[tlug] Advice on a new ThinkPad purchase

["Mark Makdad" <mark@example.com>]

TLUG,

My ThinkPad T30 has seen its better days, and 5+ years is more than anyone could ask.  A dying/dead LCD, appoximately 3 minutes of battery life when unplugged.  It's an Ubuntu *desktop* now, and I've learned to live with it.  These things are to be expected.

Yet, I have the "buy new hardware" itch.  The gods must be appeased.  I have my eye on a T61 Thinkpad.  Seems like a few other TLUGgers are using?

My key requirements are:

(1) Clean and easy Ubuntu install, or detailed instructions on how to make things happy,
(2) VirtualBox running XP connected to the aforementioned EMOBILE PPP connection running under Ubuntu, and
(3) Ability to run multiple heads at home, ideally, one as the XP Vbox and the other as my real desktop (any Thinkpad could do this I believe)

The only wildcard here is (2).  I know EMOBILE has a PPP client for XP, but it seems that on Ubuntu, this is DIY.

This blog indicates that it's possible on 7.04:

http://wm-eddie.info/?p=123
 
And this Japanese entry mentions 8.04 as well.

http://b.hatena.ne.jp/Ubuntu/emobile/?mode=detail

One key concern is getting the PCMCIA card working-- seems like the recent EMOBILE card is actually USB-- definitely more portable than PCMCIA, but at the same time, far more likely for me to snap the thing off randomly (c.f. any wireless mouse receiver I've ever tried to use).

I'm probably going to run to Akihabara first thing tomorrow morning anyway...  any thoughts from T61 owners or EMOBILE owners would be greatly appreciated!

Cheers

Mark