which company to buy laptop from? (without OS included)

[nuttervm]

Later this summer i plan on taking a road trip for several weeks and decided its time i stop being cheap and spring for a laptop computer. that way i can dial into my webserver remotely and transfer all my digital camera pics to my personal webpage so family/friends can see everything as we see it (almost).

my problem is that every stinkin vendor insists on selling some form of windows with the laptop. I don't want to pay for any stupid windows operating system when i can easily make linux do what i want for much less. what reputable vendors out there sell good laptops without operating systems? I've been looking at dell and toshiba laptops primarily. I wouldn't mind a refurbished or used laptop as long as its a decent price (most refurbished systems cost way too much)

ny suggestions?

 

[John]

powernotebooks.com

 

[nuttervm]

wtf? some of those prices are very good, but the prices on the toshiba models are through the roof! do you own one of these computers? can you say anything good or bad about the other brands?

 

[nuttervm]

also, i have another question that is a little unrelated...

i want a computer with a USB connection, after all linking my digital camera to this thing is going to be one of its primary roles. connecting via serial cable really isn't an option I want to consider. I never see any mention of USB on these things, any info on that topic?

 

[hans007]

a license for win98 or something is only like $50 for a manufacturer, its not a huge amount, and if you buy a laptop with out it then you have less selection.