Recommened low end laptop
Hello! I am a fan of open source and hope to go to college soon. I am looking for a laptop which is under $300 as my first computer. I would prefer one that uses as much "free hardware" as possible. What do you guys recommend?
Try this hyperlink for some possible models and some guidelines on choosing a laptop that will work with freedom-respecting software.
https://trisquel.info/en/forum/free-software-compatible-laptop-0
I recommend https://www.thinkpenguin.com/, I will buy from it soon. 25% of it's profits go directly to Trisquel and Chris, it's owner and CEO, is an active and very helpful member in the Trisquel community.
the cheapest laptop they sell is above $300 dollars.
Ah, yeah, sorry.
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You can get a cheap netbook that is supported by Trisquel. You can find such models using h-node and you can test Trisquel in a shop (that's what I did). Note that a model might be listed as supported but might be sold with different parts, so it is best to test it before buying.
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It is very difficult to find free software compatible hardware, one that runs with fully free distros like Trisquel.
If laptops from thinkpenguin are too expensive for you, here are some clues too look for:
The machine actually boots with Trisquel (some motherboards make problems because of their ACPI).
Intel GMA graphics. 4xxx series works well.
The WiFi should be from Atheros (if you intend on using wireless LAN).
Best possible way to know if all the hardware works, is to boot the machine with a live-usb stick.
To check 3D support:
install the package mesa-utils on your live-stick beforehand. Run "glxgears" from the terminal on the booted machine. If you see 3D gears turning, with an fps rate same as the refresh rate of the monitor (should be 60 or 75 Hz), you can be assured there is 3D support and you will be able to use the compiz effects for rendering the desktop (makes it easier on the CPU and speeds up the animations of all windows etc.).
To see if the WiFi is supported, make sure you turned the W-LAN feature on (some laptops have a switch for that. Sometimes it is the same switch as for the Bluetooth). Then you should see a wireless icon in the tray. Click on it, search for networks. There should be some nearby. Accessing them will probably be impossible because of security features, but at this point you can be assured the wireless chip is working.
Intel GMA is an old integrated graphics line from Intel. Their current integrated graphics is Intel HD, and it's just as good in terms of compatibility (presumably better in terms of performance).
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The Intel HD is a lot better. Any of the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd generation G2 CPUs with Intel HD graphics is what I would advise. Then get an Atheros wireless chip. AR9285 is a good choice.
I would suggest holding off if you can though (to the person who created this thread). It's a hard thing to do although the more money that hits the companies which are working against free software the harder it is to move forward on the free software front. The systems we have now are not completely free as it is- they are merely compatible with 100% free distributions. There is a long ways to go before a completely free system is made readily available.
How do you make a live USB stick?
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I've had good luck with Acer Aspire One netbooks and haven't paid more than $300 for one of them.
To Danfun64- Are you looking for a used notebook, or a new one?
I would prefer a new laptop. I don't care whether its a laptop or netbook, just as long as...
1. It does 3d graphics fairly well (for use in, for example, blender)
2. Is cheap
3. Has full support for Trisquel, especially in built in wifi and graphics.
Your only chance is to test the laptops in your price range before buying one, perhaps do some research on h-node first if that makes things easier.
For the record, in my opinion at least, and modern Intel integrated graphics will do just fine for 3D. The only reason it wouldn't work is if you were on Windows playing modern proprietary games, which I'm sure you won't be doing. So basically, you're looking for any laptop which is cheap and has an "A" rank on h-node.
See some models of laptop: http://h-node.org/notebooks/catalogue/en/1/1/undef/A-platinum/undef/undef/undef/undef/undef/undef
If you really need 3D acceleration you can buy any computer with Intel CPU and Intel graphics (Intel HD is better).
If Wi-fi does not work you can buy one compatible USB adapter [0] - but is better if you see the wifi card chipset of laptop before.
More info here: http://h-node.org/hardware/catalogue/en
[0] http://h-node.org/wifi/catalogue/en/1/1/undef/undef/yes/USB/undef/undef
@Danfun64:
For a laptop beside LAN / WLAN the graphic chip used is a big challenge for a free GNU Linux distribution.
I would try to avoid any AMD-based solution since they rely on non-free blobs. NVidia or Intel are the way to go although you should try to avoid combined graphic solutions (NVidia plus Intel) because they are more cumbersome. If everything fails for WLAN you could grab a pico adapter from ThinkPenguin here:
https://www.thinkpenguin.com/catalog/wireless-networking-gnulinux
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On 2013-05-30 12:16, name at domain wrote:
> Hello! I am a fan of open source and hope to go to college soon. I am looking for a laptop which
is under $300 as my first computer. I would prefer one that uses as much
"free hardware" as possible. What do you guys recommend?
Look at recent messages in the forum, there was just a long discussion
about this.
Cheers,
F.
- --
Fabián Rodríguez
http://fsf.magicfab.ca
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