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by bch 3913 days ago
I've historically run on Thinkpads.

I've had accelerated Intel integrated gfx, working wireless (Intel Centrino 4965/5000/1000, 1000/2000/6000, 7260/7265/3160), tuneable CPU frequency...

If you've got the luxury of some medium that you can do a test install on, just do it. The install is text-based and really simple, so you shouldn't get hung up there. I assume you'll want X11, so you'll run "X -configure" to generate an xorg.conf. Grab the pkgsrc[0] framework to build 3rd party apps from source, or, use pkg_add(1)[1] (I don't know what's currently available for NetBSD7 in terms of pre-built packages; quick check shows at least some packages are, and they're _probably_ the most popular ones)

#netbsd on freenode.net IRC is your friend, too.

Good luck!

[0] https://www.pkgsrc.org/

[1] http://ftp.netbsd.org/pub/pkgsrc/current/pkgsrc/README-all.h...
1 comments
keithpeter 3913 days ago
Thanks for reply. I shall indeed try an install and see what I can get from pkg_add. OpenBSD works fine with suspend functionality on the X61s.
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bch 3913 days ago
Ya, OpenBSD has done some pretty remarkable work on the laptop front, and I find it interesting, because it's not where I would have guessed they'd be interested. They're leaders in the accelerated gfx and wireless. I'm used to thinking of the project being more focused on hardening applications. Certainly NetBSD has benefited from the work done in Open, by way of the famous *BSD cross-pollination.

I hope you enjoy Net even a fraction as much as I do.

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stock_toaster 3913 days ago 

  > Ya, OpenBSD has done some pretty remarkable work on the
  > laptop front, and I find it interesting, because it's not
  > where I would have guessed they'd be interested.
My guess is this stems from the very strong dogfooding culture the OpenBSD devs seem to have. If most/all of them are running OpenBSD on their main systems, and some subset of those folks use laptops as their main systems, then I am sure they are motivated to make it not a shit experience.
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keithpeter 3912 days ago
OpenBSD with xfce4 and toad for user mounting of USB sticks is most useable as a desktop on a core-duo thinkpad.
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