More and more users are considering purchasing a laptop and running Linux on it. Since Linux runs on most desktop systems, users expect it to run hassle-free on laptops. But a laptop is not just a small desktop computer. It employs new hardware and software features not found in their desktop counterparts. Requirements for efficient power management and support for compact devices (PCMCIA) are not yet adequately supported. This can be a frustrating obstacle for Linux users venturing to the laptop world. Some of the software and information discussed in this article may be retrieved from tsx-11.mit.edu in /pub/linux/packages/laptops.