After using SUSE for around 2 years years I was getting frustrated attempting to install SUSE 10 RC 1 on my relatively new Sony Vaio laptop. --Note I'm more of a USER than a techie but probably know just enough to be dangerous.

1) DVD playing wouldn't play on my integrated DVD player (Panasonic / Matshita UJB 845 -S Dual Layer ) device in spite of downloading LIBDVDCSS and the correct libraries and codecs --it would play on an external DVD player but that's too much of a nuisance.

2) Windows shares (Samba) weren't displaying the full directory lists (getting truncated after about 32 entries)

3) Couldn't configure printing TO a Windows locally attached printer (easy to get Windows to print on Linux machine but the other way round --Linux printing on Windows) gave probs.


4) Ndis wrapper with the latest release (SUSE 10 RC1) would work but as soon as you started X network connectivity lost.

So I though I'd try Mandriva as it's probably the nearest to SUSE.

Well the thing wouldn't even install --froze at boot time and no amount of kernel options would get it to even boot the install system.

So let's try Fedora FC4 --downloaded the DVD and TO MY SURPRISE

With Fedora

ALL worked although I did have to download Ndiswrapper, Kaffeine, NTFS lfile read and a few others

YUM nade getting these easy to install.

The printer wizard made it easy to connect to my Windows printer and even got the correct drivers (Epson 1290)

Note the wizard did need the IP address rather than the computer name of th windows machine --not a prob.

I'd advise installing Linneighborhood as it makes browsing your windows shares easy before configuring SAMBA.

What I DO have niggles about with Fedora but I'm sure it's only my ignorance of the system are

1) can't select Individual packages on Install

2) Don't like default GNOME --switched to KDE

3) installing individual RPM's (outside yum) is a real hassle after SUSE's YAST.

4) Some of the configuration files are hard to find -- how for example do I start and stop services and ensure modules are loaded on boot --there's no etc/modules file


5) ndiswrapper --worked but there's actually no configuration file for wlan0 so ifup / ifdown doesn't work --so long as I can connect to the Internet and the network I don't really care. I'm using a Linksys WPC54g wireless card with the Broadcom chipset. Anyway after Modprobe ndiswrapper command DHCLIENT WLAN0 worked.

5) if you boot up in text mode the vga text is really ugly - --just an unimportant niggle.


I'm going to run with this distro for a while --but so far it looks like Fedora has just got another convert.


As for the Red Hat "Corporateness" --Suse are going along the same lines with Nowell.


So thanks Fedora for a FULLY working Laptop.

The only thing I'll probably miss SUSE for is YAST is an excellent tool for configuring the system --but that's more than made up for by having YUM available to retrieve and install software.

Cheers

-K

What model is your VAIO? I have a PCG-K23 that I am trying to set up as a dual boot with FC4? If so, how did you get around (or how do I) setup partitions so I don't wipe my Windows?

Use Windows or whatever to create some blank partition space --enough for / and /boot

then it's fine

BUT SEE MY POST ON WARNING AFTER INSTALL

(Sony Vaio PCG GRT816S)

Cheers
-K

By the way, while ndiswrapper does not have a config file for wlan0, you can simply make one and put it in /etc/sysconfig/network-scripts (where you will see config files for eth0, etc). That way you can use ifup and ifdown to your hearts' content. I created a wlan0-ifcfg file when I started using FC1, have been using the exact same file ever since.

It's /etc/modules.conf. Also, the command "service" will start, stop, restart, etc. many of the daemons normally used.

first time i partitioned my laptop, i had to get a copy of partition magic to shring the windows partition. it cost $20 to download, but worked great. i did have to fix the fat table. for some reason, it had a lot of errors, at least as linux saw it. other than that, it went very easily. this was with earlier fedora and the linux tools didn't seem to want to deal with the windows partition.

Thanks, I like this place.

Remember that if you want to resize an NTFS partition, you really SHOULD defrag the disk first. This places all of the files more towards the front of the drive. Note that you won't be able to move ALL of the files to the front - for some insane reason, Microsoft has certain files in the most peculiar spots on the hard drive. After the defrag, you should, for the most part, safely shrink the partition in preparation for your linux install.

William Jones

a google will find it for you, but you can also try this link:

http://www.satellite-store.net/p22/Par-2.dwt