State of Linpus Linux, Oct 2008

I was reading Perry Longinetti's review of the 8GB Linux Aspire One at the Tech Report,

http://techreport.com/articles.x/15329

Its the most comprehensive and even-handed I've read, and it benefits here by being written some time after the launch, after the dust - and the prices - settled, and the competition could be better assessed.

The review is entirely about the Linux version, although the XP version is mentionned the implications of the 1GB 120GB XP model sitting just $20 higher in price are not fully played out to the logical conclusion: Twice the memory, fifteen times the storage, and a copy of XP home thrown in for $20, why would anyone buy the Linux version? That's a question that needs an answer, even if the Linux version is given a positive review. Heck, you could wipe XP and install your own Linux distro and still be ahead of the game.

Then there are the Acer Linpus "issues". For an embedded system style OS with preloaded software and no clear way to install new applications, there are some glaring omissions that new users are almost immediately going to trip up on. No Skype and a media player that seemingly supports no useful video format known to humanity being the most obvious.

However, things have come a fair distance since July, with macles, Jorge, imsancho, and a couple of dozen others helpfully picking away at the OS, figuring out how to do things, and, most importantly, letting us on to the secrets.

(linking to my own posts mostly, simply because I can vouch for them: feel free to add better ones)

Installing Skype is now trivial.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1973

Installing VLC to give you video codec support is standard operating procedure.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=1978

We can edit group-app.xml to add new icons to the desktop, or get rid of the Acer icon boxes once and for all, or install a button to switch between the desktops.

viewtopic.php?f=39&t=4310
viewtopic.php?f=31&t=1525

In short the things which might have been considered to be dealbreakers two months ago are no longer such a big issue, and its a relatively straightforward job (one evening perhaps) to configure the Linux system to look and feel the way we want.

Why Linpus SSD?

- it's faster to boot up and shut down
- the SSD is noiseless, and worry free
- the case is sleeker, without the scoop on the bottom
- it's lighter
- the battery life is better
- unlike other Linux distros, all the hardware works as it should
- it looks cooler than XP (with the xfce desktop)

in that spirit I invite happy Linpus users to share the advantages of the SSD model, and link to tips tweaks and guides they found useful in getting their One to do what they wanted...

finally the two most important URLs,

http://macles.blogspot.com/

and

http://jorge.ulver.no/2008/08/06/acer-a ... nd-tricks/

 

If I could have got the 1Gb/120Gb/XP version for a mere $20 more than the Linpus version, I probably would have. I mean, it's worth $20 just for the extra RAM. And since I paid so little for it, I would be happy trashing Windows and installing Linux -- something I am uncomfortable about on my `real' computer since (presumably) I've paid handsomely to have Windows Vista on it.

But where I live (UK) the pricing is not nearly so favourable. At retail prices, the difference between the 1Gb/120Gb/XP and the Linpus versions is more that £100 (~$200). That's a price increase of more than 50%. I can only imagine that there must be something funky going on with US pricing when the difference is only $20.

So, in the UK at least, one answer to the question `why buy the Linpus version' is: because it's very much cheaper. And if you live in a four-laptop household (or more), then that's a big deal.

And I think there are good reasons to be the SSD/Linpus model apart from the price.

First, I would expect the SSD to be virtually indestructible, which is important for kids who take them to school, etc. Shame the screen isn't indestructible too, but you can't have everything. When I go camping I throw my laptop in a rucksack with my paraffin stove and tent poles -- the idea of no moving parts appeals very much.

Second, for the non-technical user, the Linpus installation is almost indestructible. I suspect that the XP version uses an unsecured filesystem and an admin-privileged user account (but I'm prepared to be corrected) and it would be quite easy for an inquisitive child (or wife ) to break by fiddling with it. My wife has XP on a laptop and it's always broken. I think that the standard Linpus is impossible to break without using the command line.

Third, if you're the kind of person who would use Linux even you didn't have to (as I am), it's good to get Linux on a laptop without have to go through the rigmarole of compiling new drivers, fiddling with X settings, and all the other stuff that makes installing Linux on a laptop so dispiriting. I'm not a person who tinkers for fun, and to find all this stuff working out of the box is great for me.

Fourth, I suspect a stock Linpus is going to be relatively immune to the usual Internet threats -- spyware, viruses, and all that rubbish. You can't just buy an XP system and use it -- you have to spend some time protecting against all that stuff, which probably means buying additional software.

I spend my working day sat in front of computers, and I really, really don't want to be the `domestic sysadmin' at home. Linpus is essentially worry-free and requires zero configuration for non-techical users. And did I mention that it's £100 cheaper?

 

Sorry to lower the standard of content on this thread, but I just want to say to anyone interested in the Acer Aspire One that the information above is all you need to know about this netbook. The other threads are really for hobbyists (like me), if all you want to know is about a working laptop system, it's all here.
Congrats on a forum defining post, could we make it sticky?

 

well,you nearly sold it to me.i bought the 8meg linpus version,and put xp on it.my main gripe is still left.i dont know how to network linux,and thats a big issue for me,especially as there is no optical drives with the aa1.
is there an easy solution that i have overlooked?

 

Um... if you've already put Windows XP on it, isn't it too late to think about Linux networking? The stock Linpus doesn't have any point-and-click way to make the AA1 to participate in a Windows network. But if you don't mind using the command line, it's pretty easy to set up -- there are loads of threads on the subject in this forum.

 

Been there, done that, quite happy with the results. That being said, it's not for everyone.

I think XP with the xfce desktop would look pretty cool :lol:

 

Can be done KDE is even going to support it out-of-the box