linux and laptops

[Cheryl Homiak]

What kinds of experiences have people had with laptops? For instance:
Is it still possible to get them with serial ports for braille display and/or
speech synthesizer? On my desktop, I liike to have both available but I realize
that might not be possible on a laptop.
Is there any way to be sure you aren't going to be stuck with an unuseable
internal modem?
Can you get a laptop without an OS or do you have to remove Windows? I know that
in some cases the warranty on computers goes by the wayside if you mess with the
OS. I also understand you can get some laptops with some kind of linux
distribution, but I imagine then you'd have to redo things so you don't end up
getting put into Xwindows when you boot; besides, I think I want to stick with
debian.

Is finding one that has compatible sound a problem?
Has anybody found particular laptops that have worked well with linux that you
would like to recommend (preferably lower end of laptop price range)?
Of course, I'm looking at all the info in the howtos on laptops and hardware,
but are there any other pitfalls of which I should be aware if i decide to buy
one?

Thanks.

Cheryl