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Re: Subnotebook?

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Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> writes:

> On 2025-02-10, David Brown wrote:
>
>> On 07/02/2025 20:43, Carl Fink wrote:
>>> Anyone have a recommendation for a Linux-installed, or second-best
>>> Linux-compatible subnotebook? I'm defining a subnote as having a 10" or
>>> smaller screen, and I'm looking to buy new, not refurb or used.
> [...]
>> Generally, most hardware works out of the box with a fairly modern
>> distro (vastly more than with Windows), but there are some things to
>> watch out for if you get a very new design.  The most common issue, I
>> think, is new laptops or notebooks with Wifi chips that are not
>> supported by the kernel versions that come as standard with a
>> mainstream distro like Mint or Ubuntu.  That means upgrading the
>> kernel, which can be a pain without a working network - and these
>> machines often don't have Ethernet.  So make sure you have a USB C
>> docking station or Ethernet adaptor handy for putting it all together.
>
> IMHO wifi chips are one of the major things to check out when comparing
> or buying, because at least some brands or models of NICs will mean
> networking performance will always be bad.
>
> In my experience, this means avoiding anything that has a Broadcom WLAN
> NIC. I've had enough fighting with drivers and firmware that it's not
> worth a try to me anymore. (See also [1]. I think someone else reported
> somewhere that Broadcom told them they had a defective card when faced
> with this or a similar issue, but I was able to test two different NICs
> with the same outcomes, which makes it more likely that Broadcom is to
> blame here...)

Raspberry Pi OS works quite nicely with Broadcom wifi. :-)

I haven't actually looked to see what's out there, but are there any
subnotebooks based on an RPi 5? That could make for a very nice little
computer.

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Thread

Subnotebook? Carl Fink <carlf@panix.com> - 2025-02-07 19:43 +0000
  Re: Subnotebook? candycanearter07 <candycanearter07@candycanearter07.nomail.afraid> - 2025-02-07 20:00 +0000
  Re: Subnotebook? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2025-02-10 08:35 +0100
    Re: Subnotebook? R Daneel Olivaw <Danny@hyperspace.vogon.gov> - 2025-02-10 09:54 +0100
      Re: Subnotebook? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2025-02-10 10:40 +0100
      Re: Subnotebook? scott@alfter.diespammersdie.us (Scott Alfter) - 2025-02-10 23:13 +0000
    Re: Subnotebook? Nuno Silva <nunojsilva@invalid.invalid> - 2025-02-10 09:59 +0000
      Re: Subnotebook? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2025-02-10 12:24 +0100
      Re: Subnotebook? Bud Frede <frede@mouse-potato.com> - 2025-03-25 09:17 -0400
    Re: Subnotebook? Theo <theom+news@chiark.greenend.org.uk> - 2025-02-11 13:53 +0000
      Re: Subnotebook? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2025-02-11 17:49 +0100
      Re: Subnotebook? Carl Fink <carlf@panix.com> - 2025-02-12 13:29 +0000
    Re: Subnotebook? "Carlos E.R." <robin_listas@es.invalid> - 2025-02-11 15:20 +0100
      Re: Subnotebook? David Brown <david.brown@hesbynett.no> - 2025-02-11 17:51 +0100
      Re: Subnotebook? Harold Stevens <wookie@aspen.localdomain> - 2025-02-11 16:47 -0600
  Re: Subnotebook? Popping Mad <rainbow@colition.gov> - 2025-03-24 22:16 -0400

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