2. Technical Discussion

Linux may be installed on a wide variety of processor architectures, including AMD or Intel in 32 and 64-bit versions including Intel Centrino, ARM, VIA, and TransMeta. Assessing any particular notebook candidate for Linux installation remains an inexact art, and requires consulting such on-line compatibility guides as are available (comprised mostly of user installation experiences) along with some inevitable trial-and-error exercises using live-demonstration (LiveCD) Linux images such as Knoppix, to see what works and what doesn't.

One of the most problematic areas for Linux is supporting the vast and varied chips integrated into the thousands of notebooks currently in use. Several sites specializing in Linux notebook information have been established, such as Linux on Notebooks and Tux-Mobile.

How about state-of-the-art CPU and related component technologies? According to the information on Intel's Web site, Linux kernel version 2.6.8 and above under Red Hat or SUSE are supported by all Centrino components (processor, chipset, and PRO/Wireless adapter), which applies to Duo Mobile technology, Core Duo processors, and the 945/945GM Express chipset families. Intel also lists supported graphics drivers for SUSE Professional, but no others. Since a Centrino-based laptop was not accessible at the time of testing, we were unable to confirm the compatibility of these or other drivers. Dual core (and Core Duo) desktop processors can be used under Linux using symmetric multi-processor (SMP) kernel compilations and some users have posted success stories using dual core laptops and Debian, Red Hat, and SUSE distributions.

When it comes to laptop hardware, there are no guarantees that a given piece of hardware will be properly detected, configured and supported by Linux drivers. Where some hardware is automatically detected and transparently configured, others take coaxing by hand to work properly (if at all). Two excellent sources for information regarding Linux installation on new or repurposed laptops are compatibility lists such as the massive listing at linux-laptop.net or user forums providing specific experiences with the laptop in question. That said, Linux does work and play well with hundreds of laptop makes and models from various manufacturers so getting Linux running on just about anything is entirely feasible.

There are some devices that do remain a sticking point for Linux, such as integrated modems and wireless network cards. There are many forums, articles, and resources dedicated to getting compatible wireless NICs working with their corresponding Linux drivers and incompatible (Windows-centric) drivers using the ndiswrapper utility, some of which is described in this quick guide. Unfortunately, some of the compatibility guides such as this are slightly out of date but do provide a good beginning for finding the right WiFi NIC for Linux. This is clearly better than in the old days when getting wireless NICs to work involved a process of trial-and-error and repeat appearances at the returns department of a retail outlet or many requests for returned merchandise authorizations from online retail outlets.