From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Mar 27 17:54:03 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 0E8D610656C2 for ; Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:54:03 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jd1987@borozo.com) Received: from smtp.3dresearch.com (dorabella.3dresearch.com [66.167.251.2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D8B048FC1B for ; Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:54:02 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from jd1987@borozo.com) Received: from fracasso.3dresearch.com (c-71-61-128-39.hsd1.pa.comcast.net [71.61.128.39]) (using TLSv1 with cipher DHE-RSA-AES256-SHA (256/256 bits)) (No client certificate requested) by vmail.3dresearch.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id 9416B97246; Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:54:01 -0400 (EDT) Received: from fracasso.3dresearch.com (fracasso.3dresearch.com [10.61.70.2]) by fracasso.3dresearch.com (Postfix) with ESMTP id BD0BA1729B; Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:54:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Joe Demeny To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 13:53:57 -0400 User-Agent: KMail/1.9.7 References: <200803210556.50743.jd1987@borozo.com> <47E77CA1.9000401@gmualumni.org> In-Reply-To: <47E77CA1.9000401@gmualumni.org> MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline Message-Id: <200803271353.58323.jd1987@borozo.com> Cc: "Jason P. Thomas" Subject: Re: Laptop advice X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 27 Mar 2008 17:54:03 -0000 On Monday 24 March 2008 06:04:17 am Jason P. Thomas wrote: > Joe Demeny wrote: > > I need to get a budget-priced laptop, such as one of these: > > > > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834101123 > > http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834114430 > > > > Does anyone have experience with these? > > > > Any suggestions for other comparable choices? > > From personal experience, getting a laptop to work under FreeBSD (or > even Linux) is a hair pulling experience. It took me about six months > of tinkering off and on to get a Broadcom(yuck!) wifi adapter to work in > my HP laptop last year. In the interim, I found a work around that was > about $30. I purchased a usb wifi adapter that used the rum driver. At > the time, I had to run -current to get that particular driver, but I > never had a problem with the computer or the adapter under -current. > The most headaches I've gotten with laptops have always involved the > wifi cards. Consequently, every laptop I've installed FreeBSD and Linux > on had a Broadcom(yuck!) wifi chipset. Everything else has been well > supported, graphics, sound, power management, pointing devices, and usb > devices. I even managed to use FreeBSD to connect to the robots I had > to use in one of my master's classes last year. That was pleasantly > surprising. > > --Jay Thank you all for your advice. I am familiar with the Hardware Notes. The problem is that from the specs it's hard to tell what is in the computer. The Gateway web site lists this under the specs: "Integrated Realtek 802.11b/g Wireless Networking" for "Wireless Network"; same for the Toshiba. This is why I wondered if anyone has one of these laptops... In the end, the best advice seems to be indeed to take the FreeBSD CD to the brick-and-mortar store... -- Joe Demeny