Hardware Compatibility Question - Lenovo IdeaPad S12 29595BU

[Steve]

On Fri, 25 Dec 2009 16:24:24 -0000, Ben Bettin <bwbettin at gmail.com> wrote:

> Happy Holidays Everyone!
>
> I'm looking into purchasing a netbook in the next few days, and I'd
> appreciate your advice with regards to hardware compatibility with the
> latest Ubuntu 9.10.  The netbook I'm looking at is...
>
> Lenovo IdeaPad S12 (29595BU)
>
> http://www.govconnection.com/IPA/Shop/Product/Detail.htm?sku=10658455
> Tech Specs for the S Series -
> http://shop.lenovo.com/ISS_Static/WW/AG/merchandising/US/PDFs/sseries_techspecs_111709.pdf
>
> Processor = 1.6GHz Intel Atom N270
> Memory = 2GB DDR2 SDRAM
> Disk = 160GB 5400 rpm SATA
> Chipset = Mobile Intel 945GSE Express
> Video = Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 950, Max Resolution = 1280 x 800
> Ethernet = 10/100 Broadcom BCM5784M
> Wireless = 11b/g Broadcom BCM4312
>
> I've done some research using the following sites...
>
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport/Machines/Netbooks
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupportComponentsVideoCards
> http://www.fsf.org/resources/hw/video
>
> As best I can tell, it seems like this system should work well with  
> Ubuntu
> 9.10.  Can anyone confirm that based on the hardware listed, or perhaps  
> with
> direct experience with this family of netbooks?
>
> I recall Broadcom wireless cards being a pain to deal with in the past (I
> used to have a Dell Inspiron), but from what I read there are now  
> Broadcom
> drivers.  It's my understanding that they aren't "free" and are partially
> proprietary, but I'm okay with that as long as they work without trouble.
>
> Will wireless work for this laptop, assuming I initially plug it into a
> wired connection to download the propriety drivers through the Hardware
> Driver program on the Administration menu?  I have WPA2 at home, and my
> office uses WPA Enterprise.
>
> Will the video display work to the full extent of its capabilities
> (1280x800), or will it only run at a lower resolution?  I had problems  
> with
> my old Inspiron where it would only work at very low resolutions.
>
> I'd really appreciate any and all advice!  I'm hoping to get a netbook
> running Ubuntu 9.10 without any trouble, and then installing Windows 7  
> via
> VirtualBox so I can connect to things at my office.
>
> Thanks so much for your advice, and have a great holiday!
>
> Ben
Have a look at this link  
http://www.google.com/linux?hl=en&safe=off&newwindow=1&q=Lenovo+IdeaPad+S12&btnG=Search

-- 
Steve