8.10 i386, UNR 1.0.1, 8.10 LPIA, Easy P. or AspireOneKernel?

So many choices.. Which one is the best choice for running Ubuntu on the Aspire One?

The "regular" Ubuntu 8.10 for i386 is known to work well, but it's not optimized for Netbooks in any way... I guess this one has the most packages available for it, though?

Then there's the Ubuntu Netbook Remix 1.0.1 - this works great on my Aspire One, but it's based on 8.04 TLS and it's a bit outdated. I guess it's possible to make it download more recent packages but by default you only get OpenOffice 2.4, very few security updates etc. It uses an LPIA kernel and packages however, so power management and performance should be better on the Atom.

Then there's a LPIA version of 8.10: http://cdimage.ubuntu.com/ports/releases/8.10/release/. How does this one compare to UNR 1.0.1 in terms of performance on the Atom, power management etc? Which one is most optimized for Netbooks?

Finally you can download a kernel that is supposedly optimized for the Aspire One from http://www.aspireonekernel.com/. This is an i386 kernel however, not a LPIA one. How does it compare to the LPIA kernels used in 8.10 LPIA and UNR 1.0.1? Also if you were to use this kernel, does it matter whether you install it in 8.10 i386 or force-install it in 8.10 LPIA? Wouldn't you get an i386 kernel in either case? Can you even mix n match an i386 kernel with lpia packages?

I want to maximize battery life and performance while getting the latest software updates and programs, all with the minimum amount of hassle possible. Is that too much to ask for?

Edit: Apparently there's something called Easy Peasy Ubuntu too, as well as Linux4One and Kuki, all based off Ubuntu :| It used to be "Which Linux distro is the best", but now there are 10 variations of each distro as well.. I'm beyond confused. Maybe I should just put XP back in?

 

I guess it depends on how you prioritise the things you are looking for. I tried building the sickboy kernel and it worked really well until i tried to print. It just would not play with my printer. I tried the netbook remix but it felt like a restricted system taking control away from me. I now use 8.10 full version with a couple of tweaks for wifi etc. I have a choice of window managers to use from gnome and kde to openbox and tinywm. If i want a quick startup i use e16. So i suppose what i am getting at is there is no right answer - just what you feel suits you best.

 

I started out with Ubuntu 8.04.1

Then added the Netbook Remix

Moved on to Linux Mint 6 which I really liked, but have now settled on CrunchBang Linux. A little more lightweight and really works great. Based off Ubuntu so you get their software repositories.

Kernel wise I have just gone back to the default kernels. I use to use sickboy's, then I would do my own as I found something I needed. But that got to be tiresome. (had to make a new kernel when I wanted Truecrypt, then when I wanted my gamepad to work, etc). So I just live with a few more seconds on bootup and go with the all purpose kernel.

I download, compile and install the madwifi drivers, and also the new kernel module based fan control.

Basically everything is working great. wireless, sounds, memory cards, suspend, etc.

So many great options though. No one solution is right for others, so it is nice to have all these various options.

 

Echoing the previous comments - I use the stock 8.04.1 Ubuntu. I played with custom kernels, but it ends up too much of a hassle. Also LPIA package support isn't great. So I think it is best to go with a standard version of a distro for best all-round support and apply a few tweaks here and there. Example tweak: I removed the bottom panel and put some of the items from it on the top panel, like the running application buttons.

Andy

 

I've build my own kernel starting from sickboy's config and went through the full configuration to add or remove things I like or never use (printing works fine, so celticbhoy you might do the same). I also patched it with madwifi. That one runs on standard intrepid with a number of tweaks. From the things I tried this gives me the most responsive system. (I also use the netbook gui).

I have the same idea about it as celticbhoy: it is what suits you best.
If you have no idea, I would start from standard ubuntu, because all repositories should work fine on that one. I guess I will say something else within the next couple of months when customised versions have (almost) everything working out of the box.

 

After trying Xubuntu 8.4.1, Kubuntu 8.10, both tweaked with the help of https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne110L I ended up with Xubuntu 8.10. Tried Kuki inbetween but went back to Xubuntu. With using the Sickboy kernel everything (incl. Wifi) ran out of the box. Only the SD card readers had to be twaeked according to Ubuntu help to be hot-pluggable. Some other tweaks from Ubuntu help helped to improve performance, now it runs like a charm.

 

I have had a great experience installing CrunchBangLinux (!) on my AAO 110 , with 8GB SSD, 512 MB ram.
It works out of the box, and with adding the Sickboy kernel it's almost perfect. Boots faster than any other Ubuntu variant i have tried,. Minus: the battery lasts some minutes shorter than it did with Linpus.

It's very fast because CrunchbangLinux uses Openbox as default desktop environment. And it behaves like a "real" Ubuntu distro to which you can add and remove software, uopgrade etc. etc.

The installation guide can be found at http://crunchbanglinux.org/wiki/howto/aspireone
:lol:

 

It sounds like you want much what I wanted, UNR 1.0.1, only built on 8.10 and customized so all the AAO stuff works. For that, I installed Easy Peasy and then put on the sickboy kernel (That's what's at the aspireonekernel website you mentioned). There's a couple really weird Easy Peasy Fixes (http://www.ubuntu-eee.com/forum/viewtop ... f=12&t=543) and a card reader fix (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/AspireOne110L). I've got the UNR launcher stuff, and, as best I can tell, nothing runs. The bootup is a little over 30 seconds.