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Re: [LUG] Laptopo as test bed

 

Neil Winchurst wrote:
I use kubuntu which is updated every six months. Since I don't really
trust upgrades I usually just do a new install whenever I decide to
upgrade. (Which is not every six months by the way. More like every 18
months.)This means messing about with transferring backups to the new
install and lots of playing around with the new version to get it as I
like. Plus some aggro from daughter about missing files.

Anyway, although I do not like them, I am considering getting a laptop
as a sort of test bed. I can then install the latest version and play
around with it to see if I am going to like it or not before committing
to it. All of this without causing any problems with my current version.
And I might even get to like laptops!!

Since I know so little about what is out there I am looking for some
advice such as

would a refurbished (and so cheaper) laptop be a sensible option?

Well I'm not so sure, personally I'd just use something like VirtualBox (which I believe is in the repositories, or you can add the repositories for VirtualBox to get the latest version by checking here: http://www.virtualbox.org/wiki/Linux_Downloads)
are there any makes to avoid?

Personally I've not had any luck with newer Toshiba machines which have Windows Vista installed. I've found that things just don't work very well.
are there any makes to seriously consider?

I've found Dell to be pretty reliable, that or IBM. I've got an Acer Aspire 2920 myself. You may also want to consider a netbook such as an Acer Aspire One, Asus EeePC or the Toshiba netbook which has Ubuntu pre-installed (in this case, it's a Toshiba which is built to work fine with Linux).
any recommendations gratefully received
No problem, but again if your machine is a reasonable spec (Athlon XP or Pentium 4 or higher) then I'd suggest looking at VirtualBox first before forking out any money as you can setup a virtual PC, try different operating systems and it won't interfere with your existing setup. I use it myself to test different distros or even different operating systems.

Rob



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