RE: [OT] netbook recommendation
> From: Leonardo Canducci [mailto:leonardo.canducci@gmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 1:39 PM
> Subject: [OT] netbook recommendation
>
> I'd like to buy a netbook and install debian on it, of course. It
should
> be:
> 1. cheap, light and small, otherwise no use for a netbook :)
> 2. linux friendly
> 3. usable (decent keyboard, 9" screen minimum)
> 4. with a decent battery life (3h is not enough)
>
> Most eeepc seem to be well supported and some have a good battery
> life. nc10 seems good but it's not cheap nor friendly. dell mini 9 is
> really cheap but has little battery and bradcom wifi. So... what would
> you recommend?
These are obviously my thoughts/opinions/experiences so YMMV.
My wife /loves/ her Ubuntu based Dell Mini 9. Personally, the only
drawback for me is I really don't like the keyboard. They rearranged the
key placement for some of the keys and it really messes me up sometime
(eg: the | is to the bottom right of the keyboard...something I use all
the time on the CLI). Also Ubuntu from Dell uses the lpia repos. From my
brief and limited testing the lpia works slightly better (interface is
snappier, programs seem to load faster, ect) then the i386 install.
Something hard to describe but we all noticed it when we were playing
around with it. I ended up putting the lpia back on to keep up the WAF.
Even though not all the packages are in the lpia repo, I have not had
problems installing from the i386 repo.
As for other notebooks, I was pleased to play around with the HP
mini1000 but not enough to buy it.
I have a friend who bought an Acer Aspire One. He installed Slackware on
it and he absolutely loves it. I was able to borrow one for a few days
and I tried to put Debian on it...there are some really good guides out
there but even with them I still never got all the bits to work right.
The worse part was that for some unknown reason every 5 seconds
everything would freeze momentarily. Not long, but enough to be annoying
when you are playing Tetris or watching a movie/youtube. I know several
people who have bought one and returned it.
I am personally looking forward to the Touch Book [1]. Touch screen,
~12-15hrs battery life, cheap, and they 'support' installing another
Linux distro other then their own version. Also, if you don't like it
then you can return it. From the FAQ:
Q. Which OS is installed on the Touch Book?
A. The Touch Book will ship with the Touch Book OS by default. Since the
Touch Book has been designed with the help of a vibrant open source
community that believes in diversity, you can install many other OSes,
including Google Android, Ubuntu, Angstrom, and Windows CE. You are free
to do whatever you want.
Q. What will be the return policy?
A. Fifteen days from shipment date. No question asked.
So that's my planned purchase anyway...
Have fun!
~Stack~
[1] https://www.alwaysinnovating.com/home/
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