Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:13:12 -0500 From: Paul Schmehl <pauls@utdallas.edu> To: Jerry Rukavina <j.rukavina@attalin.com>, freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.org Subject: Re: BSD Computers Message-ID: <35F1BF4D34003AFF570D96C2@Macintosh.local> In-Reply-To: <000001c8a355$493496b0$6400a8c0@ATTALINO78QBFR> References: <000001c8a355$493496b0$6400a8c0@ATTALINO78QBFR>
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--On April 20, 2008 7:13:19 PM -0700 Jerry Rukavina=20 <j.rukavina@attalin.com> wrote: > Hi, > > I can=E2=80=99t find any out of the box computers that have FreeBSD = loaded. Do > you know which computer manufactures, both laptop and desktop, which can > run FreeBSD? Do you recommend any particular models or know of which > ones are more highly regarded? What about support? I am a newbie and > would need some handholding. I will be using the computer to run a small > business and online research. I would need the regular suite of > productivity tools, hopefully an open source. I would like to punt MS. > Thanks. > FreeBSD, like all open source systems (that I know of), publishes a=20 hardware compatibility list [1] that you can consult to see if the=20 hardware you intend to purchase is supported. In general, most major=20 manufacturers' systems will work fine, although the newest systems can=20 sometimes be problematic. The reality is, hardware manufacturers develop their drivers for Windows=20 first. Linux usually has good coverage because they have a large user and = developer base. So, sometimes, you have to use Windows or Linux drivers=20 to get some specialized piece of hardware to work. One thing you might consider is getting a Freesbie CD [2] and using it to=20 test various hardware systems at a local retail outlet. That would at=20 least give you some comfort of knowing which hardware pieces work well and = which might be problematic. [1] <http://www.freebsd.org/releases/7.0R/hardware.html>; [2] <http://www.freesbie.org/>; Paul Schmehl (pauls@utdallas.edu) Senior Information Security Analyst The University of Texas at Dallas http://www.utdallas.edu/ir/security/
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