Re: Minimum requirements for Linux laptop.

[nospam [at] south-of-heaven.demon.co.uk]

> I`m considering (...dreaming...) of getting a secondhand laptop PC for uni and
> just general carting about.

Me too. Been thinking about it for two years but never got round to it.

> It would need to run a good X, gcc (or another C, C++ package,
> suggestions please!!!), Netscape 4.7, and hopefully StarOffice, if not then
> emacs and
> gnumeric.
> Ah, and be easy to network to my desktop via Ethernet.

The heavy graphics load of loads of big windows and scrolling would need
quite a beefy machine graphicly, but a fast 486 should be OK CPU-wise.
Networking, most laptops would have at least a serial port (slow and
annoying), any machine with a PCMCIA (PC card) slot is going to be
upgradeable to a cheap ethernet (40 quid-ish).

> What should I be looking for? 486? P133? How much memory and
> hard-drive space?
> And finally (most importantly), how much do you guys expect the
> machine to set me back?

Laptops are silly prices second hand usually (600 pound 486 anyone?),
but it is possible to get a good deal, I've been offered 486s (admittedly not
the
spec I wanted) for 180 quid. That's a good price IMO. Just make sure it's not
a luggable monster, that it can be expanded to a reasonable degree, and
the screen isn't knackered. I've also considered getting a mono screen model,
as I would probably not need X, but they aren't easy to find, and are usually
massive old things.

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