Long Lasting Linux Laptops?

[mikebw at colossus.bilow.com (Mike Bilow)]

I generally get better battery life on laptops than Windows 9x when
running in Linux text mode than Windows, and comparable when running in
X/Windows mode.  I can get my NEC to run about 4.5 hours in text mode if I
clock it down and enable aggressive power saving in Linux, which is nearly
twice what it can do in Windows 9x.

You must make sure that APM support is compiled into the kernel and that
it is enabled in your CMOS setup.  No standard distribution kernels have
APM support, as far as I know; you must build your own.

If you are not using the wireless modem, then you probably should be able
to cut power to it.  Exactly how this happens is device-specific, so
Linux may not be able to do this.  If it is PCMCIA, try removing it.

-- Mike


On Fri, 24 Mar 2000, John Abreau wrote:

> I'm running Linux on a Sony Vaio C1X with a Novatel Wireless Merlin
> cdpd modem, and I love everything about this machine except one thing:
> the battery life really sucks. It came with a "3-hour" battery which
> lasts just about an hour, so I it the bullet and bought the "6-hour"
> battery, which lasts about two hours.
> 
> I find this frustrating enough that I'm almost considering replacing it,
> if I can find something with a reasonably long battery life. What kinds
> of battery life do you find on your laptops? What's the longest actual
> battery life you've seen in a laptop?


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