“IBM’s ThinkPad 600E is certified to run Red Hat’s Linux, the
first portable computer to get the certification, but users might
want to think twice before wiping Windows off the hard drive.”
“While the 600E is certified to run version 6.0 of Red Hat’s
Linux, people won’t be able to use its modem, and features such as
PC Card slots and power management have compatibility
problems.”
“The problems are just one example of the difficulties Linux
faces, as the upstart operating system moves into mainstream
markets. Though more and more hardware makers support Linux,
it’s difficult to write the software needed to use the seemingly
endless list of network cards, video cards, CD-ROMs, and other
computer components. Moreover, getting some of those
components to work requires the Linux-expertise equivalent of
rebuilding a car engine.”