As a follow up for SL 5.1:
I have an optiplex 755/2Gb/Ati radeonpci-e / latest bios (A04)

I get a number of 'PCI: Cannot allocate resource region x'
error messages. The system is slow. X works, but I cannot get the 
accelerated proprietary ATI driver to work.
Network does work out of the box. I have not tested sound.

I have seen some similar problems with centos. All in all this rig does 
not seem to work with SL. The wait is for a new kernel or maybe a new bios.
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=100658

IMHO the underlaying problem is that the RHEL philosophy of backporting 
newer kernel features to an older kernel version cannot keep up with the 
current frantic pace of hardware development. Maybe fedora is the way to 
go for desktops?

Roelof


Jon Peatfield wrote:
> On Tue, 11 Dec 2007, Mark Whidby wrote:
>
>> Hi,
>> Has anyone had any experience of SL (or Centos / RHEL) on the new
>> Dell Optiplex 755 machines? Specifically does X work?
>
> We got a 755 for testing a couple of days before I went on vacation 
> (the last two weeks). In the short time I had to play with it I found 
> that plain 5.0 PXE installation couldn't drive the new network 
> hardware, but the kernel in 5.1alpha could. I assume that the one in 
> 5.1beta/beta2/release will also drive the network stuff but I've not 
> had time to check yet (still catching up on my e-mail).
>
> We *NEVER* have any luck with onboard Intel graphics so we stick to 
> add-in cards. I like the ATI X300/X600 cards which Dell used to ship 
> but sadly those are now hard to find. The newer X1050/X1300 (etc) 
> cards will work with the VESA driver but then you get no fast 3D 
> support... Of course using the ATI proprietry driver migth solve that 
> if I could be bothered.
>
> [ Likewise every Nvidia card I seem to be able to buy seems now too 
> new to get decent support from the Xorg driver. I dislike te 
> proprietory drivers because updates to e.g. kernels are then less 
> trivial... ]
>
> -- 
> Jon Peatfield, Computer Officer, DAMTP, University of Cambridge
> Mail: [log in to unmask] Web: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/