{"id":624,"date":"2007-09-19T05:02:34","date_gmt":"2007-09-19T10:02:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/19\/linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop"},"modified":"2007-09-19T05:02:39","modified_gmt":"2007-09-19T10:02:39","slug":"linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/19\/linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop","title":{"rendered":"Linux IS NOT ready for the laptop"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When is Linux ready for the desktop? Or more likely, the laptop? Walt Mossberg recently has echoed that <a href=\"http:\/\/online.wsj.com\/public\/article\/SB118963540721725614-FnJzx_wcNlkRFOef4cgq74PBW3g_20080912.html\">while Linux is easier to use, its still not for everyone<\/a> (permanently archived at his blog, <a href=\"http:\/\/ptech.allthingsd.com\/20070913\/linuxs-free-system-is-now-easier-to-use-but-not-for-everyone\/\">Linux&#8217;s Free System Is Now Easier to Use, But Not for Everyone<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p>I have to applaud Dell for having the balls to sell Ubuntu on their laptops. In fact, now, Lenovo\/IBM are thinking that they might do this as well, and the <a href=\"http:\/\/lenovoblogs.com\/insidethebox\/?p=98\">polls<\/a> seem to suggest that Ubuntu is the favourite.<\/p>\n<p>However, I should caution all these companies from even going near Linux with a ten-foot pole. Quite simply, this is because Linux doesn&#8217;t work. If their product doesn&#8217;t work as advertised, what are the chances of a customer possibly <b>suing<\/b> them, for a product that isn&#8217;t fit for purpose?<\/p>\n<p>Before buying a laptop, I was told that if I went with an Intel video card, I would be safe, and everything would just work. I was lied to. <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Suspend and resume work sometimes, but its so unreliable, that saying random prayers are handy, but don&#8217;t always work.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Turning off the wireless on a plane and turning it back on, will somehow ensure that I need to reboot my machine to get it working again.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<li>Attempting to drive the external display, could lead my machine to stop functioning, requiring a <a href=\"https:\/\/bugs.launchpad.net\/ubuntu\/+source\/linux-source-2.6.20\/+bug\/110379\">hard reset<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There are so many known bugs that Dell had to create a special Wiki page to list the <a href=\"http:\/\/linux.dell.com\/wiki\/index.php\/Ubuntu_7.04#Known_Issues\">known issues<\/a> with the systems they sell. And if there are bug reports attached, these don&#8217;t look like they&#8217;re getting fixed anytime soon. Keeping in mind these are Intel video cards, and Intel tells you that they&#8217;ve got such a big commitment to open source. Last I checked, my Linux\/PowerPC laptop with an ATI card (last generation PowerBook G4&#8217;s) did suspend\/resume, external display driving and working wireless much better than I currently get on my newer Dell.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><tt>00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM\/GMS\/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)<br \/>00:02.1 Display controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM\/GMS\/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)<\/tt><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Frankly, most of the time, my laptop sits at my desk. But there are times in a year I travel, a lot, changing wireless networks, turning it off and on from time to time, having to make presentations, putting it thru many suspends and resumes, and so on. That is, using it like how a laptop is meant to be used. <\/p>\n<p><b>I&#8217;m so unhappy to say that after over a decade of using Linux on my desktop, I still find Linux inadequate for basic laptop functionality.<\/b><\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t get me wrong. I like Ubuntu. I like their release policy, the fact that I have a working machine most of the time, and during the past release cycle I might have only seen two new kernels. I like that I can run some restricted\/commercial software with no issue &#8211; VMWare, Java, Flash, etc. Sure I&#8217;ve had to have random hacks to get some things working, but for the most part Ubuntu has struck a chord for a good balance between freedoms and usability (when I want to futz around, Fedora is still the best for that). I just wish they would go the extra mile to ensure that basic laptop functionality works better.<\/p>\n<p>Do I give up some of my freedoms and move to using OS X, like most people seem to do now? With pervasive Internet connectivity available, and IPv6 address spaces to rid me of NAT, maybe I should harness <tt>screen<\/tt> + <tt>ssh<\/tt> and get work done remotely, via a Mac.<\/p>\n<p>Technorati Tags: <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/linux\" rel=\"tag\">linux<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/dell\" rel=\"tag\">dell<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/ubuntu\" rel=\"tag\">ubuntu<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/laptop\" rel=\"tag\">laptop<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/suspend\" rel=\"tag\">suspend<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/resume\" rel=\"tag\">resume<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/wireless\" rel=\"tag\">wireless<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/display\" rel=\"tag\">display<\/a>, <a class=\"performancingtags\" href=\"http:\/\/technorati.com\/tag\/walt%20mossberg\" rel=\"tag\">walt mossberg<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-email\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-email sd-button share-icon\" href=\"mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Linux%20IS%20NOT%20ready%20for%20the%20laptop&body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bytebot.net%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2F19%2Flinux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop&share=email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to email a link to a friend\" data-email-share-error-title=\"Do you have email set up?\" data-email-share-error-text=\"If you&#039;re having problems sharing via email, you might not have email set up for your browser. 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Or more likely, the laptop? Walt Mossberg recently has echoed that while Linux is easier to use, its still not for everyone (permanently archived at his blog, Linux&#8217;s Free System Is Now Easier to Use, But Not for Everyone). I have to applaud Dell for having the balls [&hellip;]<\/p>\n<div class=\"sharedaddy sd-sharing-enabled\"><div class=\"robots-nocontent sd-block sd-social sd-social-icon-text sd-sharing\"><h3 class=\"sd-title\">Share this:<\/h3><div class=\"sd-content\"><ul><li class=\"share-email\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"\" class=\"share-email sd-button share-icon\" href=\"mailto:?subject=%5BShared%20Post%5D%20Linux%20IS%20NOT%20ready%20for%20the%20laptop&body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bytebot.net%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2F19%2Flinux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop&share=email\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to email a link to a friend\" data-email-share-error-title=\"Do you have email set up?\" data-email-share-error-text=\"If you&#039;re having problems sharing via email, you might not have email set up for your browser. You may need to create a new email yourself.\" data-email-share-nonce=\"5f81f9fef9\" data-email-share-track-url=\"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/19\/linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop?share=email\"><span>Email<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-facebook\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-facebook-624\" class=\"share-facebook sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/19\/linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop?share=facebook\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Facebook\" ><span>Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-linkedin\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-linkedin-624\" class=\"share-linkedin sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/19\/linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop?share=linkedin\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on LinkedIn\" ><span>LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-twitter\"><a rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\" data-shared=\"sharing-twitter-624\" class=\"share-twitter sd-button share-icon\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/19\/linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop?share=twitter\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Click to share on Twitter\" ><span>Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class=\"share-end\"><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_options":[]},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p4vJD-a4","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":626,"url":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/21\/followup-linux-is-not-ready-for-the-laptop","url_meta":{"origin":624,"position":0},"title":"FOLLOWUP: Linux IS NOT ready for the laptop","date":"21\/9\/2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Just to ensure, because it seems some people don't understand English, but I never said people would sue Dell or IBM for non-functional software (arguably, the crap that comes from Microsoft, isn't functional). But you can sue your hardware provider for non-functional hardware. Big difference there - software usually comes\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":543,"url":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/05\/01\/ubuntu-linux-pre-loaded-on-dells","url_meta":{"origin":624,"position":1},"title":"Ubuntu Linux pre-loaded on Dell&#8217;s","date":"1\/5\/2007","format":false,"excerpt":"This is where all the rave is at, today. Guess May really is a good month :-) I've been meaning to write about this for quite a while (linux being pre-loaded), and this seems to be a fairly good time.It all started with Morgan Collett's post about Linux preloaded -\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2134,"url":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2011\/04\/20\/first-hour-with-ubuntu-10-10-on-a-laptop","url_meta":{"origin":624,"position":2},"title":"First hour with Ubuntu 10.10 on a laptop","date":"20\/4\/2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Recently, I've only used Mac OSX based laptops from Apple largely because I needed a few things to work: suspend\/resume, WiFi, video out. Over that time, I've also grown used to some closed source software: Evernote and OmniOutliner are on my dock, and I really cannot live without them. OK,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2557,"url":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2012\/10\/22\/why-do-mac-linux-users-pay-more-for-things","url_meta":{"origin":624,"position":3},"title":"Why do Mac &#038; Linux users pay more for things?","date":"22\/10\/2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I just purchased The Humble eBook Bundle. I primarily use a Mac OSX based laptop (my MacBook Pro), and secondarily use Linux in various flavours (a Lenovo ThinkPad runs Ubuntu, various boxes run a combination of that and Fedora & CentOS, and virtual machines are growing). It seems not only\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":623,"url":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/09\/18\/best-way-to-learn-mandarin-in-gnulinux-or-os-x","url_meta":{"origin":624,"position":4},"title":"Best way to learn Mandarin in GNU\/Linux or OS X?","date":"18\/9\/2007","format":false,"excerpt":"What's a good, quick way, to learn a new language with the help of Linux?In particular, I'm interested in learning conversational Mandarin. Basic reading, is a bonus, but hey, I'm not that fussed. I'd like to not pay for my software, if possible, and since I tote a Linux laptop\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":681,"url":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/archives\/2007\/12\/09\/fedora-8-on-the-dell-inspiron-640m","url_meta":{"origin":624,"position":5},"title":"Fedora 8 on the Dell Inspiron 640m","date":"9\/12\/2007","format":false,"excerpt":"I've been harsh when it comes to Linux on laptops. Simply put, the week before going to foss.in (i.e. last week), I got tired with my tried daily usage of Ubuntu (besides, I went through Feisty Fawn and Gutsy Gibbon). So I went with Fedora 8. You've got to love\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;General&quot;","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=624"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/624\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=624"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=624"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.bytebot.net\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=624"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}