cheap ubuntu laptop with wireless that works right "out of the box".

[Christopher Copeland]

On 31 Jan 2008, at 13:32, Derek Broughton wrote:

>> The OP! If that boxed up toshiba's wireless doesn't work AT ALL,  
>> then by
>> keeping it he would be forced, right? Note I didn't look into  
>> whether or
>> not the card in the laptop is actually going to work in ubuntu..
>
> He's not forced, though.  He has options - he's explicitly not  
> opened the
> box so that he won't be forced.

That's why I said if he keeps it he *would* be forced to go the usb/ 
pcmcia route. ;-)

> However, the amount of research one can do with wireless hardware is
> somewhat limited, as the "specs" the manufacturer give are rarely
> sufficient to know what actual driver is needed - as in this case  
> where
> they just said "realtek".  There must be more than one kind of realtek
> wireless driver - there are three or four wired realtek drivers that  
> I know
> of.

Agreed, I thought he already established the card in the boxed toshiba  
doesn't work.. I wouldn't buy any laptop without being sure of what I  
was getting. That's why the OP asked here, right? If you are buying at  
a big box place I assume they have a display model and I would ask to  
boot a ubuntu live cd/usb device to get an accurate list of what is in  
the computer and see what works "out of the box"

>> The Dell open box might have been the solution..
>
> imo, that's even _less_ likely to work out of the box.  Some of the  
> Dell's
> come with options for four different wireless NICs, two of which are  
> dicey
> even under ndis.  otoh, my HP came with a NIC that announces itself
> as "Dell TruMobile"!! and works with ndiswrapper.  You really need  
> to be
> able to see the chipset in use before you can tell if it should work.

I didn't look at the Dell models, I assume whoever suggested them knew  
which of the available chipsets were in use and the OP would verify  
this.

> LOL.  I was wondering why you had bought a "few".  I met with a  
> client who
> was using a tiny Mac a few weeks before I first saw an eee, and was a
> little jealous but the Mac was way out of my price range.
>
>> I only use mine as travel machine
>
> Sure, but what a travel machine it makes!

:-) I recommend them to anyone, I'm extremely satisfied with the  
little machine and it's probably the best portable linux experience  
I've ever had. My mac stays at home now.
--
Christopher Copeland