Notebook newbie: wants dual boot notebook HP Pavillion dv6105us

Hi,

I just bought an HP Pavillion dv6105us from Office Depot. See link below for details:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do...n dv6105us&y=15&uniqueSearchFlag=true&An=text

It seemed like a good deal, at the time, but I really have not been shopping for a laptop lately, so I don't know if my price of $549 after rebate was really a bargain.

Since it came with Windows, I want to know if this is a good choiceof a notebook for installing Linux. I am afraid of "features" being built into the machine to limit my full use of the hardware.

Can anyone recommend a good distribution of Linux to install for a dual boot machine? I am finding my learrning curve to be very steep, since I am going from a primitive system with a dial-up modem, to a system that has much more capability.

So I am trying to learn about the hardware, software, security issues, besides, this is my first Linux install. I currently run Linux on my desktop, but I try to avoid anything requiring "root" priveledges. I am afraid of "breaking" my OS, since I don't have the capability to reinstall it.

Mary

 

For ease of installtion, I recommend Mandriva 2007 powerpack (which has been just released, available on bittorent); or Suse Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 (also know as SLED 10)
http://www.novell.com/linux/

I'm using SLED 10, and mandriva 2006. Both were very easy to install, hardware support is great. Both come on a dvd, which houses most of the applications.

 

hey i would recommend Ubuntu 6.06 dapper drake, i just installed it on my laptop (Pentium M 2ghz, Nvidia GeForce 6600) and it runs GREAT! Right out of the install everything worked, fan/ACPI works fine, wifi, its all great, GRUB ( the dual boot system) and it has a good user base forums. Also, if you do decide to check out Ubuntu, install Beryl (a fork of compiz) and XGL if you have a graphics card, they really make your desktop environment stand out. Check out YouTube for a demo of XGL its freaking rad, that is basically what made me want to use ubuntu, but i know you can do that sort of thing on other linux distros. and remember, if you download and burn a live cd, you can try it out before you install it.

 

I am such a oldie newbie, that I don't beleive anyone has EVER said "freaking rad" to me, before. I guess it is time for me to enter the new millenium. I'll check out the video.

Thanks to you both. I will check both of them out.

Just so I get it right, is all wireless Wi-Fi? Wi-Fi is a particular product, right? Or has it become a "generic" word like Xerox and Polaroid? I guess I'm dating myself, who says Polaroid anymore?

Mary

 

hey i think of wi fi as just wirless internet, or the way your laptop connects to the internet wirelessly. i think its generic.

ps rad is from the 80's, but its still ok to say rad nowadays, at least i think so.

 

I believe the youtube demo of XGL is from SLED 10
Mandriva 2007 also has XGL.
Mandriva also has a live CD.

 

Yes. Ubuntu is a good choice although I prefer Debian/Kanotix (but then again, I've used about 6 different distros over the past 5 years and my main desktop is Linux not Windows)

 

Mary,

It's true that all computer wireless ethernet products tend to be referred to as Wi-Fi, (or WiFi). But it's not company brand name turned colloquialism, like those you mentioned. Wi-Fi is a term that the Wi-Fi Alliance selected after hiring a company to find a brand word for them that they could use to better market the technology in general. I guess they felt that Wireless Ethernet wouldn't fly. (BTW, their alliance used to be called the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance.)

So unlike Polaroid and Xerox, there is no company that has trademarked the term Wi-Fi. Wi-Fi as it applies to notebook computers, generally refers to a wireless ethernet adapter included either internally in the computer, or as something that can plug into the computer on the outside, and give it wireless access to an ethernet network. Of course in order to complete the connection, the ethernet network in question must have a Wireless Access Point or WAP, connected to it, to which your wireless adapter "talks"..

These wireless ethernet technologies are based on industry standards, so multiple companies can build products that work together. The big reason for the term Wi-Fi, and it's usage in marketing these products, is so the public can understand that every company's Wi-Fi products "all work together". The wireless ethernet standards all come under the IEEE 802.11 ethernet standard which has several different variations, that are typically denoted by the last letter in the standard definition. So talking about WiFi products that use A, B, or G technologies, refer to 802.11a, 802.11b, and 802.11g standards. If you're looking to make sure you get the best WiFi technology for your laptop, look for either the newer standards, such as something with is compatible with b/g, which your laptop is, or there are the newest WiFi adapters out now which are compatible with all three a/b/g. Whenever I am somewhere that provides WiFi service, such as hotels or airports, the lowest common denominator is typically b. So having a WiFi that is 802.11b compatible is a minimum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wi-fi

It's funny that some words morph from a trademark into a general word in common usage. You're right in that it's probably anachronistic to point out the use of "Polaroid", which used to mean "photograph" in common usage, especially on this forum where I'm willing to bet most don't even know what a Polaroid camera was, let alone used one.

But everyone's not only heard of a "xerox" but probably uses it in references today as a word in common usage. But I've wondered if it's the same as the "Polaroid" = "photograph" equation.. The reason I say this is because the process that Chester Carlson invented in 1938, which the Haloid Company agreed to productize into the first ever plain paper copier in 1959, the Xerox 914, is called xerography. The name xerography came from the radicals xeros (dry) and graphos (writing), because there are no liquid chemicals involved in the process. The Xerox 914 proved so successful that the company renamed itself first Haloid Xerox in 1958, and then Xerox Corporation in 1961. So if the following is true;

photo or photograph is the result of the process called photography

xero or xerograph should be the result of the process called xerography

No?

(BTW, if you're guessing I had some time to kill this morning, you would be right..)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xerox

In your original post you ask about a Linux distribution for your laptop. I would echo the recommendations on the Ubuntu distribution. If you go down that route, please use the great Ubuntu community, visit their websites and forums, and you will find lots of people to help you with your installation.

I tend to love Linux not for in any way I might be limited by Windows, but more on how much more open and available the world of Linux is. However, you are going to need to install Linux on your laptop, and you will need to know how to fix things, and update things from time to time. Being able to login as root, or to do things at the sudo level will be important. Under normal usage you shouldn't have to reinstall your OS, but knowing how to do it, would be very valuable. (If for no other reason than to help someone else do it...)

Lastly if you are at all nervous about it, you should try and look into either a local user group, or simply some like minded friends, and team up to setup, install, and use Linux on your computers. I think that one of the few bad things the Internet has done, is to drive people to think that face to face isn't necessary anymore. The last time I was in the San Jose, CA., area I saw that local Linux user groups had taken to have "install-athon" days for people who wanted to install Linux on their computers, but were nervous about it. It's such a great idea, I don't know why it's not done all over the place..

AND FINALLY... I don't know if you were asking, but you did indeed get a good deal on your computer. Unless you need the latest raging game platform, or some other oddball configuration, I find the deals at the office and A/V stores, tend to be decent configurations at decent prices.

 

I am at Starbucks. BF likes them,personally I prefer independent cafes... for propably the same reasons I prefer Linux, fear of being held hostage to a large company.

Anyway, the Ubuntu download was really slow. I had a 54.0 Mpbs connection speed, but the download was progressing at somethink like 11.5 k? It kept getting slower, and slower.

I guess that I will restart my PC. Well, first maybe I should go to the library, see if they might have a Linux distribution on the shelf.

Then perhaps I will go to Proper Eats, the vegan cafe/grocery down the road a bit.

Mary

 

Remeber, when it comes to the internet, it all goes at the speed of the slowest link in the chain. So the server you were downloading from may be slow, or the Starbucks might be. It says you were connected to their Access Point at 54mbps, but Starbuck's internet connection might be much less.

 

I went over to the vegan cafe, had the same experience. My connection slowed down to about 11 Kbps. I installed bittorrent, and I am now getting a download of about 165kbps.

Oh NO! My bittorrent icon has vanished! Oh, It moved somewhere else. I hope it isn't too rude to type while a band is playing. I thought that it would be easy to use this PC, since I thought the software would be well coordinated.

Instead, I have a whole mess of programs that try to phone home, while I don't even know what they do. I will be so happy to get my Linux installed.

It is pretty darn cool to be sitting listening to a live jazz band, and sucking down a draft Microbrew porter, while waiting for my file to download.

Mary