Date: Sat, 18 Feb 2017 18:53:19 -0800 From: David Christensen <dpchrist@holgerdanske.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Subject: Re: Laptop recommendation Message-ID: <a07009d0-5b68-4b52-83bf-67dcca55f4bd@holgerdanske.com> In-Reply-To: <20170218213408.6ftvgiy7j5gwzxvt@silverbeast> References: <CAA3eX7Z4zaEu%2BpAoJSYmCDs-TPSYMasutU6Y0Bk9Wq_gG2zNbA@mail.gmail.com> <140316c2-a061-de66-7e1f-212ac88f235e@holgerdanske.com> <20170218213408.6ftvgiy7j5gwzxvt@silverbeast>
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On 02/18/17 13:34, Sergei Akhmatdinov wrote: >> When I bought my laptop back in 2007, I blew it -- it has a wireless >> networking card with a Broadcom chipset that is not FOSS-friendly. Debian >> has a work-around using proprietary firmware, but I would prefer a laptop >> with 100% FOSS-supported hardware. > > Perhaps I am going off on a tangent, but most of the time you can buy > an Aetheros card online and replace it. > > I currently use 11-STABLE on an Acer Inspire V3-571. It comes with > some Broadcom card preinstalled, but I swapped it out for an > Aetheros AR9285. > > Once the wireless networking card is replaced, everything else works > out of the box in STABLE. RELEASE currently lacks full Elantech > touchpad support. Suspend to RAM works too, suspend to disk doesn't, > but I hardly ever use suspend anyway. Swapping the WiFi adapter for a FOSS-friendly model is a good suggestion. parts-people.com currently has 5 WiFi adapters available: https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=category&id=141&subid=65&refine=wifi Mine looks like this: https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=3833 Three others look similar to mine (e.g. not encouraging). But, this one is marked "Intel Model WM3945ABG": https://www.parts-people.com/index.php?action=item&id=4035 grep'ing /usr/src/sys", it looks like my FreeBSD supports the Intel adapter via the 'wpi' device driver (?): dpchrist@freebsd:/home/dpchrist $ grep 3945ABG /usr/src/sys/dev/wpi/if_wpi.c * Driver for Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG 802.11 network adapters. * The 3945ABG network adapter doesn't use traditional hardware as { 0x8086, 0x4222, 0x0, "Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG" }, { 0x8086, 0x4227, 0x0, "Intel(R) PRO/Wireless 3945ABG" }, I'll start a new thread to discuss it. >> Probably the best strategy is to boot a live CD of your FOSS of choice on >> whatever computer you are considering buying, and then take a look at dmesg, >> etc.. Typically, this limits your purchasing options to the local geographic >> market. But, you might be able to find a savvy eBay seller who will send >> you dmesg output. > > With FreeBSD, suspend support is still one of the big questions, > so I would check that when doing a live CD test. I installed Xfce. Shutdown, Restart, Suspend, and Hibernate were broken OOTB. I got Shutdown and Restart working. I have yet to pursue Suspend and Hibernate. >> This is not a new question. Over the years, people have tried starting >> businesses dealing in hardware for FOSS and/or existing businesses have >> offered products with FOSS. They never seem to last. STFW and see what you >> can find currently. > > Why, the businesses that do that still exist. Minifree and System76 > come to mind. The problem is that you will be severely overpaying > for what they offer. System76 seems to ship Ubuntu: https://system76.com/ <title>System76 - Ubuntu Laptops, Desktops, and Servers</title> Ministry of Freedom seems to ship Debian: https://minifree.org/ Minifree provides secure, privacy-respecting computers with 100% free and open source software, including the Libreboot BIOS replacement and Debian GNU+Linux operating system. Do you have a link to a manufacturer that ships laptops with FreeBSD? David
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