Need help on purchasing a laptop.

Hello I am really interested in finally picking up a laptop, since I have
never owned one before. I am mostly going to use this laptop for
programming and other projects. I would like the laptop to be somewhat
inexpensive (I do have a budget), have good battery life, and be durable.
Weight is not a concern. I would like the screen size to be decent since I
may have multiple apps running.
Here are some of the main criteria for this laptop:
Linux friendly ( I will put either redhat or mandrake on it)
Harddrive at least 40 GB (I will dual boot with winxp)
Be able to run tools like Maya, I don't need the latest 3D chipset but
something I can at least use for Maya.
DVD drive (for those long trips)
Ethernet ready
USB ready

Well I hope I have'nt asked for something that does'nt exist.
Again I don't care for the latest greatest CPU out there but something that
can accomplish the needed tasks.
I have browsed the net but I have no good knowledge on which laptops are
top.
I have been told to stay away from Dell???
I would appreciate any comments or advices.

thank you,
Peyman M.

Toshiba
and the new HPs with Athlon CPU

--
Dennis Savatski
"El Durango" <0m> wrote in message
news:BEprb.2536$ igy.com...
> Hello I am really interested in finally picking up a laptop, since I have
> never owned one before. I am mostly going to use this laptop for
> programming and other projects. I would like the laptop to be somewhat
> inexpensive (I do have a budget), have good battery life, and be durable.
> Weight is not a concern. I would like the screen size to be decent since
I
> may have multiple apps running.
> Here are some of the main criteria for this laptop:
> Linux friendly ( I will put either redhat or mandrake on it)
> Harddrive at least 40 GB (I will dual boot with winxp)
> Be able to run tools like Maya, I don't need the latest 3D chipset but
> something I can at least use for Maya.
> DVD drive (for those long trips)
> Ethernet ready
> USB ready
>
> Well I hope I have'nt asked for something that does'nt exist.
> Again I don't care for the latest greatest CPU out there but something
that
> can accomplish the needed tasks.
> I have browsed the net but I have no good knowledge on which laptops are
> top.
> I have been told to stay away from Dell???
> I would appreciate any comments or advices.
>
> thank you,
> Peyman M.
>
>

Dennis Savatski <> wrote:
> "El Durango" <0m> wrote in message news:BEprb.2536$ igy.com...
> > Hello I am really interested in finally picking up a laptop, since I have
> > never owned one before. I am mostly going to use this laptop for
> > programming and other projects. I would like the laptop to be somewhat
> > inexpensive (I do have a budget), have good battery life, and be durable.
> > Weight is not a concern. I would like the screen size to be decent since I
> > may have multiple apps running.
> > Here are some of the main criteria for this laptop:
> > Linux friendly ( I will put either redhat or mandrake on it)
> > Harddrive at least 40 GB (I will dual boot with winxp)
> > Be able to run tools like Maya, I don't need the latest 3D chipset but
> > something I can at least use for Maya.
> > DVD drive (for those long trips)
> > Ethernet ready
> > USB ready

> Toshiba

Toshiba is particularly linux-horrible since they use all kinds of
horrible stuff of their own wondrous invention (shudder) such as
infrared controllers, wireless, bluetooth for which nobody has a
driver, and (yecch) "legacy-free bios" ("works only with our tools,
which surprise, run in windows).

Stick to an IBM (you get all the specs, and all the help you need in
writing drivers). I've written drivers for toshiba and it was a pain,
they were a pain - they have a burocracy that should be shot and
buried. If you want something cheaper, get an acer (yecch) or a dell
(yecch). Myself, I'd pick up a cheap IBM. An R40 for 1K or something.

> and the new HPs with Athlon CPU

Yecch. Heat. Shoddy.

Peter