First Impressions (8gb SSD, Linux Version)

Discussion in 'Acer Aspire One' started by smacman, Jul 8, 2008.

  1. smacman

    glibdud

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    From my past experience, I'd trust two people with devices in their hands over a CS rep. But it might be worthwhile to call her back and ask for specific instructions on enabling Advanced mode or installing new software.
     
    glibdud, Jul 9, 2008
    #21
  2. smacman

    Andysan

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    Congrats to all those lucky enough to have an Aspire One!

    Can anyone tell me whether you can enable Advanced Mode and install apps please? I assume this will have to be done through the bash prompt...anyone figured out how to get that up yet?
     
    Andysan, Jul 9, 2008
    #22
  3. smacman

    dbs

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    If you want a kind of Advance mode simply open a Terminal.

    To do this go to Files > My Documents to open the File Manager. Then go to File > Terminal.

    The Linpus Linus is using Xfce, so use
    xfce-setting-show
    to get the Xfce Settings Manager.

    Click on Desktop to get to the Desktop Preferencs and choose the Behavior tab.

    Now mark under Menus the Show desktop menu on right click option and close the window.

    This setting will allow you to bring up the normal desktop menu when you right click somewhere on the desktop. The Desktop Menu contains much more options than the limited user interface on the Aspire One.

    Unter System you will find Add/Remove Software which is the Red Hat/Fedora Packet Manager. You will need your password (the one you set up during installation) to access it. Now you can go nuts and install programs. It's a pretty big selection and the files will be downloaded (you need internet access) and installed for you. If it's an application you usually find it later in the Desktop Menu.

    That should be enough for the average user. The advanced ones will just use the Terminal to access what they want.
     
    dbs, Jul 9, 2008
    #23
  4. smacman

    loomer

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    what about screen? glossy or matte? i've seen both versions on the internet.
     
    loomer, Jul 9, 2008
    #24
  5. smacman

    dbs

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    dbs, Jul 9, 2008
    #25
  6. smacman

    Duke

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    Great find!
     
    Duke, Jul 9, 2008
    #26
  7. smacman

    Andysan

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    Wow, thanks for that dbs - i followed you other post in the other thread to this one.

    Could i ask a few more Q's about the OS please if you dont mind?

    When you say "This setting will allow you to bring up the normal desktop menu when you right click somewhere on the desktop", do you mean like this:

    [​IMG]

    Ignoring the arrows and stuff, is either of those the sort of interface that you are presented with?

    With full desktop functionality - do you have to right click every time you go back to the desktop to make it reappear - is the advanced desktop still there when you reboot? Have you found anyway of defaulting to the Advanced desktop.

    Also, can you install any Red Hat apps - i.e goto http://www.opera.com and install the Opera browser for Red Hat?

    Many thanks indeed! :D
     
    Andysan, Jul 10, 2008
    #27
  8. smacman

    dbs

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    No, it has it's own custom and simplified user interface, there is no Desktop in the classic waz instead zou have a navigation panel in the back and no normal start menu.

    Here is a screenshot:
    [​IMG]

    This is a picture of the Desktop menu that you can get with the little hack:
    [​IMG]

    You have to right click every time to get the menu. It's not full desktop functionality as you don't have the default panel, just the desktop menu itself. This setting stays, pretty much everything else seems to be set back after reboot.

    I've installed the latest Opera version using the Fedora RPM. Works fine, you just need root access to install it.
     
    dbs, Jul 10, 2008
    #28
  9. smacman

    smacman

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    Very interesting.. Nice work! Is there any way to modify the items present in the navigation panel? Could we modify it so Thunderbird launches when you click on the mail icon?
     
    smacman, Jul 10, 2008
    #29
  10. smacman

    dbs

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    You can add items to the Desktop menu very easily but for changing the default interface you would need to mess with the Xfce XML files that generate the default menu. It's fairly easy to understand and has direct links to the images that they use, so you can edit those files and add/change the programs. I have the feeling those settings might be overwritten on reboot again but I'm not sure. It overwrote some changes I made to the desktop when I messed with it once but it left the Desktop Menu change intact. I just had time to play around with it in the evening, not enough to really dig into it yet.
     
    dbs, Jul 10, 2008
    #30
  11. smacman

    smacman

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    Ok.. I have proved that Ubuntu 8.04 runs fine with everything working (except the mic) so i think I might revert back to Linpus and continue tweaking. I'm half tempted to try installing XP as well but with no drivers there is not much point.
     
    smacman, Jul 10, 2008
    #31
  12. smacman

    lotus49

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    I am surprised and disappointed about that. The wireless card is what normally causes the problems although suspend/resume can be a pain as well. The mic normally works fine and I wanted to use my One to Skype my family while I am away.
     
    lotus49, Jul 10, 2008
    #32
  13. smacman

    smacman

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    I am confident the mic would be an easy fix for Linux experts. I am just not experienced enough with Linux to find a solution.
     
    smacman, Jul 10, 2008
    #33
  14. smacman

    carterleonard

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    Damn! Still waiting the aspire one to land here (jakarta)....

    Anyway,... have u tried the Ubuntu Netbook Remix? Is there any performance improvements? because it says it is optimized for intell atom processors.
     
    carterleonard, Jul 10, 2008
    #34
  15. smacman

    Ariel

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    Ariel, Jul 10, 2008
    #35
  16. smacman

    glibdud

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    I could be wrong, but it's my impression that a full Netbook Remix OS is only available for OEM's to distribute with their devices. Right now, end users can only download the interface, which gives you the look and feel, but probably not any performance enhancements that would be present in the fully-optimized system.
     
    glibdud, Jul 10, 2008
    #36
  17. smacman

    bjrn

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    Since you've got your hands on one of these I might as well ask here. The SSD HD should be 8GB, right? But in the file manager out of the box it says that the capacity is 6.4GB. Now, even if we do the standard "it's 8000000 bytes, not 8 * 1024 *1024" it should still say more than 6.4, right? And it can't be that the unshown space is OS stuff (I think) because it says 3.6GB free of 6.4GB.

    Can anyone else with an AA One chime in with what their file managers say? Thanks!
     
    bjrn, Jul 10, 2008
    #37
  18. smacman

    Duke

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    Bump!
     
    Duke, Jul 10, 2008
    #38
  19. smacman

    lotus49

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    All Ubuntu software, including the Netbook Remix is available to anyone. All it consists of is a few packages on top of Hardy Heron, most of which are UI related but there is the Atom specific kernel that should result in some performance advantages but I doubt they will be that significant. You can find all this on LaunchPad -> https://launchpad.net/netbook-remix.
     
    lotus49, Jul 10, 2008
    #39
  20. smacman

    techie

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    Where is the file that edits the Desktop Icons/Applications? I simply need to change some of the associated apps.
     
    techie, Jul 11, 2008
    #40
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