[NTLUG:Discuss] New Laptop with Linux pre-installed

[Stan Gatchel]

Ok, I am thinking of taking the plunge. I have tried to avoid getting a
laptop for many years but it looks like I will now be sucked into a giant clam shell for the rest of my life thus avoiding all human contact!  8-]  Wasn't there a StarTek episode something like this? 

I recently attended a class where I was the only one without a laptop. Oddly enough, no one seemed to notice. They even viewed the presentation slides on their laptops while the speaker was talking. The good news is... the overhead projector is now useless! :-)


Just wondered if anyone can suggest a good place to get one and which
brand/model is a good choice?

Here are my general requirement

1. Light weight (3 - 5.5 lbs) and thin (1-1.5 inches) if possible
2. Screen size 12-15+ inches, bright screen
3. Core duo processor?
4. Nvidia or ATI graphics
5. Modem (no broadband here...low elevation, rural location.)
6. The usual other stuff. 60GB+ HD, 1GB, usual ports, etc.
7. Oh yeah, no M$ tax if that is possible

Now for the difficult part: which distro to install. Most seem to
install Fedora but I'm more of a KDE guy. I'm thinking SuSE 10.1 or Kubuntu.

Here are the suppliers I've found so far:

http://www.linuxcertified.com/linux_laptops.html
http://www.shoprcubed.com/products.asp?cat=27&gclid=CJKFvuf5uIcCFQE7GAod2hxSIA
http://www.emperorlinux.com/

Any help would be appreciated,   

Thanks,

Stan