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Portables Software Hardware Linux

What Subnotebooks Work Best w/ Linux? 71

Posted by Cliff from the notebooks-so-small-even-penguins-can-use-'em dept.
elliotj asks: "With the widespread adoption of WIFI, I'm finding more and more places where I'd like to use the Internet on the road. All I really need is a linux command line to run SSH, links, and a few other things. What I'm looking for is a very lightweight subnotebook with a long battery life, quick sleep/wake times, that can run Linux and WIFI. I've looked at the Sony picturebook line and the Toshiba Librettos. Both are sweet machines, but have more features and are more expensive than I really need. Are there any cost effective options out there?"
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What Subnotebooks Work Best w/ Linux? More

What Subnotebooks Work Best w/ Linux?

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  • The Zaurus? (Score:5, Informative)

    by nemui-chan ( 550759 ) on Monday May 12, 2003 @01:27PM (#5937594) Homepage
    i know the Zaurus isnt really a subnotebook, but it falls between the subnote book and the pda category. It already runs linux, is easy to develop for, and is easy to port existing linux applications to. If you know QT, its also easy to integrate existing apps with the GUI that comes preinstalled. Best of all, there are open source projects to replace the OS of the Zaurus with an open source version. Also, sharp's technical support is very good, and the staff very friendly, and they usually hang out on #zaurus on irc.freenet.net

    • OpenZaurus (Score:5, Informative)

      by Gothmolly ( 148874 ) on Monday May 12, 2003 @01:35PM (#5937644)
      OZ 3.2 just came out, and has a slew of features that rock vs. the standard ones, such as:
      variable RAM vs. storage allotment
      writeable flash
      new SSH installed by default
      ability to sync to anywhere, not just your local USB
    • Took the words right out of my mouth. Don't forget the fact that there are WiFi CF cards available for the Zaurus for around $70 last I checked. Not a bad little setup, IMO.
    • Take a look at the Japanese Zaurus C700. 640x480 screen + keyboard in a sweet pda.

      $700 for an english translated version at Dynamism [dynamism.com]

      $550 for a japanese version at conics [conics.net] but it's really easy to change the locale to english!)

      A review at the gadgeteer [the-gadgeteer.com]

    • I don't have a Zaurus, but I had a iPAQ and even with the full size keyboard it was very difficult to develop programs on. I think you would be better off with a sub notebook of some sort, because of keyboard difficulty.

  • As I said before (Score:4, Informative)

    by Apreche ( 239272 ) on Monday May 12, 2003 @01:29PM (#5937608) Homepage Journal
    I gots a friend who has a fujitsu lifebook. He runs Debian, and it is mad crazy.

  • iBook! (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 12, 2003 @01:33PM (#5937635)
    Get yourself an apple ibook... it has a very efficient battery. OSX is BSD based... if you don't like that then run over to yellowdoglinux.com and pick up a copy.
    • I think that would be too expensive an option, but maybe an used one with yellowdog will do...

      • Re:iBook! (Score:4, Informative)

        by Anonymous Coward on Monday May 12, 2003 @02:03PM (#5937809)
        Too expensive? The 12" iBook starts at $999. And another thing, why run yellowdog on it. I know the original poster said he wants Linux, but OSX does all of that just as well as Linux ever could.

        SSH - Got it!
        Links - I've got it running on my powerbook right now courtesy Fink
        Quick sleep/awake times - 1 second flat. I've never seen any other laptop sleep/wake that fast
        Long battery life - I get at least 3.5 to 4 hours out of my powerbook
        WIFI - Oh yeah, that's built in.
        • maybe he doesn't want to pay 99-199 dollars every time apple decides to make an incremental release?
          • maybe he doesn't want to pay 99-199 dollars every time apple decides to make an incremental release?

            How much does Microsoft charge for an Incremental Release? Windows 2003 just came out, time to hit the pocketbook again.

            -Brent
            • SP1 / 2 / 3 is all free. That is what 10.1.5 > 10.2 amounted to...
              • That is what 10.1.5 > 10.2 amounted to...

                You are sure about that? I've got an iMac, and an Intel box running Windows. I think I should probably know something about that.

                -Brent
                • Service Packs from Microsoft being free? Yes. 10.1.5 to 10.2 upgrade free? No, it was $129. 10.2 was a service pack in my opinion... 10.1 series to 10.2 series. Just as 10.3 will be; only qusstion is how much will it bleed the Mac faithful of?
                  • 10.1.5 to 10.2 upgrade free? No, it was $129. 10.2 was a service pack in my opinion...

                    From what I can tell there are more changes in 10.1.5 to 10.2 then there are between Windows 2000, and Windows 2003, yet that hasn't stopped Microsoft from charging for their service pack. Really, I mentioned before, I have an iMac. It is running 10.2. I know what the differences are, and the are more then a service pack.

                    -Brent
                    • If 10.1.5 to 10.2 was such a major jump, it would have garnered more than a minor revision number. Minor revision numbers amount to service packs when translating Unix style to Windows style.
                    • If 10.1.5 to 10.2 was such a major jump, it would have garnered more than a minor revision number. Minor revision numbers amount to service packs when translating Unix style to Windows style.

                      I think I just split a gut laughing. Did Apple run their versioning scheme past you first for your approval? Just in case you don't understand Apple's OS X versioning scheme, it is really quite simple. The 'X' in OS X is the roman numeral '10', as in 10.a.b. The 'a' is the major revision number, as in 10.1.b ->

                    • ok... the generally accepted number scheme of anything UNIX related is as follows:

                      The numbering scheme is relatively simple, and is in the format of three numbers separated by dots. The first number is the "major" revision number. The second is the "minor" revision number. And finally, the third is the "patch level" number.

                      Taken from WindowMaker FAQ 1.11...

                      http://www.windowmaker.org/faq-chapter1.html

                      OS X 10.2.6 is actually redunant. OS X.2.6 or OS 10.2.6 is correct. After all, it's not pronounced OS
                    • How do I make sense of Window Maker's version number scheme?

                      Aha! I see. It is Window Maker's versioning scheme that Apple *must* follow. This is, of course, according to your reasoning because Apple based OS X on FreeBSD. FreeBSD definitely carries with it a moral obligation to use Window Maker's versioning scheme. Therefore, for Apple to make up their own versioning scheme is near sacrilege.

                      How did I do? Did I sum that up pretty well?

                      -Brent
                    • You ignorance, and lack of reading skills, is amazing.

                      I guess 10.1 is the major number... cuz we know the difference from 9.x to 10.0 was minimal at best.

                      Idiot Mac zealot fucktard piece of shit.

          • He can still run Linux on it. $999 for a 12" iBook is a good deal with any OS.
    • if you don't like that then run over to yellowdoglinux.com and pick up a copy.

      Or better, just grab a debian ppc [debian.org] netinst iso [debian.org], and install away. (Debian tends to have more software built for ppc than yellowdog.)
    • the ibook is unfortunatly more expensive then many x86 solutions. i looked at getting an ibook until i noticed the cost of hp's and toshiba's after rebate was far below the cost of an imac and the features in the hp and toshiba where more for the buck
    • The iBook is pretty big compared to many x86-based subnotebooks. It's battery-life is so-so among subnotebooks (a good subnotebook can get 8-12h of running time these days).

      As for the software, OS X is not Linux; there is far less UNIX software available for OS X than for Linux and porting software to it can be a pain. PPC Linux works surprisingly well, but it still is second rate compared to the x86 versions of Linux.

      Buy an iBook if you like OS X and want to run OS X applications. For anybody lookin

  • Used Libretto's (Score:2, Informative)

    by mcSey921 ( 230169 ) *
    Can be had on Ebay for $100-200. [ebay.com] This is the solution that I went with for a WiFi subnote to test our network.
  • Well, its not out now, but its definately worth waiting for... sometime in the second half of this year the OQO Corp (www.oqo.com)will be releasing their first product. It is basically a full PC the size of an average PDA. I been fighting with myself not to buy others that are on the market since I found out about these... Check em out. They start at less than $1,000 for the base model which will have a 10 GB HD, 256 megs DDR DRAM, 802.11b AND Bluetooth to name just a bit...
    • ok, in my hurry to post I forgot to mention that it is shipped with WINXP, but hey, its just like any other machine I have bought in the past.. Buy it with windows, whipe it and install linux...
    • What concerns me is the statement "The smallest Windows XP computer" ... Does that mean its proprietary?
      • I think its just an appeal to the masses or morons that think the latest windows has to be the best OS out there.

    • Re:OQO (Score:3, Insightful)

      by OwnerOfWhinyCat ( 654476 ) *
      While those are very cool, and I want one just for that reason, there is no keyboard on that toy.

      Since the poster specifically mentioned:
      All I really need is a linux command line to run SSH, links, and a few other things.

      Then I'll wager no-keyboard is a deal breaker.

      If you really want to run a command line comfortably, I'd suggest you bump up to the "small notebook, of previous generation processors" category. I just sold my Armada M700 series laptop, and I think it's lesser brothers might be a go
  • I run Familiar [handhelds.org] on my Compaq (now HP) iPaq handheld. Very sweet. Get a PCMCIA sleeve, a wireless card, and you're all set. For those of you doing wireless security work, Kismet [kismetwireless.net] runs beautifully. There's also a GTK or Qt base available for you developers.

  • more details (Score:3, Insightful)

    by zogger ( 617870 ) on Monday May 12, 2003 @02:17PM (#5937900) Homepage Journal
    probably people need two more criteria. What is the budget in terms of $$, top end, and do you need a real keyboard integrated?

    Without knowing those things, I think that any notebook or subnotebook (really no industry cutoff point there I think, it's a matter of taste) used that has a known track record of running and installing linux easily will narrow it down, then look at that list for best battery life. Virtually all decent used notebooks nowadays accept pcmcia cards, so wireless is just a matter of putting the appropriate card in.

    Also, you have to ask yourself, is one or two lbs difference really a deal breaker? You might be able to get a pretty decent machine if you are willing to lug around 2 more lbs in gross weight. It seems like every pound subtracted from a "normal" laptop costs another 500 bucks or something like that and makes it harder to see and use. Me, I'd just as soon hump the extra weight and have a bigger screen and bigger battery, etc, for cheaper cost. For your needs, the older and slightly heavier used laptop would be cheaper to buy, then you could spend the savings on more ram, the wireless card, etc. Anything 200 mghz or larger runs linux in graphics mode just fine with enough ram, so text mode should be a piece of cake.

  • Sharp Actius MM10 (Score:2, Informative)

    by dhwang ( 93406 )
    Check out the Sharp Actius MM10 [sharpsystems.com]. It's basically a 10.5" screen and keyboard with integrated wi-fi. Just over 0.5" thick, 2.1 lbs and fanless. I saw it at Fry's for about $1300, but if you just want a machine that is basically a wi-fi terminal, this is the one for you.
    • The Actius MM10 comes with Windows pre-installed. Sharp's warnings about the machine not running anything other than the pre-installed OS are unusually dire (you may not even be able to install Windows XP Professional on it).

      If you have unearthed credible reports of Linux installations on the MM10, please share them with the rest of us. Until then, the MM10 should probably be considered a "Windows-only" machine.

      Another interesting question about the machine that has, so far, been unanswered, is whethe

  • Averatec 3120V (Score:5, Informative)

    by prostoalex ( 308614 ) on Monday May 12, 2003 @02:29PM (#5937971) Homepage Journal
    This baby has been selling at Best Buy for $550 after rebates, which means that a lot of those items would be popping up on eBay [ebay.com] brand new and sealed. It's a subnotebook from Sotec, a good Japanese brand, that's apparently trying to wage a price war on the US market.

    I was able to boot up Knoppix CD with no problems, brought networking up and was capable of playing MP3 and MPEG video files. Have not tried installing Linux on it, but the assumption is it would go fine, since everything worked in bootable-CD version of Knoppix.
    • This guy got RH9 on it but it wasn't perfect or painless. Linkage [umbc.edu]
    • Sotec... a "good Japanese brand"?! HAHAHAHAHA.

      Really, Sotec have the worst reputation possible in Japan. Go to one of the large Japanese web BBS sites, and look at the posts there about it.

      If you believe the reports, among other things they quite happily ship refurbished machines as 'brand new' ones.

  • Get a low-end iBook. It's more fully-featured, but the price and weight are very nice, along with them being well-nigh industructible. It runs Linux, can boot OS X as well if you need non-ported apps and gets the job done.

  • Linux Laptops (Score:4, Informative)

    by mcelrath ( 8027 ) on Monday May 12, 2003 @03:45PM (#5938688) Homepage
    If you intend to run linux (and only linux) on this laptop, I strongly encourage you to buy from a vendor that will sell you and support linux on it. Do not send any of your hard-earned money to the monopoly in Redmond for a product you will not use. Vote with your dollar or there will be no linux laptop vendors.

    I have collected a list of vendors [mcelrath.org] and some other information on the subject. Unfortunately this information is rather difficult to find. If you know of other vendors not on my list, please reply!

    -- Bob

    • Nice Page, hopefully more and more vendors will offer linux pre-installed. Here's hoping that IBM/Dell/HP will see that there is finally a demand.
    • Having linux preinstalled on a laptop is great. But a lot of these companies just uninstall the preinstalled Windows installation and install a Linux distro over top of it. Even though you are not getting Windows, you are still usually paying for it one way or another.
      • None of the vendors on my list do this. (read the damn page) If you have information to the contrary, please tell me which vendor.

        -- Bob

  • 12" screen, 6G disk, docks into a base that has a CD or floppy and lots of ports. It's more a micro-notebook than a subnotebook, but it's thin, reasonably fast, and I got mine for free. Runs Linux just fine; make sure your firmware is updated.
  • is exactly the Lindows MobilePC. It's a sub 3-pound laptop with loads of battery life. It has all the features you need after a small investment in a pcmcia WLAN-card. The notebook costs only $799, which is quite a bargain.

    You can dump lindows, as it doesent serve any purpose and install something useful. =)
  • Emperor Linux [emperorlinux.com]


    nuff said
  • There's a small but active community that works on NetBSD support for those `Palm PCs' of yore, built to run WinCE, with small screen and keyboard. I myself have an IBM WorkPad Z50: ThinkPad keyboard, 8.4" LCD, CF and PCMCIA (not cardbus).

    The battery life on these things is phenomenal -- the extended capacity battery goes for about 11-12 hours. The common package for it includes a battery bay that lets you run the thing off of a bunch of AA's. Wireless networking has worked for years. It has no hard
  • I have one of these and its pretty nice for Linux. The base config is 233 mghz 32 ram 4 gig HD. 2.5 video RAM. The thing weighs about 2.9 pounds and I am constantly asked how much it costs because it looks expensive. Has 2 PCMCIA slots for wirelress/network cards. Here's a current action [ebay.com] and here's a past one [ebay.com]. This thing is cheap and will definitely run your ssh, etc. I am running Slack 9 on it and its very nice. APM is supported so sleep/wake is almost instantenous. You can do some graphic stuff too, f
  • The Fujitsu LifeBook P-1000 [fujitsupc.com] and P-2000 [fujitsupc.com] seem to be good choices and apparently run Linux quite well. They get up to 15h battery life. The keyboard is a bit cramped, though. They start at around $1200.

    Some of the Sharp laptops (though not the ultra-small MM10) and the Sony PictureBook seem to be alternatives and have also been reported to run Linux.

    • I've had SuSE, Debian and Red Hat distros running on my Picturebook C1-VE. Very nice and very little fiddling to get them working with the wide screen. Never did get the video camera working but then I didn't care enough to try very hard and people on the PB mailing list have reported success.

  • Kind of slow, old and hard to find.

    But its small, has a somewhat usable keyboard, its small and it runs linux. Did i mention how small it is ? :)

    take a look here:

    http://www.wins.hrl.com/people/ygz/pc110/ [hrl.com]

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