[talk] FreeBSD laptop advice

[Sujit K M]

On Fri, Oct 9, 2020, 10:51 PM Warner Losh <imp at bsdimp.com> wrote:

>
>
> On Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 6:14 AM Sujit K M <kmsujit at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> On Fri, Oct 9, 2020, 12:30 AM Brian Reynolds <
>> nycbug-talk at reynolds.users.panix.com> wrote:
>>
>>> As luck would have it my laptop died at the beginning of Stay At Home.
>>>
>>> I'm looking for advice on a laptop to buy that will run FreeBSD
>>> RELEASE.  I know about the FreeBSD wiki Laptop page, and NYC BUG's
>>> dmesg site, but I'm hoping to hear additional real world experience
>>> from folks running FreeBSD as their daily machine.
>>>
>>
>> You should be extra careful. My laptop old doesn't install freebsd 10+.
>>
>
> Which one do you have? I have several older laptops that work just fine
> with -current.
>

Dell Inspiron. I used to have freebsd installed till 10. I think it's more
to do with upgrade rather than reinstall.

>
> Warner
>
>
>>> This laptop will mostly be used for web browsing, command line email,
>>> and administrating my home network.  I expect to boot ZFS (hence
>>> FreeBSD), and tinker with virtualbox, jails, and maybe bhyve, but I
>>> have a desktop for any heavy lifting.
>>>
>>> I want an IPS display with a resolution of at least 1920x1080.  I'd
>>> prefer a 15-inch display, but might settle for 13-inch.  I need
>>> wireless to work.  The whole point is to be able to take the laptop
>>> around the house, and not be stuck in my computer room.  I also want
>>> suspend/resume to work.
>>>
>>> I don't care if bluetooth works.  I guess if the trackpad is crappy
>>> enough I'd use a wireless mouse, but I don't mind using a Logitech
>>> mouse with one of their non-bluetooth USB dongles.  I really want a
>>> three button mouse/trackpad, so I could wind up with a wireless mouse
>>> even if the trackpad is OK.  Integrated graphics are fine.  It would
>>> be nice if it's user upgradable, but I don't mind soldered RAM and
>>> storage so long as I know in advance, and can change my configuration
>>> when purchasing.
>>>
>>> My older daughter has a Dell Latitude 5490 from school that I know
>>> does not work (at least with FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE).  Dell also has
>>> Modern Standby (hibernation) issues with the XPS line.  (At least
>>> under Windows 10 closing your Dell XPS 9570 and then putting it into a
>>> bag will void your warranty.
>>> <
>>> https://www.dell.com/community/XPS/FAQ-Modern-Standby/m-p/7514448#M55308
>>> >)
>>>
>>> I've heard good things about Lenovo, especially the Thinkpad X1
>>> Carbon.  However it looks like their current wifi is not supported on
>>> FreeBSD.  Lenovo recently announced support for Linux on all their
>>> machines, but their website only lists four models, and of course
>>> Linux support doesn't mean FreeBSD works.
>>>
>>> I would prefer to buy a new, current model so that I can get warranty
>>> service for the hardware if needed.
>>>
>>> I really don't want to pay more than what a Mac Book Pro costs.
>>>
>>> If new machines aren't well supported, what specific used machines do
>>> people recommend?
>>>
>>> How about a suggestion as to where to buy other than Amazon, Micro
>>> Center, or Newegg?  I've used them before, but maybe I'm overlooking a
>>> better place.  I'd love to find a place that I could walk into, and
>>> plug in my FreeBSD USB stick to test the hardware, but online is OK.
>>> The places I've gone to lock the machines down, and won't let you boot
>>> your own OS.
>>>
>>> Other than ebay and Craig's List, where are good places to find used
>>> machines in good condition?
>>>
>>> So does anyone have any suggestions for a good daily laptop running
>>> FreeBSD?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Brian Reynolds -- reynolds at panix.com
>>> "Long ago, it was the way of my people to travel to the Moon.  My people
>>> travelled to the Moon in a ship called 'Apollo.' I tell the story of
>>> Apollo
>>> in the hope that some day, my people will again travel to the Moon." P.
>>> Alway
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> talk mailing list
>>> talk at lists.nycbug.org
>>> http://lists.nycbug.org:8080/mailman/listinfo/talk
>>>
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