Using Linux on Laptops.

Any warnings or common pitfalls?

[ncreegan]

I currently have two Toshiba Satellites (awesome laptops, have had 4) and a Sony Vaio. I'm thinking of either committing one to Linux or going for the dual boot -- but I'm worried about hardware compatibility, mostly w/ the built in wireless. Can you think of anything else I should look out for?

[meln]

The only way to be sure is to try it, maybe a dualboot setup at first and then make the full transition if everything works?

Generally linux hardware support for laptops is a bit shaky in my experience. It's getting better all the time though. Personally, I had some trouble with the sleep/wake functions on my Dell Latitude X1. Everything else worked though, even the wi-fi.

[MattyMoose]

Same type of problems here... ACPI and power functions were... "funky" to say the least... This was a while ago, using Slackware 7.0 (kernel 2.2.X, IIRC) in 2000-ish. I'm sure things have improved in the past 5 years or so. ;)

I'd suggest maybe trying a "LiveCD" system first like Knoppix, or if you already have a distribution in mind, see if they have a LiveCD that you can download to try out. Play around, and see if all the devices that you care about actually work. :)

[Leosghost]

Try the live "breezy badger" ..I run it on an older toshiba than yours and it doesnt have any issues with my Wi-fi either at home or elsewhere ..

[wheel]

I run Mandrake on my laptop. Works great, but you can run into some funky stuff with drivers. I still haven't got wireless working. The pros are that I feel more comfortable when it comes to security and I'm travelling.