I followed these rules of thumb for laptops that run Linux well and didn't have any problem 99% of the time: - no ATI graphics - low end models that are manuf

I followed these rules of thumb for laptops that run Linux well and didn't have any problem 99% of the time: - no ATI graphics - low end models that are manufactured and sold in high volumes (so if you encounter a problem you'll find an instant fix by googling for it, or most of the time the problem was already fixed and the fixes are in one of the popular distros), OR - high end models that are popular among techies and are known to work well with Linux ...and never buy something that has/is: - ATI hybrid graphics - mid range models: stick to low end (had good luck even with ultra low end - think Acers with Intel B9xx cpus) or high end ...I don't know why but there's always tons of bugs that crop up on so called "mid range" or "well rounded" systems, not only with Linux, but with ...everything :) I don't have an explanation, but my advice is simple: dirt-cheap and massively sold/produced OR high-end. Also, openSUSE is known to be kind of quirky and with a smallish user base nowadays. You'll have much better luck with Ubuntu and derivatives, Fedora, Debian (if you have the time to read the manuals or hunt the forums when you have a problem) or Arch if you want to get down-and-gritty.