[Freegis-list] hardware requirements for linux-based GIS

[Tim Greenhow]

I am very interested in exploring open-source GIS on Linux, but I am 
truly a newbie when it comes to Linux. In my search for a new laptop 
computer I find some salesmen blithely tell me that "sure, this machine 
can run Linux, though we don't normally sell it with that OS installed." 
But one, trying to sell me a particularly expensive machine, tells me 
that of all the copumters he has on stock, this is the only one that has 
been tested and certified suitable for Linux. Others will have problems 
with certain Linux commands and functions, he tells me. He assures me 
that he is not referring to CPU speed, harddisk or RAM size.
My question therefore is simply:: what are the basic hardware 
requirements needed for running Linux? What am I supposed to check for, 
and how different are the requirements of different Linux versions? Note 
that I would like to try a variety of GIS programs, among them GRASS.
Any help would be gratefully received.
Tim