rhkra...@gmail.com wrote: > Asking this OT question here because this is my go to list for questions, > especially ones for which I don't belong to a list that might be more > specific > to this subject. > > Background: I've installed Buster on an old laptop (my newest laptop, a Dell > Inspiron 1501) and I'm working on installing other software (gcc+, make, git, > Python and such) so that I can take the laptop to various meetings where I > hope to get help on some software I'm trying to write (in C/C++ and Python). > > I'm thinking about buying a laptop docking station to make it easier to > disconnect the laptop to take it to meetings. > > I get the idea (or I am jumping to the conclusion?) that there is some > hardware in the docking station (like graphics and audio chips) which I'm > assuming would need to be supported by Buster. > > Is that correct?
Mostly, no. If this is an Inspiron 1501 from 2006 -- AMD pre-Xen low-end CPU -- it doesn't have any support for the ports that a generic laptop dock would handle, and it also doesn't have a proprietary Dell docking port. You could get a USB hub that could connect some peripherals -- keyboard, mouse, printer, USB sticks... but nothing that will handle video or power connections. The generic laptop docks rely on high-bandwidth, high-power USB3 ports, and laptop support for alternate video modes sent over the USB3 ports. -dsr-
