Linux on Your Laptop By Scott Nesbitt
January 21st, 2008Linux on Your Laptop
For many people, myself included, a notebook computer is an indispensable part of their professional and personal lives. The portability and flexibility of a good laptop makes work or play a lot easier and a lot more fun.
Maybe you’re a Linux user, or someone who wants to make the jump to Linux. But whenever you’re out, you see people working away on their Windows laptops or their MacBooks. And you might think to yourself “I wish I could take Linux mobile like that!”
Well, you can. Whether you install Linux yourself or buy a laptop with the operating system already installed, you can take the power and flexibility of Linux with you wherever you go. This TechTip looks at how to do just that.
Doing it Yourself
If you have a laptop or notebook computer of recent vintage lying around, it may be a good candidate for installing Linux. Even if you have a slight older, creakier machine you can get Linux running on it.
There are two keys to getting Linux running on a laptop. The first is choosing the right Linux distribution. Some of the better distributions for laptops include Vector Linux, SUSE, Xandros, and Mandriva. However, a number of other distributions work well — I know some people who have gotten Debian and Slackware to run on their laptops.
My own favorite distribution for laptops is Ubuntu. I’ve installed Ubuntu and a couple of its variants on several laptops and had no troubles. It detected all of my hardware, including the wireless and sound cards — two areas in which some Linux distributions have trouble.
The second key is choosing the right laptop. I’ve been running Linux on laptops for about five years, and I’ve found that some laptops work better than others. For me, the best laptops for Linux have been IBM (now Lenovo) ThinkPads. I bought my two online, and the Linux distributions I’ve installed on them have always worked without a hitch. A lot of that can be attributed to the fact that ThinkPads use very common hardware, which is supported by many modern Linux distributions.
For the most part, though, you’ll run into a few hardware problems. Some will be severe, others just annoyances. Most of these problems will center on the wireless card, the sound card, the video adapter, and the modem. Not all of these devices have free or Open Source drivers available, nor have the various intrepid Linux developers been able to create drivers for these devices. In most cases, you’ll be able to find at least a decent workaround for your wireless, sound, and video cards. But the modem could be a problem.
Why? Most computers come installed with what are called winmodems, also known as softmodems. Winmodems use a computer’s resources to carry out a number of the operations that traditionally were undertaken by hardware-only modems. On top of that, there aren’t Linux drivers available for many winmodems, although the folks at linmodems.org are working to change that. Chances are, however, that your laptop’s modem won’t work. Unless you need to send faxes, that’s not a huge loss.
Note : A future TechTip will look at Linux drivers, the problems you might face with them, and how to install them.
Is your hardware supported?
Two good sources of information on whether or not a Linux distribution supports the various bits of hardware on your laptop are the Compatibility Database Web site and the Hardware Compatibility List.
If you’re looking for information, tips, and tricks for installing Linux on a laptop, check out TuxMobil and Linux on Laptops. If you plan to install Linux on a ThinkPad, then you’ll find ThinkWiki to be an invaluable resource.
Taking a test drive
How can you make sure that the Linux distribution you choose will play well with your hardware? That’s where a LiveCD comes in. A LiveCD starts Linux directly from a CD and runs the operating system from memory. There is no need to install the operating system on a hard drive. A Live CD is a great way to test out Linux without worrying about what it may do to your computer.
Conclusion
Whether you’re a hardcore geek or someone looking for a pre-configured system, it’s easy to get a Linux-powered laptop that meets your needs. The next time you’re at your favorite coffee shop, you can set your laptop up, look at the person sitting across from you and say “What? You’re using a Mac?”
The first installment in this two-part series of Tech Tips will provide an introduction to the basic capabilities and hardware involved in wireless networking. Once that foundation has been established, we’ll take a look at a few setup and security related considerations that should be addressed once the physical installation is complete.
The 802.11a protocol first hit the scene in 2001, and despite a small surge in recent popularity, it is definitely the least common of the three at this time. The signals are transmitted on a 5 GHz radio frequency, while “b” and “g” travel on 2.4 GHz. The higher frequency means that the signal can travel less distance in free space and has a harder time penetrating walls, thus making the practical application of an 802.11a network a bit limited. The maximum transfer rate, however, is roughly 54 Mbps, so it makes up for its limited range with respectable speed.As mentioned, 802.11b and 802.11g networks operate on a 2.4 GHz radio band, which gives a much greater range as compared to 802.11a. One downside to being on the 2.4 GHz band is that many devices share it, and interference is bound to be an issue. Cordless phones and Bluetooth devices are two of many items that operate at this frequency. The range of these two protocols is about 300 feet in free air, and the difference between the two comes down to speed. 802.11b came first, released back in 1999, and offers speeds up to 11 Mbps. 802.11g first appeared in 2002 and it is a backwards compatible improvement over 802.11b and offers speeds up to 54 Mbps.
On top of these protocols, some manufacturers have improved upon the 802.11g standard and can provide speeds of up to 108 Mbps. This doesn’t involve a separate protocol, but just a bit of tweaking in areas like better data compression, more efficient data packet bursting, and by using two radio channels simultaneously. Typically, stock 802.11g equipment is not capable of these speeds, and those interested need to shop for matched components that specify 108 Mbps support. I say “matched components” as this is not a standard protocol and the various manufacturers may take different approaches to achieving these speeds. In order to ensure the best results when trying to achieve these elevated speeds, components from the same manufacturer should be used together.
Router – In somewhat technical terms, a router is a network device that forwards data packets. It is generally the connection between at least two networks, such as two LANs, or a LAN and ISP’s (Internet Service Provider’s) network. For our purposes, and for the sake of simplicity, a wireless router is basically an access point with the added feature of having a port for sharing a broadband Internet connection. A typical router for home use will generally cost less than an access point, and via settings within the firmware, can be used as just an access point anyway. Wired or wireless, all the computers using the router can share files over the network, as well as sharing a broadband internet connection. Communication between wireless computers (or a wireless computer and a wired computer) will max out at 54 Mbps, while communication between wired computers will take full advantage of the 100 Mbps provided via the 802.3 protocol.Network Adaptor – A network adaptor is required for every computer that you would like to be connected to the wireless network. Many laptops now include a wireless adaptor built in, so no extra hardware is needed. For those with systems that don’t have wireless capabilities built in, adding them is fairly simple, and can be done using a variety of connections. Desktop computers can go wireless by adding a PCI slot network adaptor
