[ltp] Questions from a new owner

[Ralph Zajac, Jr.]

I recently purchased a TP i Series 1412 and had it shipped home. 
(Didn't want the temptation during finals week :) I'd like to order 
some other things and have them waiting for me when I get there. 
Because of the distance to home (a 5 hr. drive) and the relative 
cluelessness that my parents have about computers, some of 
these questions could be answered simply by looking at the 
system.

1. Do ThinkPads come with all of their RAM slots filled, or can I 
buy a 32MB upgrade and be able to use it to to boost the system's 
memory to 64MB?

2. I'm looking for a case to carry the system with. I want one that 
doesn't scream "this is a laptop case". In this theme, I've been 
looking at several bags from Spire and the Cross Country from 
Trager. I've also looked at the backpacks from Targus and the 
Saddle Pack from Kensington. Does anyone have any experience 
with any of these bags? I'm looking for amount of room to hold text 
books/notebooks and how well protected the laptop is. Also, does 
anyone use the "sleaves" that let you carry your laptop in any bag? 
Most don't seem padded enough to me.

3. Finally, a Linux question. I want to install Linux and I have been 
doing some research on the different distributions. Is there one that 
works better than others or is there one I should avoid? I'm a senior 
in Computer Eng. and I have used several different Unixes over the 
past few years. I'm also my family's tech support line. :)

Thanks for any help you can give.


-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,-==-,
Ralph Zajac, Jr.     |Divine intervention is most unlikely.
rj.zajac@computer.org|  -The Emergency Med. Program, Voyager


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