[TriLUG] Thinkpad saga

[Michael Alan Dorman]

John Davis <davis at dargo.trilug.org> writes:
> All the thinkpads I have used seem to be real happy with debian.
> Wanna borrow some cd's?

I've been working on Debian since 1995, and I have to say that, unless
they're specifically interested in "raw" Debian, I'd actually point
people to Ubuntu.

I just did a test install of the Ubuntu "Hoary" preview on a 6 year
old Gateway Solo with a Linksys 802.11b card as its only net access
and it asked me maybe 5 questions (all things like language, keyboard
and do I want it to allocate the whole HD for Linux) and brought the
wireless card up on its own (asked me for a WEP key first,
automatically) and used it for parts of the install process.

Once installed, it handled my USB drive automatically, etc., etc.
Really slick.

These are all things that I've got working on my Debian boxes, mind
you (well, I don't have desktop integration for hotplugged drives, but
that's because I don't run a big desktop system, just icewm), but as a
result of much more work. :)

I'm seriously considering putting it on my new T43 when it arrives,
though I may go with Sarge out of habit more than anything else.  I
wouldn't hesitate to recomment Ubuntu to someone more used to RedHat,
though.

Mike
-- 
They say Confucious does his crossword with a pen -- Tori Amos