It was requested that, when I start trying different Linux distros on the Cloudbook, to report my findings here. Keep in mind, these are not super in-depth. These are more from the standpoint of a Linux newbie than some guy who can install Gentoo. I have some key limitations to my Linux experience, which I will explain as I go.
So, with that in mind, here's a look at how other Linux distros work with the Cloudbook. And testing is Peter Batsu, who was in the middle of updating the system when a power brownout made the Cloudbook switch from adaptor power to battery and bricked the system. Since he was considering replacing the OS (or at least reinstalling gOS and starting from scratch), this worked out pretty well. And don't be fooled by those head-sized holes in his walls -- he's not bitter in the least. A NOTE BEFORE CONTINUING: if anyone is looking to try a Linux distro other than gOS, I cannot emphasize enough that you start in Safe Graphical Mode (I selected Xvesa). Otherwise, the screen will have shakes and shimmies that would make Shakira jealous. Also, none of them got the keyboard shortcuts for volume control. But I imagine it shouldn't take much to make some key bindings to do that. TEST SUBJECT #1 -- PC LINUX OS 2007. I don't have a lot of experience with wifi (I don't trust wireless networks, and when using them, stick to sites that don't require log-ins). It identified the wifi as a Realtek RTL 8187, and gave the option to configure natively or with a wrapper. Couldn't figure out how to make it work, but this could be because, while I know how to select wifi under GNOME, I don't know where to find it under KDE, so it could be working, I just didn't know how to select it. Running media files resulted in an EPIC FAIL! I attempted to run a VCD MPEG of Mythbusters. The system completely hung, and I had to yank the battery. TEST SUBJECT #2 -- CRUNCHBANG, based on Ubuntu. This was recommended to me. Start up worked great, it automatically spotted and configured the wifi, selected it with a right click, and it was fine. Media files likewise ran great. And it seems to run a bit tighter than gOS did. Definitely a contender to replace gOS. TEST SUBJECT #3 -- MEPIS AntiX 7.5. Same story with wifi as PC Linux. And strange doings with multimedia. Tried running Mythbusters, and got no sound. The sound mixer said the volume was at maximum, and the player was set for maximum and unmuted. Nothing. Tried to close it out, wouldn't do it. Had to go command line to kill the apps. TEST SUBJECT #4 -- PUPPY LINUX 4.01. On the bright side, it had no trouble with the wifi. Puppy was one I was hoping to use as a last resort. Smart idea. The wireless is great, but playing the VCD file resulted in video skipping every few seconds. Considering it plays VCD without a hitch on my 400Mhz machine, this is a bit disappointing. As a temporary, fine, but for a serious installation, not quite. TEST SUBJECT #5 -- FEDORA 9. Inconclusive. It didn't give an option to start in safe graphical mode. Waited for the boot screen, edited the line by removing rhgb and add a 3 at the end, booting to command line. Tried to start the display configuration, and it kicked me to the regular display (read that: jumpy display clearly not set for the screen). I am thinking of first reinstalling gOS. It was suggested to me that, the situation with wifi connectivity could be solved by replacing the regular GNOME Network Manager. So maybe I'll give it another go. But if I'm still not satisfied, it looks like Crunchbang is the frontrunner. --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Linux Users Group. To post a message, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit our group at http://groups.google.com/group/linuxusersgroup -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
