One of these days she will guess my password then the real fun begins.
Tag Archive for 'Zareason'
It all started with a Dell E248WFP being dropped on our desks and the sad realization that my BigLap just couldn’t drive it no matter how hard I coaxed it. My bosses very graciously offered to replace my notebook and a couple of quick emails with Earl set me on the path to the MegaLap.
ZaReason was great about setting up a test environment to make sure that the notebook could easily drive a similar monitor. As always, they were fast and friendly with awesome tips on how to get things rolling once my MegaLap landed on my desk.
All that real estate leaves me feeling like a robber baron not to mention that the MegaLap is blazing fast and the screen is gorgeous.
So this is my second notebook from ZaReason (my BigLap is still a champ!) and I have to say I am so pleased with the service and support. they aren’t kidding when they say, “Building Linux hardware so you don’t have to.” Everything I have bought from them has worked right out of the box, no fuss and no bloat. Just an elegant OS making use of all the hardware it is given.
Thanks to everyone at Zareason for making my computing life fun!
MegaLap Specs
- Intel Core2 Duo T7200
- 2GB RAM
- 512MB NVidia GeForce Go 7700
- 200GB SATA
I’m sort of tired of the question whether or not Linux is ready for the desktop or if it is grandma suitable. Maybe it is because Management and I have been using it with no exceptions for the last 4 years that I am a bit touchy on the subject but the question is silly and the often the responses more so. Think of it, would you ask if OSX is ready for the home user? Is Microsoft ready for the enterprise? No, you likely wouldn’t unless you are being snarky.
Case and point. My mother-in-law wanted a laptop for her birthday. She is running Windows XP on an aging HP desktop and wanted an OS that is secure and easy to use as well as a laptop that is well made and affordable. My recommendation? Go with ZaReason (she got a LightLapSR and now, after playing with it, Management wants one for herself).
Yes, I know I keep beating the drum for this builder but they build a great machine and have an excellent support team but more importantly, their machines “just work” and with all the peripherals she has collected over the years. From printers, scanners, to cameras, and iPods she is not left out in the dark with any of those devices. She was able to flip open the laptop, register herself as a user, sign onto her network, and check her mail in less time than it takes to make a cup of tea.
My mother-in-law is not a technocrat. It has taken her years to get comfortable with her XP machine but only comfortable in the sense that she has a passing familiarity with the way things are done on it. A couple of minutes after getting set up she found Mahjongg and was busy collecting tiles. She is much like 90% of the users out there. They want to surf the Internet, check their email, watch movies, manage photos and music, and maybe play a couple of hands of solitaire. Linux can do all of that and more.
Bottom line, Linux is ready for the desktop and ZaReason is mother-in-law approved.
Read some great news over on The Debian User last night:
Why not offer computers, pre-built with Linux, to the people I like, or to their friends and families? I’m not a great coder, but as a former sysadmin I know my way around hard- and software enough to set up solid systems. So if these people (Debian Developers and such) provide all that great software, I could at least offer them some hardware, right?
Going that way with ZaReason was only the next logical step. Why re-invent the wheel, or try to set up competition, when there could be co-operation?
After months of hard work Wolfgang has launched a EU branch of ZaReason something that makes this happy ZaReason user just plain giddy. Congratulations and best of luck!
In my personal life I am incredibly lazy and often don’t et around to things unless need is so pressing that it should have been done yesterday. Case and point being recording support on my BigLap and the continuing mockery that I suffer for it not working and the fact that I lost my Bluetooth headset thus rendering Skype useless to me. So after some quick research I found the solution on the Ubuntu forms thanks to dejitarob.
james@elwoodicious:~$ sudo alsactl names
james@elwoodicious:~$ sudo alsactl store
james@elwoodicious:~$ alsamixer
The catch here was that the input sources needed to be pointed at Front Mic and Mic.
james@elwoodicious:~$ sudo alsactl store
That’s it. Skype works, Sound Recording works, Ekiga…Doesn’t. Not sure why Ekiga doesn’t but that’s a puzzle for another day. Well, it does after a reboot. Go figure.
Stuffed into my new bag from Timbuk2…
Top: paperback for downtime, O’Reilly books for work (Yay Bash and Vim!), note pad, baby toys.
Middle: AC power, mouse, 2 sets of headphones (someone is always asking for a spare set), screwdriver, usb mini for camera, phone charger for car and converter for wall (I’m on the phone all the time!), Cat5 cable for when there is no wireless or someone’s crappy Windows machine needs work, blank CD-R, blank DVD-R, Canon 350D manual (lot’s to learn, more to remember!).
Bottom: My awesome BigLap from ZaReason!
