[TriLUG] Linux for Laptops?

[Randy Barlow]

I'm a student and so I had to keep a PC around with Sata... I mean, 
Microsoft Windows for some programs (well yeah, I could use Wine too, 
but the stories I've heard about getting it to work made me just go the 
easy route...)  So now that the semester is winding down, I think I'd 
like to switch this system over (well, back) to Linux.  This system used 
to run FC3.  Now I don't want to start any distro wars or anything, 
but... I didn't really like FC3 for the laptop because every time I 
updated the system packages (like the kernel) I had to go an reinstall 
all the wireless stuff, which was a real pain.

So I'm looking for recommendations on any distributions that are really 
laptop friendly.  Here's a list of things that are important to me (in 
order):

1) Wireless has to work, and preferably easy.  By easy, I'd like to not 
have to do anything.  Install it and it works.  Maybe this isn't 
possible, but I thought I'd ask anyway just in case.

2) Package Management.  Just something that makes getting the software I 
want and keeping it up to date easy (including the aforementioned 
wireless stuff).  And it would be nice if it had lots of software to 
choose from, so I don't have to do too many manual installs.

3) Power Management would be nice.  I've got the Pentium-M.  If you 
don't know much about it, it is incredible when it comes to saving those 
laptop batteries.  I've got a machine with a 15" screen that will last 
literally 4 1/2 hours on battery, so long as I turn down things like the 
brightness of the screen and the clock frequency of the processor.  If 
there were a distro that were already set up with these or similar 
capabilities upon install, that would be awesome.

4) Trying something new.  At this point, I'd call myself an amateur in 
my Linux/Unix skills.  I'm no expert or advanced user, but no beginner 
either.  I've run Red Hat 6,7, and FC 2 and 3 before, and currently as I 
mentioned previously I'm running Gentoo on my main computer (and I love 
Gentoo!).  But you know, I'd like to get a taste of what else is out 
there, so something new would be refreshing.

5) Optimization for Pentium-M.  Well, Gentoo is the best way I can think 
of the achieve this, but Gentoo also requires you to take vacation time 
to install.  Any distro that offers a precompiled version for the 
Pentium-M would be nice, especially if their package manager can also 
get me optimized software.  I'd much rather have the previous 
requirements than this one, but hey, I'll take this too if it's out there!

Thanks for any responses or thoughts you may all have!

Randy Barlow