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Date:      Sat, 6 Oct 2001 11:21:16 -0400 (EDT)
From:      "David C. Snyder" <dsnyder@web.turner.com>
To:        Nick Barnes <Nick.Barnes@pobox.com>
Cc:        <freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG>
Subject:   Re: recommended notebook for FreeBSD
Message-ID:  <Pine.BSF.4.33.0110061107430.459-100000@dcs-vaio.turner.com>
In-Reply-To: <25755.1000903178@thrush.ravenbrook.com>

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Hello Nick,

On Wed, 19 Sep 2001, Nick Barnes wrote:

> I am going to be doing some travelling on business, and need a
> notebook for light use.  Can freebsd-mobile members recommend a
> machine from the current ranges of the major manufacturers?
>
> My desktop machine runs 4.3-RELENG with X, and I would like the same
> on the notebook.  I need Ethernet, a modem, and a good screen, but I
> don't need a CD drive, a floppy drive (except maybe to install FreeBSD
> in the first place), or high performance.

I'm using a Sony VAIO PCG-Z505JS (Model PCG-5201) (1024x768x24) with
FreeBSD 4.3-STABLE (I will probably upgrade to 4.4-RELEASE this
weekend).  The only odd thing that I've had to do is dislable USB
support in the Kernel and enable Plug-and-Play O/S in the BIOS in
order to get my PCMCIA slot to work well.  Also, I don't have the
on-board soft modem working.

Everything else works very well.  I was using XFree86 3.x, but it was
not accellerated for the NeoMagic chipset, so I purchased a commercial
X server from Xi Graphics, Inc.  (http://www.xig.com/).  The Xi
Graphics X server works great as long as I don't suspend the notebook.
When I come back from suspend mode, the screen is covered with
speckels.  Most of the time, I can clear that up by running xrefresh,
but sometimes the system is locked hard when it comes back from
suspend mode with the Xi Graphics X server.  Didn't have this problem
with XFree86.  Not a big deal for me though as I seldom use suspend.

I'm using a Cisco Aironet 350 wireless ethernet card.  That works
great as well.  I got a lot of use out of it at the O'Reilly Open
Source conference in San Diego.  :-)

If you can still by this model, it should work well for you.  Sony has
some new models out now that may also work well.  Please let me know
what you end up with.

David C. Snyder
CNN - Internet Technologies
Desk:   404 827 1679             Nextel ID:  46
Cell:   770 616 0080             Pager:  david_snyder@imcingular.com



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