Comments on: In with the new, out with the old http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/ Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:42:26 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: tyme http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/comment-page-1/#comment-140 tyme Fri, 03 Nov 2006 15:02:33 +0000 http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/#comment-140 For some reason I thought you got a used Lenovo. At the time I bought my Macbook I compared it with "PC" laptops of equal level and found it was about the same price. Plus, I've always wanted one :D As far as EFI, you actually don't have to have an EFI capable Linux. You just use a program called refit that detects the Linux distribution at boot up, and install LILO on the root partition of the OS (not on the boot of the HD) - and boom, it boots! Although, you do have to keep OS X installed. The driver for the wireless is madwifi, which isn't totally open source because it uses a binary HAL to interface with the device. Personally, I don't actually use Linux on my Macbook most of the time. I just installed it for fun and games, but OS X is a good OS and in some cases beats Linux. Plus, you still have the terminal :D For some reason I thought you got a used Lenovo. At the time I bought my Macbook I compared it with “PC” laptops of equal level and found it was about the same price. Plus, I’ve always wanted one :D

As far as EFI, you actually don’t have to have an EFI capable Linux. You just use a program called refit that detects the Linux distribution at boot up, and install LILO on the root partition of the OS (not on the boot of the HD) – and boom, it boots! Although, you do have to keep OS X installed. The driver for the wireless is madwifi, which isn’t totally open source because it uses a binary HAL to interface with the device.

Personally, I don’t actually use Linux on my Macbook most of the time. I just installed it for fun and games, but OS X is a good OS and in some cases beats Linux. Plus, you still have the terminal :D

]]> By: adamw http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/comment-page-1/#comment-139 adamw Thu, 02 Nov 2006 17:11:54 +0000 http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/#comment-139 I didn't want to buy used. And even if I did, comparing the price of a *new* Lenovo to a *used* Apple is not fair. Why not compare the price of a *used* Lenovo and a *used* Apple? :) I did actually consider getting a Macbook for a while. The price difference new is about $400 in Canada. They are nice machines, but I rather wanted the 12.1" form factor over the 13.3", and Mandriva doesn't support the new-fangled EFI boot system yet, so far as I know. In the end the price gap plus all of that led me to plump for the Lenovo. There's also the fact that it should be supported almost entirely by open source drivers (I'm just worried about the wireless, might need proprietary firmware for that), which is nice - it has an AIGLX-capable Intel graphics chipset. I didn’t want to buy used. And even if I did, comparing the price of a *new* Lenovo to a *used* Apple is not fair. Why not compare the price of a *used* Lenovo and a *used* Apple? :)

I did actually consider getting a Macbook for a while. The price difference new is about $400 in Canada. They are nice machines, but I rather wanted the 12.1″ form factor over the 13.3″, and Mandriva doesn’t support the new-fangled EFI boot system yet, so far as I know. In the end the price gap plus all of that led me to plump for the Lenovo. There’s also the fact that it should be supported almost entirely by open source drivers (I’m just worried about the wireless, might need proprietary firmware for that), which is nice – it has an AIGLX-capable Intel graphics chipset.

]]> By: tyme http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/comment-page-1/#comment-138 tyme Thu, 02 Nov 2006 16:50:36 +0000 http://www.happyassassin.net/2006/11/01/in-with-the-new-out-with-the-old/#comment-138 You should've just gotten a used Macbook and dropped Linux on there - it works quite well, and would have been around the same price with better specs ;) You should’ve just gotten a used Macbook and dropped Linux on there – it works quite well, and would have been around the same price with better specs ;)

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