Daniel Dalton <d.dalton@iinet.net.au> wrote:
I checked out a few of the lenovo thinkpads (T series I believe, but could be wrong) and these were way outside of my budget. I also investigated the hp envy, but this seemed to have poor battery life.
Mine is a Lenovo X200: it is one of the smaller laptops, but includes a dual-core Intel CPU and 2Gb of memory. You might be able to obtain this or a similar model cheaply from a used laptop dealer. I am sure there are others on the list who can make more specific recommendations. I have also heard positive reports regarding the Linux compatibility of Dell laptops, which might be worth investigating further. This is not to say that they are all supported, of course. You need to check carefully before making a purchase. This site may be useful: http://www.linux-laptop.net/