Fedora on a laptop

[digit_wizard]

Hi all...

I'm new to the forum, so please excuse my lack of knowledge. That's one of the reason's I'm here.

My problem is, a friend of mind decided to install Fedora Core 3 on his laptop, and faced a few obstacles. Here are the specs (read directly from his email):

HP Pavilion zv5000z (CTO) Notebook
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ 2.0GHz
512 MB PC2700 RAM
60GB Hitachi Travelstar 4200RPM IDE HDD
nForce 3 Chipset
nForce 3 based soundcard
nForce 3 based PCMCIA slot
nForce 3 based Modem
GeForce 4 440+ 64MB AGP 8x With TV OUT
15.4" WXGA Widescreen (1280x800) LCD Screen
UNKNOWN LAN card-but uses Intel drivers
Broadcom 802.11b/g Internal Wireless card.
ALPS Touchpad

And I quote....

"Now you may blame this on my incompetence or my system or both, but
out of the hardware components stated above the following did not
work, out of the box.

Broadcom 802.11b/g Internal Wireless card
ALPS Touchpad
nForce 3 based soundcard
nForce 3 based PCMCIA slot
ACPI/AMD Athlon 64 3200 Driver (well I am just being crabby here,
only the power saving stuff didn't work)
GeForce 4 440+ 64MB AGP 8x With TV OUT (Linux loaded nvX driver,
which provided only 2D support)

I slowly one by one started to eradicate these problems.

ALPS TOUCHPAD
After checking couple of forums, I found a bios update from the
manufacturer would fix this. This bios update would allow the
touchpad to emulate the PS/2 mouse. The worst part is that the BIOS
updater is a windows application. So if you completely removed
windows, you are so screwed. Though updating the BIOS restored basic
functionality, but all the "bells and whistles" like vertical scroll
regions and tapping was not enabled. I will not fix anything that
aint broke so I didn't fiddle any more.

nForce Audio Controller
It took me 2 hours to fix this ****. but again referring to forums,
I found out that the intel8x0 driver successfully to bring back
partial audio functionality. I won't discuss anything here because I
just followed the installation word by word and did not understand a
thing that was going on.

WIRELESS
After checking the forums and then later contacting the
manufacturer, I found out that Linux does not support the wireless
card at all. I rather think it is the opposite. The company is so
cheap that it can't support Linux. There is a way to enable such
devices by using windows drivers along with NdisWrapper. For the
uninitiated its a tool that allows Linux kernel to load Ndis
(Windows API drivers). Its in a development stage and obviously the
performance is 1/10th the actual stuff. I didn't try this because it
was a lot of work.

ACPI/PROCESSOR DRIVER
I couldn't enable this at all. No drivers were available for ACPI
(Advanced Configuration and Power Interface). That means no battery
saving features. No standby and hibernate. That's akin to a death
sentence for a laptop

NVIDIA VIDEO DRIVER
This was the easiest driver installation by far. It had a .run file
and was easily installed by using the `sh' command running it in
root mode. No problems, unless you upgrade the kernel. Since the
NVIDIA drivers are kernel drivers, any upgrade to the kernel for
example using `yum' or `up2date' will cause problems

I found the interface OK. Once I got used to it, I survived. But
more than once, I was lost. On the other hand, I checked out a SUSE
9.1 Live CD Evaluation. I has a beautiful interface. But I would not
say that it is better than DWM (Desktop Windows Manager, Longhorn)
or Aqua (Mac OS X).

After a lot of hard work, the following things did not work

nForce 3 based PCMCIA slot
ACPI/AMD Athlon 64 3200 Driver
Partial Support for Sound and pointing device.
Broadcom Wireless 802.11b/g

It is so sad that even though Linux has been around for a while,
with 50,000 so called developers working, it has problem supporting
even the mainstream hardware.
Therefore, by actual installation of Fedora Core 3 on my laptop, I
have proved my point. Linux S***S!!!!
"...


Now my system is a lot more humble in config, and besides I don't have a laptop, so I don't face quite as many problems. However, I'm sure there's someone out there who can change this disillussioned man's opinion. More specifically, I'm looking for solutions to some of the problems he's put up...

Cheers,
Arun

[AlexK]

Well Arun,
As you have posted, most of his problems stemmed from the fact that he installed linux on a laptop, and more specifically he installed Fedora which can be troublesome to install and configure.

The only way to get a Broadcom wireless card to work is to use Ndis wrapper, but the newer versions have support for 54MBit connections and WPA, so there doesn't seem to be much of performance loss. And that is why most linux users steer clear of chipsets made by broadcom.

I doubt your PC has a touchpad, but if he had specified that he had a touchpad during the installation of linux, then things should have been fine.

I am guessing the nForce 3 sound card is the same as the nForce 2 based one i am using (AC97). Linux does indeed support this and as he saidit uses the intel8x0 drivers, but i find that it works better with the nvaudio driver.

ACPI/Athlon, you can set up ACPI and related stuff during boot, or if he used a different distro he could set it up via gui. Also it owuld have been better if he had gotten a 64 bit distro.

Well, to get full 3d support, all he need to to is install drivers from nvidia.

In conclusion to my rant, i would suggest that you tell your friend to try SuSE or Mandriva/Mandrake before making any such comments about linux. if you want to try linux out of curiosity, try a Knoppix LiveCD, you won't need to install it as it will run from the cdrom.

good luck

[mactabilis]

There's alway's 1..................if he had taken a look at thing's first,then he may of got the right distro.
well let's just say we dont all walk up that very wide path named microsoft.

[drakebasher]

The worst part is that the BIOS
updater is a windows application. So if you completely removed
windows, you are so screwed.

See how close Bill Gates is getting to world domination, supported by people willing to spend money, but not time to research what they buy?

Linux is not for everyone.

[jimbaloo]

I checked out a SUSE
9.1 Live CD Evaluation. I has a beautiful interface. But I would not
say that it is better than DWM (Desktop Windows Manager, Longhorn)

I really like that he wouldn't say that the Suse interface is any better than that of Longhorn, especially given that the wonderful, next generation, Longhorn is not yet released and at the rate that M$ is pushing back the release dates it seems that it may never be ready for the general public to lay eyes on it.

[schwim]

Why change his mind? Who would want him as an ally?

Seriously though, I wouldn't try to talk him into anything. If he's the sort of person that:

A) Can't research before dl'ing/purchasing distros
B) Eradicate and squash simple hardware conflicts that are solved on the net
C) Expect realistic things from linux on a laptop

Then I'd rather he be paying Bill for the Next Big Thing, that which is longhorn. He seems much better suited to that.

He has proveD(sic) his point that linux sucks just as well as some moron trying to install XP on his home-built toaster.

thanks,
json

[mactabilis]

Well we all no Bill Gate's is a fisherman,well let's say his net is full.

Anyway each to there own,im not getting caught.

Dont look and turn away, time is what it take's to learn thats why im here.............

Longhorn,well it's just a pretty show to make more CASH.