Last year, I lost a dear friend.
My wife was in need of a better laptop, and without the finances to
get her a new MacBook, I
decided that my 12" PowerBook G4 should
be hers. As an anniversary present, I stayed up most of the night
before backing up my files and customizing it for her needs.
The next day was both joyful (for my wife) and sad for me. I would
have to wait until my finances would allow me to get another
PowerBook.
As the months went on, I realized that continuing with PowerPC
architecture was not for me. If I was going to invest money in hardware
(especially in this economy), I wanted something that was going to be
supported for years to come.
I also began to have some interest in Linux - and open source
software in general. Since the notebook would be a secondary computer,
why would I need a MacBook? I could just get a cheap PC notebook and
run Linux, and then sell the Windows license and save even more.
The temptation only got worse when I started looking at the
specifications of the PC laptops.
- 3-4 gigs of RAM
- 250 GB hard drives
- Equally fast dual-core processors
- HDMI
- $500
I convinced myself that this was the way to go. I would purchase one
of these machines when they were on sale, run an operating system I had
no experience with, and be just fine (and save $500).
My First PC
I decided on an HP Dv4 1220, which is one of HP's Pavilion
entertainment models. It has a 2.1 GHz AMD 64-bit processor, 4 GB
of RAM, a 250 GB hard drive, HDMI out, and a bunch of other great
features.
Best of all, I purchased it when it was on sale for $550 (MSRP
$749). I figured with specs like that, I had a computer with better
specs than a brand new MacBook at a "savings" of $500.
The problems started as soon as I turned the machine on.
After unpacking my new laptop, I plugged it in and decided it would
be fun to poke around in Vista. I had never used Vista, so I thought it
would be interesting to see what all the fuss was about. I knew I was
going with a version of Linux anyway.
Vista had not been imaged properly at the factory, so I repacked
everything and returned it to the store. To be fair, returning it was
pretty easy. I explained the situation and was given another unit with
no hassle.
When I started up machine number two, I got the same message about
Windows not being correctly shut down. Thankfully, I was able to boot
it. I used Windows for a few days, then made the plunge and installed
Mandriva 2009. I didn't like
this Linux distribution, so I began trying others.
I was getting no work done; I was merely tinkering with operating
systems for two weeks.
I finally found one that worked with this HP model: Ubuntu 8.10. Surprisingly, everything
worked "out of the box." My laptop has touch controls for wireless,
volume, etc., and it all worked with no configuration.
The only thing that didn't work was my sound card, but my Linux guru
friend assured me that it was an easy fix.
Buyer's Remorse
The more days I used the HP, the worse I felt about my purchase. I
knew I had made a poor decision. I was a Mac guy, and tinkering with
open source software should have been done with an old ThinkPad, not a
brand new machine.
I have not been able to find a Linux distro that gives me full
functionality. I have tried 6 different distributions, and not one of
them allowed my sound to work.
I don't want to run Windows, so this machine has no value to me.
Now I am searching for a buyer, someone who can get some use out it
- someone who uses Windows and will appreciate it.
This is not a bad laptop at all - in fact, I absolutely love the
keyboard. It's one of the best I've ever used.
When I find a buyer, I'm going to put that money back into a Mac -
PowerPC or Intel. Until then, I'm stuck with the HP and Ubuntu.
What do I like about Linux? You'll have to come back later to find
out. 
Brian Gray is a journalist from North Carolina who enjoys writing, the beach, and tinkering with Macs.
