I think it’s official: my computer is wanting to bow out. Intermittent display problems continue to plague it; and I discovered that GPG did something very weird with the last text I attempted to encrypt. I think I have a fairly recent backup of my home directory on an external device, and most of what I’d lose if I need to use it to recover are bookmarks.
My first thought had been to start researching components for a new Linux-friendly PC ... but then I remembered our favorite Curmudgeon’s positive experience with an Asus laptop running Linux. MAL also reminded me that building a new tower shouldn’t be taken lightly, even in this day of more awareness of and respect for all things Tux. Since it would be my first time building my own system, I’m seriously reconsidering my initial inclination.
Trouble is, I have yet to use a laptop that I’ve really liked. The keyboard ergonomics are crappy, and the fingerpad and/or nubbin thinguses intended to replace a mouse don’t seem to like me. Laptops just feel too fragile to me. And, not being a frequent traveler, the convenience of mobility is not something that’s important to me.
Thus, while it may be faster and possibly even cheaper to get a laptop, I’m not sure that it’s the best course of action for me. But I am not a hardware techhead, and I’m sure there are things that I should be considering that I don’t even know. So ... do you have any advice or resources to help me be a better informed computer user? [Oh, and don’t try to persuade me to re-enter the proprietary corral: my attempts to be a Mac user were more dismal than my laptop experience; and I’m sure you know better than to suggest Windows to me. /me smiles sweetly]
Tower or Lap?
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Desktop!
Laptops seem to have a shorter and shorter life these days, so I'd avoid them unless you really need the portability. I recently tossed two dead laptops, and have one more in the closet.
If you don't want to build a tower yourself, there are several companies that sell PC's with Linux already set up. System76 comes to mind. Their PC's come with Ubuntu preinstalled. Dell has a few also.
If you do decide to build, I can help you shop, and it would be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Ubuntu Hardware Compatibility List at ubuntuhcl.org. The main things to be careful of are video cards (as you know) and wireless modems, but that might not be an issue for you unless you need wifi for home networking.
Is portability an issue?
Do you have space restrictions? Is theft a problem? A laptop can solve these issues and more. I looked for and found about a year ago a laptop that has a normal size keyboard for my fat fingers and a wide-screen display. It came with the latest in proprietary operating systems but ubuntu loaded up with only 1 minor glitch, wireless. Solved that with ndiswrapper. Been a nice dual-boot machine to have when I'm called to diagnose remote problems or for developing web apps that are cross-browser compliant.
What I don't like about laptops in general is the mouse pad. Touch it while editing a file and the cursor jumps somewhere else and has caused some interesting bugs while developing some code. But this can be handled easily with an external rodent.
Another problem that I have with every laptop I've seen since purchasing mine is screen glare. Apparently the current technology in LCD displays has a glass surface that is very glossy and picks up glare and reflections from everywhere. This can get tedious on the eyes quickly.
The nice thing about a tower is just better quality components overall and the ability to swap out some of them if they go bad although mother boards are just about all inclusive anymore. The other advantage is a hi-rez LCD monitor, fullsize keyboard, and mouse. Not to mention more horsepower in general with less expensive expandability. What you lose is portability and the ability to easily stash it in the closet or secure storage when away.
Hope some of my thoughts and experience are helpful...
-jet-
Building your own: not hard, except for the hard parts
The best reason for building your own desktop system is so that you can pick and choose components and get exactly the system you want. It probably won't save you money over a completely-assembled system. Possibly you'll get better-quality components if you select them yourself. It'll cost you a day or two of online research to figure out what you want, and part of a day to physically assemble the components.
It's not actually very difficult to build a system (and it doesn't have to be a literal "tower" if you want to conserve space -- both our desktop units here are Small Form Factor "shoebox" computers). For me, selecting parts means going to newegg and looking at the features and the customer reviews. (Occasionally customers will specifically say that they got Linux running with an item of hardware, so that's reassuring.)
A barebones kit includes case, motherboard, and power supply. So that leaves you with selecting a CPU, memory, hard disk, and whatever else you can't scavenge from old computers (CD/DVD drive, keyboard, mouse, monitor, maybe a floppy drive). The system I built for my wife a year ago had adequate video on the motherboard, so I didn't need to buy a video card.
Anyway, once you've got it assembled, I think you're at about the same point you'd be at if you bought a pre-built system or a laptop: you've still got to install Linux and the compatibility issues are unknown. I can contribute two data points. I assembled a barebones kit system (Shuttle SG31G2) and installed Ubuntu 8.04 for my wife in May 2008, and I upgraded an old laptop (Toshiba Satellite P25-S477) and installed Ubuntu 8.10 (and Windows XP) in Jan/Feb 2009.
In both cases, Ubuntu installation went smoothly and all hardware worked properly with the following minor exceptions. On the Shuttle kit with 8.04, the fan speeds were not automatically adjusted for CPU and motherboard temperature, and I had to install additional software to handle this. (On the Toshiba laptop with 8.10, fans work perfectly.) On both systems, some special keys on the keyboard weren't recognized; ditto for the extra buttons on the Shuttle system's mouse. Also, on the Toshiba laptop, I was prompted to download a proprietary Nvidia video driver, which worked just fine.
I agree with you about laptop ergonomics. I'm currently using the renovated laptop (with amazing good timing, my own desktop system started croaking just after I'd finished the renovation). The keyboard sucks compared to my trusty ancient Microsoft ergonomic keyboard. The touchpad is annoying, but I've got a USB mouse so I don't have to use it. The screen is dim, maybe because it's so old. I'm really looking forward to fixing or replacing my old desktop system.
Okay, I think I’m decided
Forgive me for responding collectively, but I’ve already exceeded my time on the snolf computer this morning ...
Presto and godemperor, portability is not much of an issue for me. And it’s sounding like that benefit isn’t close to offsetting the things I—and some of you—dislike about laptops. Presto, thanks for the pointer to the Ubuntu Hardware Compatibility List. Godemperor, yes, your thoughts were very helpful, and I appreciate you delurking to share them with me.
Mr. Bill, thanks for the pointer to your blog—I’d lost it in the shuffle to the snolf computer. I had been following your adventures.
That’s news to me—and likely very useful as well. Thanks. Guess I’ll be poring over components and specs this weekend.