This page is a place you can list hardware that works well with GNU/Linux, or check for local pricing and availability.

Digital Cameras

Any digital camera that supports the USB mass storage driver will work with Linux. This is normally listed as a feature on the back of the box.

BenQ DC2300

• Works with USB Mass Storage driver
• Available from Computer Mania from R999 (Dec 2004)

Laptops

Generally, laptops are widely supported under Linux. Some glitches might occur with some wireless cards. Some internal modems aren't supported. LinuxLaptops.org and Linux-Laptop.net can give you more information about Linux and laptops, but the laptops mentioned there might not be available locally. (add "things to take into consideration" section here)

HP Compaq nc6220

Works well with Debian 3.1 and recent (March 2006) testing (using X.org on both, didn't try with XFree86), standard 2.6.15 kernel. NetBSD 3.0 also works fine, but haven't tested the latest -current ACPI patches.

• Processor: Pentium M (Banias), single core. SpeedStep frequency scaling works well.
• Display: Intel 915DM (shared memory, unfortunately), works well on 1400x1050 display with X.org 6.9 (i810 driver). 915resolution can be used to get the video BIOS setup correctly. DRM works.
• Network: Broadcom BCM5751M (supported by the tg3 driver) and Intel IPW2200 wireless. Both work fine
• Bluetooth: Works fine with the standard stack and bluez utilities
• Modem: Not tested
• PCMCIA/Cardbus: Works (only tested with Vodacom Option 3G card)
• ACPI: Fans and temperature monitoring works fine. Haven't tested S3 suspend-to-RAM yet, or applied the S4 suspend-to-disk patches.
• Touchpad: Standard Synaptics, well supported
• Keyboard: Certain of the extra keys work out the box (volume and mute, wireless on/off), but information and presentation mode buttons don't. Good keyboard layout.
• Linux certified by HP.

See my blog post for some useful links on Linux on this machine.

IBM T series (T40, T41, T42)

• Display: Radeon 7500, 9500. Wireless: Intel Centrino IPW2100. Sound: Intel 855 onboard.
• Well supported under Linux (extra functions are supported through thinkpad-tools)
• Modem driver is available, but has been found to be slow

IBM Z series (Z60m)

Ubuntu Breezy (5.10) detects and configures the wide screen at 1680x1050 no problem. Fonts look good etc, ATI Radeon card is OK, but without 3d acceleration (I don't feel like installing the non-free drivers).

Things that do not just work are:

• The volume control buttons - mute, vol up and vol down
• The biometric fingerprint reader (non-free sources available)

Things that I would like to see:

• They have not included a Windows(TM) Logo key, which I normally use

to launch a terminal in X, so now I lose CapsLock... Maybe a linux key would do? hmmm IBM?

Things that do Just Work:

• The thinklight - cool
• Bluetooth and Wireless NIC (ipw2200)
• ieee1394 (OHCI)
• Suspend to disc, suspend to RAM, ACPI - IBM have their own ACPI
• PCMCIA support

scripts within the std Ubuntu installation.

• All of the second function keys (contrast, projector, suspend etc)

Things I haven't tested yet:

• Memory card (SD card and others) reader.
• Built in modem (56k)

Things that could have been done better:

• Windows(TM) still came pre-installed although I asked them not to do

that. They didn't make me pay for it though on the understanding that I wasn't going to use it.

• There is *still* a stupid "Designed for WinXP" sticker on the

machine, which I usually replace with a GNU/Linux - Dynamic Duo sticker - thanks RMS for those.

Acer Ferrari 4k

• Processor AMD Turion64 Mmmm :-)
• Display: Radeon X700, 15" 1680x1050
• Lan: Broadcom tg3, dodgy ndiswrapper wireless: changing a laptop's Mini-PCI wireless card
• Other supported hardware: Bluetooth, Modem, DVD-RW (DL)

Acer Ferrari 3400

• Processor AMD Mobile Athlon64 (Not dual core, but still nice :)
• VGA: ATI Mobility Radeon 9700 128MB (dedicated), needs ATI's binary fglrx drivers
• screen: 15" 1400x1050, external VGA and SVideo output
• Lan: Broadcom tg3, dodgy ndiswrapper wireless: changing a laptop's Mini-PCI wireless card
• Synaptics touch pad (do load/get the Synaptics driver for the fancy tapping, dragging etc.)
• Other supported hardware: Bluetooth, Modem (Winmodem type :(), Irda, CD-RW/DVD-RAM/-RW/+RW (frontloader, ie. Only full size disks, no fancy business card/mini-CD/DVDs)

• About R1000 cheaper than the 4k from Incredible Connection
• Do run hot on top of the HDD (Left hand)
• Approximately 100minutes battery life just taking notes using powernowd

Wireless Cards (802.11)

The best you can do is to get a card that is supported natively by the Linux kernel. The worst is to have to go via a wrapper like NDIS-wrapper... Support the vendors that released their specs ;-)

Slow - 802.11b

Prism2 / Orinoco

• Probably the most supported card under Linux!
• These cards are hard to obtain (2nd hand) but supported by multiple drivers in the mainline kernel.

Intel Centrino IPW2100

• Excellent support under Linux
• Available on many laptops
• Driver can be obtained from http://ipw2100.sourceforge.net
• Driver is open source, requires the download of proprietary firmware

Fast - 802.11g (and b)

Prism54 / Prism GT / Duette

• Supported natively in the mainline kernel - needs proprietory firmware, though.
• Reliable and supported under most modes - Managed, Ad-hoc, Master, Monitor. (Any more?)
• Extra features: WDS

See http://www.prism54.org/

Recommended models: Netgear WG511 (check the version - some use different chipsets)

Intel Centrino IPW2200

• Excellent support under Linux
• Available on many new laptops
• Driver can be obtained from http://ipw2200.sourceforge.net
• Driver is open source, requires the download of proprietary firmware

Atheros

• Need to patch your kernel, but good reports from users.
• Driver can be downloaded from here: http://madwifi.org/

Modems

Serial Modems

All serial modems work under linux, and they work very well. They all support faxing to some degree, although Class 2 / 2.0 is better than Class 1.

• With serial modems, you have the advantage that lightning strikes only take out the modem - not the PCI bus.

Serial modems are getting harder to source new, but are very easy to find second-hand or even given away! A 33.6 model is plenty.

Linmodems

http://www.linmodems.org/ is the best place to start. Google next.

Insert your linmodem experiences here

ISDN Modems

Not strictly "modems"...

AVM has a good reputation here.

• Stefano has had a long fight with his USB AVM PBX. It is mostly stable now, but still the most unreliable driver he runs.

ADSL Modems / Routers

Any router should work nicely (excepting the Telskum Marconi junk).

• Separate discussion: ADSL Modem Types

UPSs

APC

APC UPSs work perfectly with Linux every time. Use the apcupsd package to talk to them.

They also work well with Network UPS Tools (NUT) - use the apcsmart driver is you have a suitable cable (940-0024C or 940-0095B), otherwise genericups will support the dumb contact closure cables (940-0095A/C and others).

APC provides free couriered battery replacements during the 2 year warranty :-)

• Available from DCC

Powercom

Rectron sells Powercom UPSs. These work well with the NUT powercom driver, but may require some experimentation to find the correct type to use. The Black Knight series requires type=KIN1500AP.