[svlug] Light AMD laptop for linux?

[Daniel Gimpelevich]

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 11:00:24 -0800, Greg Lindahl wrote:

> On Wed, Feb 14, 2007 at 07:49:27AM -0800, Daniel Gimpelevich wrote:
> 
>> That's a very tall order indeed. It's a bit ironic that the FSF calls for
>> a boycott of Intel in favor of AMD, since AMD-based systems tend to be far
>> more Linux-hostile than Intel-based ones.
> 
> Generalizations are hard -- AMD *server* platforms require no non-free
> drivers, and my AMD laptop needs one (video). AMD's support of
> LinuxBios is much, much better than Intel's. So people's opinions will
> vary depending on what kind of computing they do.

One's definition of "Linux-hostile" can also greatly vary. Server
platforms were so far removed from Dave's question that I didn't consider
them relevant enough to mention. LinuxBios support also greatly varies
with the motherboard chipset for AMD. For example, LinuxBios support for
VIA chipsets is nearly zilch. It is possible to use any chipset for AMD
without non-free drivers of any kind, with markedly reduced functionality,
except with VIA, which has no such requirements, and ATI, which requires
them only for video over and above VESA. Only a masochist would try such a
thing with a chipset from SiS or nVidia.

> I'm really looking forward to free ATI drivers.
> 
> -- greg

As I previously said, that is a powerful reason to go with ATI _right now_.