Debian Linux on a Packard Bell EasyNote E2316.

This report is listed at TuxMobil - Linux on laptops, notebooks, PDAs and mobile phones

At the time this laptop was purchased, from PC-World, July 2005,
there wasn't a single linux success or failure report on the internet
about this machine (an E2316) - and there still isn't, hence this writeup.

Therefore, on the basis that PC-World do not quibble about returns,
I took a risk and purchased one to try, because one of the things that
gives me no greater pleasure in the world is to destroy Windows
installations.  I used to really get a kick out of saying "No" at
the License Agreement but am now a really well-adjusted individual
who laughs manically at the BIOS boot screen as I enable CD Boot or
PXE boot, instead.

I've since given the machine to its intended victim, who is absolutely
delighted with it.  Suffice to say that Debian/Linux (unstable as of
July 2005) installs and runs on it with absolutely zero problems,
but of course I now don't have the machine so I can't provide the
usual boring lspci output.

The installation was performed from a modified Debian Network boot
CD, using Hands Free Debian.  I can thoroughly recommend this technique
for installation over PXE/Netboot, USB-Dongle/Netboot or CD/Netboot
because phil has set up an "unattented" Debian Install
infrastructure, and it's really cool and Going Places.

So, the signs are good that any modern CD/DVD-based Linux Distribution
(involving at least a 2.6 kernel, hotplug, udev, etc.) will work
fine, out-of-the-box, on this hardware.  In case you run into any niggles,
here are some hints:

802.11 Wireless: detected, runs, no problem.

Intel i810 XFree86 Driver: not detected (chipset is an 855),
configured it anyway as an i810, runs, no problem.

DVD+RW: detected (k3b), configured, runs, read a CD, no problem.  Read
a DVD, no problem.  Burned a DVD (an entire 4.3gb one), ERROR.
Subsequent DVD reads: ERROR.  Subsequent CD reads: no problem.  Haven't
tried a CD Write.  (This type of behaviour is usually an alarm-bells sign
that the stupid dickheads have deployed "DRM" in the Firmware of the
DVD player).

ACPI and battery status stuff (KDE): configured, runs, no problem.

The only piece of hardware that I did not bother with was the AC97
Modem.  Just... just... so last... century.

In short, for £499.00, this is a damn good buy - especially as
PC-World have no quibbles about product returns.  The only quibble
is a hardware failure with the DVD+RW, which i am HOPING is not one
of those utterly insane DRM "we haven't received a proprietary
undocumented pointless IDE messages indicated by the software that
you're not copying copyrighted material, therefore we're going to
deliberately destroy this DVD+RW's ability to burn or read DVDs"
attempts.

I'll keep you informed as to the success, or otherwise, of the
attempts (and the number thereof) to obtain working DVD+RW drives.