Renzatic on 22/8/2011 at 08:22
Ha! Netbooks! Whatever! I just ordered a freaking Touchpad for $99 bucks, because HP was too stupid to support the damn thing for more than two months! Now I'm gonna count down the minutes until some enterprising individual manages to install Honeycomb on the thing, then party like it's the same year as the amount of bucks I paid for the thing (minus shipping and handling).
And to get on topic for a moment. It all depends on what you're wanting to do with your netbook. I'd break it down as such:
*Windows XP. It's Windows XP. You know exactly what to expect out of it. Nothing terribly fancy, but it'll work, and run all your games and software.
*Windows 7. It's Windows 7. You know what to expect. It's like XP, but fancy and more securier. Don't use it unless you have a newer ION based netbook with at least 2GB ram onboard. Considering your framerate issues, you probably don't...so....
*Ubuntu. Will work beautifully on midrange netbooks. Has an (arguably) friendlier lower resolution UI in comparison to XP, and is, by and far, the easiest Linux distro to get accustomed to. Want to download a bunch of Linux specific programs? Don't worry about the command line. Just hit up the Ubuntu Software Center. It's like the Mac App Store for dorks!
The downside is having to deal with WINE if you want to run Windows specific software. Most of the time using WINE is a fire and forget affair, specially for older games and whatnot. But there will be occasion where you will have to hit up Google to figure out how to get something working. Still, not a bad option if you've got a goodly machine, and aren't adverse to the occasional bit of tweaking.
*Any of the various small Linux clients. Not for the faint of heart, but ultimately your best option for a low end netbook. They sport a small HDD footprint, are extremely light on your other various resources, and can do just about everything you need, provided you bring the knowhow. If you're willing to trade looks and ergonomics for speed and reliability, then this is the way to go.
If you take this route, expect to spend at least a week in Google, learning various terminal commands, and compiling your own drivers (as far as I know, there might be a few user friendly small linux clients out there). Still worth it if you want to eek the absolute most out of your hardware.
::WILDCARD OPTION:: Mac OSX. Depends on the model of netbook you have. If you've got one that'll support it with minimal fuss, then it's very much a valid option for a midrange netbook. You'll get all the perks of OSX. It's friendly on the battery, works surprisingly well on lower end hardware, sports a trackpad friendly UI, has a huge suite of user friendly software that easily matches whats offered on Windows (besides games anyway), and lets you be an uppity snob without paying the price of admission. Hope you like coffee.
Though after all is said and done, my personal recommendation would be to stick with XP. Kill as many unneeded services as you possibly can. Remove as many unnecessary programs as you can. Buy XPLite (or find a similar freeware alternative), and strip the OS to the bone. It also wouldn't hurt to throw in another gig or so of ram in if you're able.
jay pettitt on 22/8/2011 at 14:58
(
http://bodhilinux.com/) Bodhi Linux will make your netbook run about, coo, 5 times faster than anything else.
It's a little bit strange because it comes with nothing - and I mean nothing - installed out the box - but if you can get past that, it's bonkers.
It's Ubuntu based, so once you've worked out what it is you do need (the difficult bit) the install process is entirely painless.
lost_soul on 22/8/2011 at 21:20
@Dethtoll: Notice that I used the word "computer" and not the words "entertainment consumption device" which is what the IDevices are. It should have a real keyboard.
@Renzatic: Would you mind telling us from where? I want to see the specs on that thing.
Matthew on 22/8/2011 at 22:28
If it doesn't have a punch-card reader, it's not a real computer.
Renzatic on 22/8/2011 at 22:34
Quote Posted by lost_soul
@Renzatic: Would you mind telling us from where? I want to see the specs on that thing.
Are you talking about the Touchpad? I managed to be one of the lucky few to get it through Barnes and Noble online before they ran out of stock. If you're interested in one, then, well...you might be out of luck. It was purest chance that I managed to land it before it sold out, and even now I'm not 100% sure I'm guaranteed one until I see it ship out to me on the 24th.
Even though the creepy monotone lady on the B&N customer support line said I pretty much had it in the bag, I'm taking the wait and see approach.
The specs are about what you'd expect for a tablet. A 1.2Ghz dual core Qualcomm processor, 1 GB RAM, and 16GB flash storage. I think it's basically an overgrown HTC Sensation. Not great from a high end perspective, but for internet, e-books, movies, and other whatnots, it's an absolute righteous steal at $99.
edit: ....and it looks like I won't be getting my tablet after all. Just now got the so sorry email from B&N. :(
june gloom on 23/8/2011 at 04:46
Quote Posted by lost_soul
@Dethtoll: Notice that I used the word "computer" and not the words "entertainment consumption device" which is what the IDevices are. It should have a real keyboard.
That is so fantastically not the point.
Renzatic on 23/8/2011 at 05:24
(
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC533LL/B) iPad Keyboard
And the tablets are slowly becoming more than just "media consumption devices". They obviously haven't reached the point where you can power through a bunch of different productivity applications at once yet, but they're getting there. I hear the iWork suite for the iPad is surprisingly versatile, for instance.
David on 23/8/2011 at 15:56
Oh bad luck Renz. :(
I was lucky enough to grab one and it'll arrive tomorrow. (Ordered it through our IT hardware supplier at work)
Zerker on 23/8/2011 at 22:06
I was thinking about getting the Touchpad, but what is it with tablets and microSD slots? One of the major uses for my netbook is browsing pictures from my Camera though the SD reader. If I decide to replace it with a tablet, that is kinda essential.
lost_soul on 24/8/2011 at 01:17
Yeah, tell me about it. That is freaking annoying. I splurged and got a 16 GB SD card a long time ago and I was really pissed when a given device only supported MicroSD. SD is physically small enough already. We don't need a dozen different small form-factor flash standards.
I actually considered putting Windows 98 on my netbook for a wile. It would be good for old games. The Atom can't do much with DOSBox.
