[KLUG Members] Call for signatures.

[Bruce Smith]

> > Everyone, please sign this partition to encourage Intel to provide Linux
> > support for Centrino based Laptops.
> >   http://www.petitiononline.com/xanthan/petition.html
> > Please sign if you own a Centrino, you might own a Centrino, or you know
> > what a Centrino is (it's a Pentium-M CPU + a Intel wireless card).  :-)
> 
> Ok I signed.  I'm number 7,531.  

Thanks!

> So, can I buy an AMD powered laptop?  

I can't stop you.  :-)

> Or do those use this Centrino crap too?

"Centrino" is the name for a Intel Pentium-M CPU _and_ a certain model
Intel wireless card (who's model number I can't remember).  If the
laptop contains _both_ then it's labeled as a "Centrino".  That would
seem to imply it's impossible for an AMD powered laptop to have the
Centrino label since "Centrino" is a Intel trademark.  However, I can't
guarantee an AMD laptop won't have the unsupported Intel 802.11b card.

I bought my Centrino for the CPU.  You get higher performance on a lower
CPU mhz rating.  My 1.4Ghz Pentium-M CPU will blow the doors off of your
2.0Ghz Celeron any day of the week!  That means less heat, which means
it doesn't fry my legs when I really use it as a _lap_top.  It also
means longer battery life since it uses less power.  I LOVE the CPU!!!

The only bad thing is the builtin wireless card isn't supported, which
Intel will hopefully remedy soon.  I knew this before buying my Centrino
laptop, and chose to buy it anyway for the CPU benefits.  Getting the
builtin wireless to work would be a nice perk, which is almost certain
to happen someday, with or without Intel.  There is a another GPL driver
in development just in case Intel doesn't come through.

There is currently a $20 driver available which uses the Windows driver
under Linux, which seems to work OK (until my free 30 days ran out). 
But since I own a PCMCIA wireless card from my old laptop, I can wait
for a free Linux driver.

 - BS