Linux Pro Magazine Reports that HP Laptop ALMOST shipped with Ubuntu Linux!
In the September 2005 issue (Issue 58) of Linux Pro Magazine, in an article called “Designed to Fit,” the magazine reports that Hewlett-Packard considered shipping the HP Compaq NC4200 laptop with Ubuntu Linux pre-installed! Ubuntu says that they are working with HP to come out with a version that supports “nearly 100%” of the hardware for the NC6120, NC6110, NC600, NX6110, NC6220 and NC4200. The customized Ubuntu version is available here:
Custom Ubuntu Linux for Some HP Laptop Models
Exceptions are the SD-card reader and the Broadcom wireless device. For both devices no Linux drivers are available. But the Broadcom wireless device can be run with ndiswrapper and the windows drivers. Way to go HP! Come on, go for it! Release a “production” laptop with Ubuntu packaged on it! I double-dog dare ya!
This is why Ubuntu isn’t a good Distro for newbies. The Broadcom (native) drivers have been released in the kernel and work quite well on all my HP Laptops. Kida silly to make a user use ndiswrapper. Also why even release Linux on a laptop when you know the SD-Reader won’t work, that just makes Linux look bad. If hp is going to do this they need to choose a more user friendly distro, and a better machine to release it on.