The best netbook distro of 2010 – Linux User group test
Linux User & Developer magazine reviews four of the best netbook distros currently available in a bid to uncover the ultimate open source user experience for your netbook computer…
And the winner is… Jolicloud 1.0
Jolicloud is hands down the most impressive Linux distribution designed for netbooks. Discarding the tried and tested desktop metaphor and building a new interface from scratch is a risky proposition, to say the least. But Jolicloud’s developers did a fantastic job of developing an interface that not only makes the most of the netbook’s limited screen estate, but is also intuitive enough even for non-technical users. But the look is only part of Jolicloud’s appeal.
The distro boasts a few unique features that make it a truly cloud-oriented and social computing platform. The system makes it supremely easy to install conventional and cloud-based applications, and the ability to sync them between multiple machines is a real boon for netbook users. In addition to that, the distro sports its own social feature that lets you follow other Jolicloud users. All in all, we are deeply impressed with Jolicloud and can highly recommend it to anyone looking for a distro that has the potential to transform your humble netbook into a cloud computing platform with a pinch of social functionality.
You can download Jolicloud 1.0 here
Goup test reviews:
Page 1: Ubuntu 10.10 Netbook Edition
Page 2: Jolicloud 1.0
Page 3: Easy Peasy
Page 4: Kubuntu Plasma Netbook desktop
Page 5: Final verdict
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This is not surprise! Jolicloud offers a totally integrated GUI. Using it is awesome. But I believe in this tests MeeGo is missing, it is also awesome for netbooks (but still has holes to be filled)
Have a nice day!
PCF
I like Jolicloud, like Peppermint One (or its sister, Peppermint Ice) better for my netbook. If you do this again, they should certainly be included in the comparison.
I love jolicloud, its great but when is 1.1 coming out, meant to be nove and dec next week
what a misleading review
Unity has major usability problems, it’s slow, and the overall design is counter productive. Anybody who uses it for more than a couple of hours would realise this….
Not saying that it won’t be improved in maybe 6 months to 1 year’s time… but for now, it is a steaming pile of horse manure
here is my extensive overview/review
http://www.youtube.com/user/Linux4UnMe?feature=mhum#p/u/24/upVWR0SEB-8
Completely agree with Kaddy.
“As you’d expect, UNR does a great job at detecting and configuring hardware… neither the microphone nor the function key worked out of the box.”
That doesn’t sound great to me.
I would say at least 97% of all netbooks can run a full desktop without a hitch. I really don’t get the need to install a “netbook distro.”
I have a hp110 and it runs great with xfce4, kde, or gnome. Before that, my eee900 worked just as well on a full desktop environment.
Now a specialized interface for some of the upcoming tablets I can see. I hope to see more netbook/tablet hybrids come out too besides the one from Dell.
Good effort at comparing but ending up short. The article is too diplomatic and the author is afraid to hurt any ones feelings.
Being based on KDE, Kubuntu has the best of all features for user to be able to switch between Netbook & Desktop interface on the fly.
What makes support for Ubuntu One a requirement for a Netbook? There are many other social networking that are more important to support.
Isn’t flexibility/reconfigurability and scalability important enough to considered and add them as their own category? They definitely should be.
A combination of KDE Plasma Interface and Jolicloud Graphics would make the best interface for both Netbook and Desktop interface.
What FUD! You missed so many distros, like aurora and many others. Stupid.
This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever read. What about other netbook worthy distro’s. This list is like ya, heres ubumtu’s one, oh, here’s another thats based on ubumtu, oh, here’s another based on ubumtu. Sound like some idiot just googled netbook ubumtu and posted the results. Screw netbook versions. You can run any flavor of linux on a netbook, with any of the major desktop environments with out a problem.
Well, using a netbook on a daily basis, I made totally different choices. My netbook is first for doing my job and then for the cloud or private things. Even better. The cloud shouldn’t be loaded too much while I am working. And the Desktop should be small because of the ATOM N270 inside.
My final choise for a few months already is ….. Salix OS. Yes it’s even not specially designed for a netbook. But it loads faster than UNR, is better supported, installed with all codecs (if you want) and is desktop centric, not cloud. And with XFCE one can work instead of wait.
my 2 cents
Jolicloud 1.1 is even better! Just installed it on an Intel netbook. Actually it’s all Ubuntu based.
I currently use Linux Mint 9 on my EeePC 1000 and it works great.
Good comparison but as some other points, all appear to be Ubuntu based distros. Maybe other non Ubuntu related distros can be compared.
Good article anyway.
I have to agree with others’ posts. Way too many great and viable distros left out here. Personally, Linux Mint 9 (yes, I know this is an Ubuntu derivative) works awesome on my eMachines netbook. Everything just worked.
Giving Jolicloud 10 out of 10 regarding software is a joke. The cloud apps are pretty much useless since you could access them just a easily with your browser. And the amount of available native apps is amazingly low!
I would think that Puppy Linux would be a natural here.
I have to agree with a previous poster, that this is limited to selected Ubuntu knockoffs. These are all for Atom or equal powered net books. what about Arm type processors? They have as much power, and usually cost less.
A Netbook showdown without reviewing Peppermint, Aurora, Meego, or Firefly seems like a main event featuring fighters from the undercard. Jolicloud is good, to be sure — but why not pit it against some true contenders and interesting concepts?
For me, I think that a cloud-based distro is a poor choice for a netbook. The reason I bought a netbook was that it is light enough to carry with me easily when I travel. Sometimes, I’m in a place where an internet connection just isn’t available. I prefer a OS that is still useful when you can’t get to the ‘cloud’.
I agree with a lot of the other comments about the choice of distros for this roundup. You pick four Ubuntu-based distro and then criticize some for looking too much alike. It would have been better to spend some time checking out some of the other distros made for netbooks.
I installed 10.10 on my Lenovo S3-10 and promptly dumped it. I am accustomed to being able to modify a Linux desktop but Unity (in this form at least) does NOT allow modification.
The other thing that this author and most other netbook reviewers seems to fixate on is the relationship with the “cloud” and social networking sites. Quite frankly I don’t give a brass razoo about the cloud and social networking. I am dumbfounded by this stupid assumption that netbooks are one step up from a cell phone! I use mine on the road because it is light and does a very good job office type work, skype, and internet searching etc. The Lenovo has a good size keyboard which means that I can type at good speed.It is in fact a mini laptop – but half the weight and price.
Finally, this idea that 10.10 recognised the hardware is an absolute joke.
I reverted back to 10.04 and am very happy with it. One writer said: UNR 10.10 is Ubuntu’s Vista. I heartily agree! On my machine it is a complete dud!
Sorry, but what’s the point. MS has locked up the notebook OEM’s. The few retailers that carry Linux distros or whiteboxes, bury them so deep inside their sites, you need the Hubble space telescope to find them. What you can find is significantly overpriced compared to their Windows counterparts even with the cost of the WIndows license. You want Linux on your notebook – send a cheque to Redmond.
A couple of years ago, the dream lived when Linux netbooks ruled. That utopia has been crushed.
I tested the Kubuntu 10.10 and after two weeks, and a lot of problems on some kde bugs (like someone forget some line of code in PowerDevil to manage the dimming keys…), suspend problem and the best bug: instability on intel video driver with kde; i reverted my installation to ubuntu 10.04…
I tested for a few days ubuntu 10.10…some problems on usability (like selecting more than one file to move it!!!) take me to consider all 10.10 distribution “a problematic release”. I think that ubuntu/kubuntu forget a gold rule for every release: stable code permit the use of a software…
If i want to test unstable code i use release candidate, but when i work, i need that the system must be stable…
Thanks for all your comments
We reviewed four of the biggest netbook dedicated distros – it was an article in a print magazine so we had to limit the options.
Some of the other more promising options out there are either not ready yet, or are being kept in the sidelines for another forthcoming feature.
Here’s your chance to give us a shortlist of what you want to see!
I would like to see Pupeee included as a small distro for netbook PCs.
It seems to find and set up all the hardware out of the box and has enough applications that one does not need to be connected to the net to maintain productivity.
this review is a bit useless. many distros are missing, way too many. but as many mentioned, u can run a non-netbook OS on netbook with no problems. if all u need it use ur netbook just to surf the net, maybe u need netbook os, otherwise try normal os. i run suse 11.3 with no problems on my netbook (sansung nc10), and i love it. so, if u have a netbook, dont limit urself to a neetbook os, first try ur preferred desktop os, it might work just great!
The question is, which netbook is best for a newbie linux user? I’d like to walk in to a store, buy a netbook, go home and install Ubuntu (or Mint) and everything works as it should. Ubuntu can only go so far (think GMA 500), so rather than try to make Ubuntu work with my netbook, I’d like my next netbook to work with my preferred distro.
I’ve tried EasyPeasy, Lubuntu, gOS, and UNR, and I still prefer the default Gnome desktop.
I run Jolicloud and like it but I do admit that it does not deserve a perfect score. I would honestly rate 9 out of 10 for the fact that apps installed out side their center do not appear on the launcher. but other then that way better then Unity and the cloud integration is present but you can still work offline like the others. And yeah web apps can all be accessed from a web browser but when on a netbook the fullscreen is much better then having a bar take some of my screen real estate. and for the local apps, open up the terminal and get what you want. in 1.1 you have a local app folder on the desktop so you can easily access your fav local apps and just hitting the menu button gives the gnome menu with everything so problem solved!
About the whole desktop distos fuss, no one can deny the awesome ideas and features added into netbook oses. I love the designs and find that they can be just as good as a normal gnome desktop. I admit that customization is not as awesome as in the desktop OSes but there are still the possibilities. And netbook Oses are still pretty sweet when it comes organization and UI in general.