[ltp] What to do if I suspect I've got a lemon T60? ( + small rant)

[SOTL]

Bert Haskins wrote:

>
>
> SOTL wrote:
>
>> Whil Hentzen wrote:
>>
>>> Hi folks,
>>>
>>> I bought a T60 from PC Connection about a month ago. (Been buying 
>>> from them since 1982, never been unhappy with anything.) First thing 
>>> I did, natch, was blow away Windows and install FC5. Well, I tried 
>>> to, that is.
>>
>>
>>
>> Difficult to install on a laptop.
>
>
>
>>
>> Sorry, I've got to disagree with this.
>
>
> I have installed FC5 on at least twenty thinkpads ( this year ) and 
> the only thing that I have had
> significant problems with is wireless G WPA and that is only with 
> certain cards.

wireless
Grub refusing to recognize dual boot
win modem
sound

>
> I average less than five minutes (my time... not computer time) on a 
> complete install and update.
>
> For comparison, my average WXP install (my time ) is always over five 
> hours counting service packs,
> fifty or so ~!@#$ reboots, drivers, and all the other necessary crap.
>
> As much as I dislike the BSOS, I value our family friends more and so 
> I do ( legal ) reinstalls and keep my anger bottled up inside.
>
> The only real reason why many of these people can not be switched over 
> is that they need to run support programs
> for high-level sewing machines and these are not available for Linux.
> In several cases I have set up boxes to dual-boot so that the only 
> thing that they run under ~!@#$ is their sewing programs.
> Sadly (very) I have not been able to get these programs to run  ( 
> without major problems )  under Wine.
>
> ////////////////// Start Rant
> Please notice that out of about fifty Linux installs this year, none 
> of these will
> make a marketing blip anywhere.
> I get very POed when I read about the socalled  Linux 1.5 to 2 %  
> penetration on the desktop
> that is reported by journalists  who should stick to writing about 
> something that they understand
> that is, nothing.
> I am certain that there are many others like myself that set up 
> several machines each year that
> don't get counted by any bean counters and therefore do not even exist 
> in the eyes of the
> marketing wimps.
> Now just consider how many bucks are spent on items that end up 
> running under Linux
> without that fact getting back to the vendor of the item.
> The vendors are a lot like those three monkeys only it is "see no 
> Linux, hear no Linux, speak no Linux"
>
> We really need a way to make our presence known.
>
> /// End Rant
>
> Bert
>