Ok, by default Ubuntu supports the Radeon 9000 out of the box. But this is 2D support only. If you just want a basic laptop, that should be fine. But I have heard from some people that they want the the super cool video in Ubuntu 8.04 on the Dell D600 and getting it is a pain. I actually found it to be relatively easy. Everything you need is already there. You just need to update your xorg.conf file with the right information.

First off, there is a couple of things to consider. If you are following this for the D600, you should be good as far as hardware compatibility. However the AIGLX wont work with the following chipsets: HD 4xxxx or RV770 based cards. The second thing to consider is if you have already installed the fglrx driver, you will need to remove it. To do that run:

$ sudo apt-get remove ---purge xorg-driver-fglrx

Before you make any changes you should create a backup of your current configuration file.

$ sudo cp -p /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.old

To save you from having to type out the changes to the xorg.conf file, I have posted mine so you can download it.

My xorg.conf

Fell free to download it and use it. After updating your configuration file you will want reload your desktop manager. After that, feel free to check out Compiz for desktop effects that rival Microsoft’s Areo.