Well, based on a lot of different feedback, I decided that the A31p was the
best possible toy.  :)

So far, it looks like this will probably work pretty well.  Video isn't
working, but since other people report success getting this video adapter
working with XF86, I'm guessing this is a matter of tweaking and debugging,
not a permanent incompatibility.  The built-in wireless LAN and ethernet
both work fine.  (Except that every wi device I have tried recently drops
connections under load, on both this machine and others... but that's a
-current thing, not specific to this laptop.)

The audio and disk stuff all seem to probe, but I haven't tested them yet;
still, everything seems to be identified and probed correctly.

-s