Installing Linux on a Laptop PC

By Robert Geer


First, the real Linux-on-a-laptop info is found at: I much appreciate the effort put into these Web sites! Thanks!


Here's the specs: * PCI bus & PCMCIA info was taken from Win95 Control Panel System Properties.


Linux installation from Walnut Creek Slackware 3.0 cdrom:


Notes:

I am not the primary user of this laptop; those who will be the primary users aren't Linux-aware, so I didn't install Lilo. I may eventually try loadlin, but for now booting the kernel from floppy is sufficient.

The TouchPad is a bit annoying to me (I used it in Win95 as I haven't run X yet). My fingers are large & as I remove my finger from the TouchPad after precisely positioning the cursor, the cursor tends to move 'til the last part of my skin leaves the pad. From what I've heard about trackball poor reliability, tho, a TouchPad may likely be a better choice. If this were my laptop, I'd pack around a serial Logitech MouseMan for extended usage.

The ctrl key is horridly placed for my fat fingers!

Compared to my 486DX-33, the kernel-compile on this Pentium-133 simply flew! Didn't have time to run to the fridge for a beer, go to the can, anything! :-)


Special thanks to Ken Harker for being the first to to HTML'ize this information & making it available to the Linux community. I just didn't think of that; & besides, his Web pages have a ton more Linux info than mine! :-)