Re: [tlug] Linux-compatible Mac laptop?

[Niels Kobschätzki <n.kobschaetzki@example.com>]

On Apr 12, 2007, at 4:29 PM, Scott Robbins wrote:

> On Thu, Apr 12, 2007 at 12:50:21PM +0900, Uva Coder wrote:
> > On 4/11/07, Jonathan Q <jq@example.com> wrote:
> > > Anyone running VMWare on a Mac? If so, do they have this problem  
> > > solved?
> >
> > I`m using VMware Fusion (hosted) on a MacBookPro. The problem
> > persists. However, from what I have been told about VMware ESX  
> > (VMware
> > Infrastructure 3), the problem was solved. Once I receive a copy of
> > VMware Infrastructure 3 over the next couple of weeks, I`ll confirm.
>
>
> One downside of Macs, that everyone forgets till it bites them, is  
> their
> proprietary hardware problem.  For instance, my wife's airport card
> seems to not be working.  Mac, of course, stopped making this  
> particular
> card, it's now only available for $140 dollars here and there with  
> a 90
> day guarantee.  Is it the airport card?  I don't know.
>
> If it were a PC, I could easily boot a Linux CD and see, swap cards,
> etc.  Because it's Mac, I have to go to the local Apple
> store--fortunately I'm in NYC, so there is one, take a number and wait
> 45 minutes for them to test it.

That's the reason why everyone in the Mac-community tells one usually  
that you should get a MAC OS X-compatible WLAN-USB-stick instead of  
an internal airport card if it's defect. Cheaper, if you've done the  
right choice you have an external antenna and you can use the funky  
Kismac-stuff for eh...having a greater choice in "open" networks ;)
And ehâI would ask some friends for lending their airport card for  
testing itâ create a new account or use the hardware-check-disc  
which is shipped with every mac, booted from a rescue system or from  
another Macâ
It's more or less the same as with a non-Apple-machineâ

> With a PC, I could buy it (more cheaply) put Linux or BSD on it,  
> and if
> there were a similar problem, easily check by swapping readily  
> available
> hardware.

With a laptop the problem stays the same except of RAM (you should  
take care that you've buy from a shop who knows which RAM an Apple- 
computer takes w/out any problemsâI had never problems but I never  
wanted to buy no name-RAM as well) and ehâMini-PCI-cards (usually  
WLAN - solution explained above).

> Macs are great when they work--when they don't, one begins to  
> wonder why

Because you're exchanging graphic cards, processors and motherboards  
of laptopsâ
Software-related problems are similar solvable to Linux because you  
have similar logging available

> they're so much more popular than MS--at least until Vista, one didn't
> need special hardware to run an MS system.

You don't even need special hardware for Vista - only if you want the  
fancy stuff.
But I have to say: If there would be the possibility to run Mac OS X  
on a non-Apple laptop I would have a real hard choice between  
Thinkpads, Samsung and Apple (but I can't find a comparable product  
out there to my iMac - that form factor and the silence of the  
machine seems to be a thing only Apple can produce)
I had a real problematic iBook (after 3 combodrives and 4 logicboards  
in 1.5 years I got a new one) but I know a lot of ppl who had never  
problems or the problems got solved really fast (or the community  
could help - I don't know how it is in the US but here in Germany we  
have a high quality mailing-list with a lot of ppl who know what they  
are talking about) . And because of the OS and the available software  
I would never change to anything else again (years of Windows and  
Linux-experience -- on any machine where I can't run Mac OS X though  
I use Linux and to be trueâI have there usually more problems with  
hardware than on Mac. There the vendors create the drivers quite often)

Niels



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