[TriLUG] Seeking Free-Software-friendly laptop suggestions

[Matt Matthews]

I'm positive this is an FAQ, of sorts, but with the hardware scene
changing every day, I figured I'd give it a shot.

I'll soon be leaving behind my Dell Latitude 640C which has been a
perfect Linux laptop (see non-Linux caveat below). I'm leaving it
because it was bought on grant money, so doesn't actually belong to me,
and I'm headed to Real Job at another University. The internal wireless
and wired networking on the Dell both work as do the 3D video hardware
and the sound hardware (with some quirks), all with Free drivers, as per
my preference. However, I do not think that I can still buy the same
laptop anymore, so I'm looking at other options.

However, I'm out of touch with the newest developments in hardware. I
can live without 3D video hardware, but networking and sound are
necessary. Built-in wireless isn't a must as I figure I can always try
to track down a PCMCIA wireless adaptor. A combo CD-RW/DVD drive would
be a nice feature to have. And, if possible, I'd like to use this with
Free Software and avoid binary drivers. (So, for example, I'd use a
laptop with NVIDIA video hardware as long as the 2D part works well with
the standard distribution of XFree.)

Of course, if there were an option to buy a "naked" laptop or one with
Linux pre-installed without any Windows license, that'd be ideal. I'm
not interested in Apple hardware nor am I interested in MacOS X,
although I am aware of what is possible with both.

So, does anyone have suggestions?

Caveat about my Dell laptop: One of the memory modules and the hard
drive have both failed in the 13 months I've owned the laptop. That's
not Linux-related, but it does make me wary of Dell hardware from here
on out.

Thanks in advance, y'all.

Regards,
matt

-- 
Curmudgeon Gamer: In your heart, you know they're right.
http://curmudgeongamer.com/