last night got the awesome window manager working on my laptop, I really like what they have done with tags instead of virtual desktops. still need to hook up WiFi and battery status into the info bar at the top. I wonder if I can run gnome-do along with awesome? BTW, awesome is the most un-googleable project name ever, if you get stuck just read the source cause you aren't going to be able to search for people talking about using it.
System76 mailed me saying they are replacing my laptop, the case has disintegrated pretty badly (although the performance of the computer itself is great). I'm still considering switching to a thinkpad or a sony TZ model. I really want something smaller with longer battery life.