WiFI (which always 
works) for a few bucks more, I did that with my HP laptop a couple of 
years ago. But that option doesn't seem to be available from anyone these 
days. If you do find a source that will let you specify the WiFI then it 
would be OK to order it off of the web. Intel and Atheros are safe 
choices. I think the latest Broadcom chips are OK now but I won't swear to 
it.

On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
wrote:

> Dear All,
> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU, at
> least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
> around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
> support for the hardware.
> 
> Many thanks
> Tom Crane.
> 
> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.

Lenovo ThinkPad.  Doesn't get any better.

http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?action=init&current-catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-id=19C791A03AF24034A0011B825513BCED

I'm typing this from a ThinkPad T510 using Slackware, and it supports
all the hardware.  I will never buy another brand of laptop again.

It's that good.


-- 
"Ubuntu" -- an African word, meaning "Slackware is too hard for me".
"Bother!" said Pooh, as he put on the hockey mask and started the saw.
Usenet Improvement Project: http://twovoyagers.com/improve-usenet.org/
Thanks, Obama: http://brandybuck.site40.net/pics/politica/thanks.jpg

Dan C wrote:

> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
> wrote:
> 
>> Dear All,
>> I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU, at
>> least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
>> around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
>> support for the hardware.
>> 
>> Many thanks
>> Tom Crane.
>> 
>> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
> 
> Lenovo ThinkPad.  Doesn't get any better.

+100

I have been very happy with my t410i with 6GB RAM. I went with the i3 
processor as i7 is stupidly overpriced and the benchmark difference between 
i3 and i5 was feck all.

*Everything* works, though about 1 time out of 20, ubuntu suspend-to-ram 
will bork. The latter is as likely to be a software problem.

The only thing that is a bit crunchy is the disk drive, not unexpected. If 
you want to kick ass, look at SSD maybe.

> 
http://shop.lenovo.com/SEUILibrary/controller/e/web/LenovoPortal/en_US/catalog.workflow:category.details?action=init&current-
catalog-id=12F0696583E04D86B9B79B0FEC01C087&current-category-
id=19C791A03AF24034A0011B825513BCED
> 
> I'm typing this from a ThinkPad T510 using Slackware, and it supports
> all the hardware.  I will never buy another brand of laptop again.
> 
> It's that good.
> 

And - I bought mine direct from Lenovo which allows you to custom specify 
everything. Took about 3 weeks IIRC, shipped from China to England. OP may 
get a better deal on a stock model from the store though if there is 
something that is the right spec.

Cheers

Tim


-- 
Tim Watts

On 28/10/2011 03:12, General Schvantzkoph wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
> wrote:
>
>> Dear All,
>> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU, at
>> least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
>> around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
>> support for the hardware.
>>
>> Many thanks
>> Tom Crane.
>>
>> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
>
> Take a Fedora Live USB key into the store and boot the laptops that you
> are interested in to see of the WiFI works. The WiFI is the only thing
> that's problematic. You want something that works out of the box without
> having to compile drivers or worse having to use Ndiswrapper. If Fedora
> Live finds the WiFI then any modern distro will work because Fedora only
> had kernel drivers, they don't include binaries like Ubuntu. If you want
> to use SL6 or CentOS6 then you should put SL6.1 Live on a USB and try that
> also. RHEL 6 uses a older kernel so it won't have the latest WiFI drivers,
> however if SL6.1 Live works then you are golden because it means that the
> WiFI chips have been supported since 2.6.32.
>
> Buying off of the web isn't a good option anymore because manufacturers
> don't specify the WiFI chips and they changes them on an hourly basis. In
> the past it was possible to order a laptop with Intel WiFI (which always
> works) for a few bucks more, I did that with my HP laptop a couple of
> years ago. But that option doesn't seem to be available from anyone these
> days. If you do find a source that will let you specify the WiFI then it
> would be OK to order it off of the web. Intel and Atheros are safe
> choices. I think the latest Broadcom chips are OK now but I won't swear to
> it.
>

I would also never recommend buying a laptop off the web, unless you 
already know /exactly/ what model you want.  That doesn't just apply to 
a laptop for Linux (my experience has been that modern distros work fine 
with most laptops).  Laptops are always a tradeoff - do you want a nice 
big screen, or do you want it easily portable?  Should it be fast, or 
low power?  You really need to /see/ the real machine to judge its size 
and screen.  You need to lift it to feel its weight.  You need to try 
the keyboard and touchpad - for some machines, you will quickly find 
them unusable - others may suite your fingers perfectly.

Dan C <youmustbejoking@lan.invalid> wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
> wrote:
> 
>> Dear All,
>>       I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU, at
>> least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
>> around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
>> support for the hardware.
>> 
>> Many thanks
>> Tom Crane.
>> 
>> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
> 
> Lenovo ThinkPad.  Doesn't get any better.
> 

Many years after giving up on IBM hardware, just a couple of years ago
I tried a Lenovo workstation- and it was great. Now I have multiple
Lenovo boxes including recently a Thinkpad. These are really
nice machines and appear to run debian, XP, Win7 pretty much
flawlessly. So I'd second the Thinkpad recommendation.

Note that "fast processor" is not really to be had these days
unless you want to buy a 5-year-old box, pay huge amounts for
the CPU, or you have threaded code. Remember that modern machines
have more cores but slower clock speeds than yesterday's
machines, so unthreaded code can be sluggish.

So make sure that your "scientific number crunching application"
can use the multiple cores.

Stan

On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:31:41 +0200, David Brown wrote:

> On 28/10/2011 03:12, General Schvantzkoph wrote:
>> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear All,
>>> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>>> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>>> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>>> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>>> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
>>> at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
>>> than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>>> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
>>> driver support for the hardware.
>>>
>>> Many thanks
>>> Tom Crane.
>>>
>>> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
>>
>> Take a Fedora Live USB key into the store and boot the laptops that you
>> are interested in to see of the WiFI works. The WiFI is the only thing
>> that's problematic. You want something that works out of the box
>> without having to compile drivers or worse having to use Ndiswrapper.
>> If Fedora Live finds the WiFI then any modern distro will work because
>> Fedora only had kernel drivers, they don't include binaries like
>> Ubuntu. If you want to use SL6 or CentOS6 then you should put SL6.1
>> Live on a USB and try that also. RHEL 6 uses a older kernel so it won't
>> have the latest WiFI drivers, however if SL6.1 Live works then you are
>> golden because it means that the WiFI chips have been supported since
>> 2.6.32.
>>
>> Buying off of the web isn't a good option anymore because manufacturers
>> don't specify the WiFI chips and they changes them on an hourly basis.
>> In the past it was possible to order a laptop with Intel WiFI (which
>> always works) for a few bucks more, I did that with my HP laptop a
>> couple of years ago. But that option doesn't seem to be available from
>> anyone these days. If you do find a source that will let you specify
>> the WiFI then it would be OK to order it off of the web. Intel and
>> Atheros are safe choices. I think the latest Broadcom chips are OK now
>> but I won't swear to it.
>>
>>
> I would also never recommend buying a laptop off the web, unless you
> already know /exactly/ what model you want.  That doesn't just apply to
> a laptop for Linux (my experience has been that modern distros work fine
> with most laptops).  Laptops are always a tradeoff - do you want a nice
> big screen, or do you want it easily portable?  Should it be fast, or
> low power?  You really need to /see/ the real machine to judge its size
> and screen.  You need to lift it to feel its weight.  You need to try
> the keyboard and touchpad - for some machines, you will quickly find
> them unusable - others may suite your fingers perfectly.

My advice was strictly because of the current marketing practices on WiFI. 
I've bought all of my laptops off of the web and it worked out fine until 
I bought a netbook a year ago. When I bought my big HP laptop several 
years ago I was able to configure it with Intel WiFI so it's always been 
fine, they don't offer that option any more. Last year I bought an Asus 
netbook because it was so light and tiny (as it turns out netbooks screens 
are too small to be useful, but that's another story). I checked out the 
Asus netbooks at Best Buy with a Fedora Live USB stick, they all had 
Atheros WiFI chips which worked out of the box. However instead of buying 
it at Best Buy I saved myself $50 and bought it from Newegg, that turned 
out to be a mistake. The one I received had an off brand WiFI chip with no 
kernel driver. There is a Linux driver available which works fine, but I 
have to compile it from source every time I do a kernel upgrade which is a 
pain in the ass. If I had bought it from Best Buy I would have gotten a 
unit that was the same as the one on display and it would have had an 
Atheros WiFI chip. Aside from the WiFI everything else on a laptop should 
just work so it's possible to order one based on the specs alone. However 
if you can't specify the WiFI chip the only recourse is to test before you 
buy.

On 28/10/2011 15:30, General Schvantzkoph wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 13:31:41 +0200, David Brown wrote:
>
>> On 28/10/2011 03:12, General Schvantzkoph wrote:
>>> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear All,
>>>> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>>>> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>>>> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>>>> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>>>> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
>>>> at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
>>>> than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>>>> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
>>>> driver support for the hardware.
>>>>
>>>> Many thanks
>>>> Tom Crane.
>>>>
>>>> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
>>>
>>> Take a Fedora Live USB key into the store and boot the laptops that you
>>> are interested in to see of the WiFI works. The WiFI is the only thing
>>> that's problematic. You want something that works out of the box
>>> without having to compile drivers or worse having to use Ndiswrapper.
>>> If Fedora Live finds the WiFI then any modern distro will work because
>>> Fedora only had kernel drivers, they don't include binaries like
>>> Ubuntu. If you want to use SL6 or CentOS6 then you should put SL6.1
>>> Live on a USB and try that also. RHEL 6 uses a older kernel so it won't
>>> have the latest WiFI drivers, however if SL6.1 Live works then you are
>>> golden because it means that the WiFI chips have been supported since
>>> 2.6.32.
>>>
>>> Buying off of the web isn't a good option anymore because manufacturers
>>> don't specify the WiFI chips and they changes them on an hourly basis.
>>> In the past it was possible to order a laptop with Intel WiFI (which
>>> always works) for a few bucks more, I did that with my HP laptop a
>>> couple of years ago. But that option doesn't seem to be available from
>>> anyone these days. If you do find a source that will let you specify
>>> the WiFI then it would be OK to order it off of the web. Intel and
>>> Atheros are safe choices. I think the latest Broadcom chips are OK now
>>> but I won't swear to it.
>>>
>>>
>> I would also never recommend buying a laptop off the web, unless you
>> already know /exactly/ what model you want.  That doesn't just apply to
>> a laptop for Linux (my experience has been that modern distros work fine
>> with most laptops).  Laptops are always a tradeoff - do you want a nice
>> big screen, or do you want it easily portable?  Should it be fast, or
>> low power?  You really need to /see/ the real machine to judge its size
>> and screen.  You need to lift it to feel its weight.  You need to try
>> the keyboard and touchpad - for some machines, you will quickly find
>> them unusable - others may suite your fingers perfectly.
>
> My advice was strictly because of the current marketing practices on WiFI.
> I've bought all of my laptops off of the web and it worked out fine until
> I bought a netbook a year ago. When I bought my big HP laptop several
> years ago I was able to configure it with Intel WiFI so it's always been
> fine, they don't offer that option any more. Last year I bought an Asus
> netbook because it was so light and tiny (as it turns out netbooks screens
> are too small to be useful, but that's another story). I checked out the
> Asus netbooks at Best Buy with a Fedora Live USB stick, they all had
> Atheros WiFI chips which worked out of the box. However instead of buying
> it at Best Buy I saved myself $50 and bought it from Newegg, that turned
> out to be a mistake. The one I received had an off brand WiFI chip with no
> kernel driver. There is a Linux driver available which works fine, but I
> have to compile it from source every time I do a kernel upgrade which is a
> pain in the ass. If I had bought it from Best Buy I would have gotten a
> unit that was the same as the one on display and it would have had an
> Atheros WiFI chip. Aside from the WiFI everything else on a laptop should
> just work so it's possible to order one based on the specs alone. However
> if you can't specify the WiFI chip the only recourse is to test before you
> buy.

I don't normally like to moralise, but I think this serves you right.  I 
really think it is immoral and unethical to use the services of a shop 
to establish your needs, then buy the item elsewhere to save yourself a 
few pennies.  You are playing your part in destroying essential 
services, and everyone - including you - will be worse off once even the 
lowest-end bargain shops are gone and replaced only by online shops.

Online shops have their place - I use them regularly - but if I get 
help, service, support or advice from a real shop, or from a particular 
online shop, then I would not consider buying it elsewhere just to save 
$50.  If I can't afford that extra $50 to cover good service, then I 
can't afford the product.

On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000 (UTC),
<Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:

>Dear All,
>	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
>at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
>than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
>driver support for the hardware.

I'll echo the comments else-thread about Lenovo laptops.  One of those
would be my first choice.   Typically you can specify the wifi card in
a ThinkPad and ensure Linux compatibility.  For me personally, a
trackpoint mouse is a requirement.  Touchpads - not so much.

You might get to 1.5kG with something like the (expensive) X1, which
can be ordered with an i7 processor.  A T420/i7 would be heavier but
less expensive.  Up to 8G of RAM is available, but Lenovo is very
proud of it. I'd be inclined to order w/minimal RAM and swap out for
8G of aftermarket - Crucial is my usual choice.

<soapbox>
As another poster mentioned/moralized, I try to avoid shopping in
brick-and-mortar businesses, and then taking my custom online.  That's
just me - and him, I guess.

@the OP, multiposting will just fragment the conversation.  Cross-
post if you must, but avoid multiposting if you really want to
maximize the received wisdom - for yourself and other readers.
</soapbox>

Bill
-- 
William D Waddington
william.waddington@beezmo.com
"Even bugs...are unexpected signposts on
the long road of creativity..." - Ken Burtch

General Schvantzkoph <schvantzkoph@yahoo.com> wrote:
> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
> wrote:
>=20
> > Dear All,
> > 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
> > end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
> > plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
> > Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
> > machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU, at
> > least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
> > around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
> > R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
> > support for the hardware.
> >=20
> > Many thanks
> > Tom Crane.
> >=20
> > Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
>=20
> Take a Fedora Live USB key into the store and boot the laptops that you=20
> are interested in to see of the WiFI works. The WiFI is the only thing=20
> that's problematic. You want something that works out of the box without=
=20
> having to compile drivers or worse having to use Ndiswrapper. If Fedora=20
> Live finds the WiFI then any modern distro will work because Fedora only=
=20
> had kernel drivers, they don't include binaries like Ubuntu. If you want=
=20
> to use SL6 or CentOS6 then you should put SL6.1 Live on a USB and try tha=
t=20
> also. RHEL 6 uses a older kernel so it won't have the latest WiFI drivers=
,=20
> however if SL6.1 Live works then you are golden because it means that the=
=20
> WiFI chips have been supported since 2.6.32.

Good advice.

Due to the modular architecture of Linux, it may be OK to use a
custom kernel (e.g. mainline 3.1) with any distro (e.g. CentOS 6). In
that case, a 3.1 test kernel may be used on a Live USB key.

In my experience, Linux Wifi support has gotten better and better. The
last three laptops I've had in hands had Wifi support in mainline
2.6.32. The last one (AR9285 different from Atheros reference design)
didn't even have Windows XP drivers.

Beware of SATA DVD-ROM drives on Intel 5 Series 3400 chipsets. On two
different machines, I've got problems with kernels 2.6.32, 2.6.36
and 3.1, with the kernel randomly reporting wrong medium size
(0x3FFFFFE0 =3D~ 1 GB). Since the DVD-ROM drives were of different
brands, I guess the bug may come from the AHCI chipset.

My $2 cents.

--=20
Andr=C3=A9 Gillibert

Bill Waddington <william.waddington@beezmo.com> wrote:
: On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000 (UTC),
: <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:

: >Dear All,
: >       I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
: >end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
: >plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
: >Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
: >machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
: >at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
: >than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
: >R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
: >driver support for the hardware.

: I'll echo the comments else-thread about Lenovo laptops.  One of those
: would be my first choice.   Typically you can specify the wifi card in
: a ThinkPad and ensure Linux compatibility.  For me personally, a
: trackpoint mouse is a requirement.  Touchpads - not so much.

: You might get to 1.5kG with something like the (expensive) X1, which
: can be ordered with an i7 processor.  A T420/i7 would be heavier but
: less expensive.  Up to 8G of RAM is available, but Lenovo is very
: proud of it. I'd be inclined to order w/minimal RAM and swap out for
: 8G of aftermarket - Crucial is my usual choice.

: <soapbox>
: As another poster mentioned/moralized, I try to avoid shopping in
: brick-and-mortar businesses, and then taking my custom online.  That's
: just me - and him, I guess.

My thanks to all who followed-up.  In the end we ordered a Toshiba
Portege R830-1DZ, which replaces the apparently no-longer-available
R830-10Q and has a slightly faster CPU.  A couple of colleagues report
slightly older Portage machines cope with the H/W under SL5.  Also the
Toshibas are available from our 'recommended supplier' under the
rather prescriptive purchasing arrangements we now have to work under.

: @the OP, multiposting will just fragment the conversation.  Cross-
: post if you must, but avoid multiposting if you really want to
: maximize the received wisdom - for yourself and other readers.
: </soapbox>

My original post was definitely properly cross-posted with a
Followup-to line too.  Here are the relevant header lines (copied from
a server != the posting server as a double check).

> Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.portable
> Followup-To: comp.os.linux.misc
> Message-ID: <j8cslo$417$1@mklab.ph.rhul.ac.uk>

Has your ISP's news server done strange things to the headers?

Cheers
Tom.

Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.

: Bill
: -- 
: William D Waddington
: william.waddington@beezmo.com
: "Even bugs...are unexpected signposts on
: the long road of creativity..." - Ken Burtch

-- 
Tom Crane, Dept. Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill,
Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England. 
Email:  T.Crane at rhul dot ac dot uk

UHAP023@alpha1.rhbnc.ac.uk wrote:
: Bill Waddington <william.waddington@beezmo.com> wrote:
: : On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000 (UTC),
: : <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:

[cut]

: R830-10Q and has a slightly faster CPU.  A couple of colleagues report
: slightly older Portage machines cope with the H/W under SL5.  Also the

Minor correction: This should read Fedora 15 rather than SL5.

Cheers
Tom

-- 
Tom Crane, Dept. Physics, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham Hill,
Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, England. 
Email:  T.Crane at rhul dot ac dot uk

On Sun, 30 Oct 2011 00:37:02 +0000 (UTC),
<Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:

>Bill Waddington <william.waddington@beezmo.com> wrote:
>: On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000 (UTC),
>: <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:
....
>: <soapbox>
....
>: @the OP, multiposting will just fragment the conversation.  Cross-
>: post if you must, but avoid multiposting if you really want to
>: maximize the received wisdom - for yourself and other readers.
>: </soapbox>
>
>My original post was definitely properly cross-posted with a
>Followup-to line too.  Here are the relevant header lines (copied from
>a server != the posting server as a double check).
>
>> Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.portable
>> Followup-To: comp.os.linux.misc
>> Message-ID: <j8cslo$417$1@mklab.ph.rhul.ac.uk>
>
>Has your ISP's news server done strange things to the headers?

Nope.  Pure PEBKAC on my end.  Breaking up the soapbox for firewood..

Bill
-- 
William D Waddington
william.waddington@beezmo.com
"Even bugs...are unexpected signposts on
the long road of creativity..." - Ken Burtch

On 2011-10-30, <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:
> Bill Waddington <william.waddington@beezmo.com> wrote:
>: On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000 (UTC),
>: <Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header@[127.1]> wrote:
>
>: >Dear All,
>: >       I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
>: >end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
>: >plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
>: >Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
>: >machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
>: >at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more
>: >than around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
>: >R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good
>: >driver support for the hardware.

He is going to run into certain gotyas. A laptop is designed to run on
low power. Users tend to be upset if the battery only lasts for 15 min. 
Also cooling is an issue.-- laptops tend to have terrible cooling
(restricted airflow and very small fans.) But in order to make a vary fast cpu,
 lots of power and cooling is needed. For scientific number crunching, a
laptop is simply the wrong choise of instrument. 
They ne also wants it light. Which again restricts the size, the
airflow, the cooling, and thus the speed. Why in the world does he want
a laptop for this purpose. It is like saying " a want a microlight plane
that fly me and my whole extended family of 300 people to Europe.
Incompatible demands. 

>
>: I'll echo the comments else-thread about Lenovo laptops.  One of those
>: would be my first choice.   Typically you can specify the wifi card in
>: a ThinkPad and ensure Linux compatibility.  For me personally, a
>: trackpoint mouse is a requirement.  Touchpads - not so much.
>
>: You might get to 1.5kG with something like the (expensive) X1, which
>: can be ordered with an i7 processor.  A T420/i7 would be heavier but
>: less expensive.  Up to 8G of RAM is available, but Lenovo is very
>: proud of it. I'd be inclined to order w/minimal RAM and swap out for
>: 8G of aftermarket - Crucial is my usual choice.
>
>: <soapbox>
>: As another poster mentioned/moralized, I try to avoid shopping in
>: brick-and-mortar businesses, and then taking my custom online.  That's
>: just me - and him, I guess.
>
> My thanks to all who followed-up.  In the end we ordered a Toshiba
> Portege R830-1DZ, which replaces the apparently no-longer-available
> R830-10Q and has a slightly faster CPU.  A couple of colleagues report
> slightly older Portage machines cope with the H/W under SL5.  Also the
> Toshibas are available from our 'recommended supplier' under the
> rather prescriptive purchasing arrangements we now have to work under.
>
>: @the OP, multiposting will just fragment the conversation.  Cross-
>: post if you must, but avoid multiposting if you really want to
>: maximize the received wisdom - for yourself and other readers.
>: </soapbox>
>
> My original post was definitely properly cross-posted with a
> Followup-to line too.  Here are the relevant header lines (copied from
> a server != the posting server as a double check).
>
>> Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc,comp.os.linux.hardware,comp.os.linux.portable
>> Followup-To: comp.os.linux.misc
>> Message-ID: <j8cslo$417$1@mklab.ph.rhul.ac.uk>
>
> Has your ISP's news server done strange things to the headers?
>
> Cheers
> Tom.
>
> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
>
>: Bill
>: -- 
>: William D Waddington
>: william.waddington@beezmo.com
>: "Even bugs...are unexpected signposts on
>: the long road of creativity..." - Ken Burtch
>

On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
wrote:

> Dear All,
> 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
> end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
> plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
> Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
> machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
> at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
> around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
> R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
> support for the hardware.
> 
> Many thanks Tom Crane.
> 
> Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.

Try a Thinkpad, the T series namely. Their Linux hardware compatibility 
is well-known. If not, you can look at a HP Elitebook, cheaper, but less 
reliable, and be careful of the wireless chipset.

Regards.

At Sat, 10 Mar 2012 12:41:24 +0000 (UTC) Rares Aioanei <schaiba@gmail.com> wrote:

> 
> On Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:23:20 +0000, Use-Author-Supplied-Address-Header
> wrote:
> 
> > Dear All,
> > 	I am looking for recommendations for a laptop purchase.  The
> > end user needs a not-too-big/heavy machine with a fast processor and
> > plenty of memory for a scientific number crunching application under
> > Linux.  The distro is not critical but must have good support for the
> > machine's peripherals.  Something along the lines of an Intel i7 CPU,
> > at least 6GB memory, a 13" or 14" screen and weighing not much more than
> > around 1.5kG would be ideal.  Something like the Toshiba Portege
> > R830-10Q looks fine for the spec. but the key requirement is good driver
> > support for the hardware.
> > 
> > Many thanks Tom Crane.
> > 
> > Ps. The email address in the header is just a spam-trap.
> 
> Try a Thinkpad, the T series namely. Their Linux hardware compatibility 
> is well-known. If not, you can look at a HP Elitebook, cheaper, but less 
> reliable, and be careful of the wireless chipset.

+1 for the Thinkpad.  I know that the older (IBM vintage) ones have
*three* pointer buttons -- great if you are an "old school" UNIX/X11
user who uses the middle button as the 'paste' button.  I have a 2005
vintage X31 and it works great. Everything (but the internal modem)
works out-of-the-box with CentOS 5 (I just had to download the firmware
for the Intel wireless card).

> 
> Regards.
>                         

-- 
Robert Heller             -- 978-544-6933 / heller@deepsoft.com
Deepwoods Software        -- http://www.deepsoft.com/
()  ascii ribbon campaign -- against html e-mail
/\  www.asciiribbon.org   -- against proprietary attachments