[ale] Good Linux laptops

[Sergio Chaves]

Good info.
Thanks!


On Mon, Apr 8, 2013 at 12:11 PM, Doug Hall <doughalldev at gmail.com> wrote:

> I told you all that I'd let you know what he ordered and how the install
> went. He decided on the HP Envy DV6 laptop. It has a 3rd gen i7 chip, which
> seems pretty quick. I haven't run any performance tests, but if someone
> knows of a good performance test suite, and is interested, I'll give it a
> run.
>
> Here's what he bought:
> <
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AFHP55S/ref=oh_details_o00_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
> >
>
> Predictably, Windows 8 seems slow in comparison to Ubuntu 12.10. I think
> an SSD drive would have made a big difference. Quite honestly though, he's
> giving this one to a friend who's a computer novice, and will probably
> order another one for himself.
>
> The Ubuntu install didn't go as smoothly as I thought it should. I'd heard
> about the Windows "safe boot" mode, and predicted that there would be some
> problems. The thing is, the problems didn't manifest themselves as they
> might should have. If you try to install, or simply choose the option to
> verify the install CD, it fails to read a particular sector of the CD. It
> makes it look like the CD (DVD) failed to write correctly. I think I made
> three or four DVDs, from two different DVD burners before I realized that
> this just wasn't the case. The MD5sum for the ISO was correct, and the DVD
> burning software verified the contents of the DVD after each burn. The
> problem was, the BIOS was expecting a "Secure Boot" image. Yea! Microsoft!
> Thank you for protecting us, digital overlords!
>
> There were two different settings in the BIOS which I had to change to get
> everything working. Under the "System Configuration" of the BIOS, there are
> settings called "Legacy Support" and "Secure Boot". The notes for the
> Legacy Support setting says: "When Legacy Support is enabled, BIOS will
> load Compatibility Support Module (CSM) to support Legacy OS such as
> Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP, and DOS. When Legacy Support is
> disabled, it will boot in UEFI Mode without CSM to support newer OS such as
> Windows 8."
>
> I've forgotten, but I think I had to enable Legacy Support in order to
> install Ubuntu, but then I could turn it off. It's now disabled, and with
> Grub2 controlling the Master Boot record, it works just fine. By the way, I
> had to manually install Grub2 over the Master Boot record. The Ubuntu
> installer wasn't smart enough to figure out where to install Grub, even
> though I specifically said to "Install alongside Windows 8" when I was
> configuring the install. I created a "Linux Secure Remix" install CD, which
> included a "Boot Repair" application to fix the Master Boot Record. <
> https://help.ubuntu.com/community/LinuxSecureRemix>
>
> The "Secure Boot" setting is also disabled in the BIOS setting. However,
> Grub2 provides a "Windows UEFI bkbootmgfw.efi" and also a "Windows 8 Boot
> UEFI loader" option (which I assume are equivalent, because both of them
> work), to boot Windows 8.
>
> As to my overall impressions of the laptop, I think I'd rate it an 8 out
> of 10. It's alright, and perfectly acceptable for most people. But I
> personally don't like the keyboard layout. The Enter key is massive. The
> arrow keys are stacked in such a way that the up and down arrows are
> squashed, to make the two of them the same size as a the left and right
> arrows. (I use these keys, so it sucks for me.) He didn't want me to tear
> away the plastic covering the webcam, but from the picture it generated
> through the plastic, it looked acceptable. The monitor was nice, if maybe
> just a little dimmer on the top left corner, than the rest of the screen,
> but it's not very noticeable. I think he likes his choice very much.
>
> Thanks again for the help!
> Doug Hall
>
>
> On Mon, Mar 11, 2013 at 9:40 PM, Doug Hall <doughalldev at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> A coworker, whom I switched to Ubuntu a little over a year ago, is
>> looking for a nice new linux laptop. I know the Lenovos are usually a
>> pretty good choice. Does anyone else have a laptop they're thrilled with,
>> which will run Mint or Ubuntu? He's not a techie, so compatibility is
>> important. I think he uses it for basic things - pictures, email, web, etc.
>>
>> Thanks ahead of time!
>>
>
>
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