[NTLUG:Discuss] Fedora core 4 on HP Pavilion notebook?

[Chris Cox]

BBBB wrote:
>>Stephen Davidson wrote:
>>>Hi Neil.
>>>
>>>For a number of reasons, I have been paying attention to HP Notebooks
>>>and Linux.  Apparently, HP has some propietary Hardware in their
>>>Notebooks that the general Linux communtiy does not yet have drivers
>>>for..  At the start of the summer, they contacted Ubuntu to write the
>>>drivers and vet with their laptops.  This was completed a couple of
>>>weeks ago.  As for the other major distrubutions, I will need to get
>>>some more details.  Tonight I will send you any publicly available
>>>information and any contact information that I find today.
>>This scares me... doesn't it scare you?  I mean, HP is not known
>>for making its own laptops (pretty much like everyone else).
>>
>>So what are these "proprietary" pieces of hardware?  Why all
>>the needless cloak and dagger. Ubuntu?  Obviously this makes
>>only negative dollars from an HP perspective.  Doesn't seem
>>likely at all (but HP is not known for making smart
>>business decisions lately).
>>
>>I don't want to believe that any of this is actually true.
>>
>>I'd like to see some real info on this.  And not more of
>>this mysterious cloak and dagger nonsense.  Just make me
>>want to hate HP if actually true.
>>
>>Sounds very strange to me,
>>Chris
>>
> I have been interested in an HP laptop for Ubuntu also. They have a
> Customized CD for some models:
> http://www.ubuntulinux.org/support/custom/hplaptops
> I am not an IT professional or Linux expert by any stretch of the
> imagination.
> Ubuntu has been great for me as a regular guy trying to break the MS habit.
> After trying a couple of
> other distros, I feel like I can solve most of my problems on my own with
> Ubuntu.
> Is your fear that Ubuntu may be the only distro with these drivers?

The message implied that HP had (unamed, unspecified) proprietary
hardware in some of their laptops and that they were working
specifically with Ubuntu on those mysterious elements.

> I'm not sure why this is any different than any other laptops that have
> hardware that only works with
> windows. Wouldn't they work with other Debian-ish flavors? I think I must be
> missing the point.

Point is... no detail was given.  Leaves one wondering, "why not?"