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HP Releases New Netbook GUI For Ubuntu
dan of the north writes to tell us that a new custom version of Ubuntu aimed at netbooks and based on 8.04 Hardy Heron has been released by HP. Targeted to the HP Mini 1000 Mi, the netbook customization comes complete with OpenOffice, Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird, Pidgin, and a few others. "Overall, HP has created one of the best thought out Linux interfaces for netbooks. The software is designed so that users who have never used Linux should have no trouble performing basic tasks. But experienced Linux users can always fire up a terminal window by hitting Alt+F2 and entering 'gnome-terminal.'"
HP has taken a solid product improved it and is using it to improve the value of it's own product.
Everybody involved benefits (except microsoft...).
Frankly, it makes sense that a computer system company (HP, Dell, etc) would actively pursue releasing a linux distro that works well/specifically designed to work well with their specific hardware, etc. (I presume this is going to include drivers for all of the included hardware in the mini), and is "easy" to use and looks good...
I'm surprised more companies haven't done this, actually.
yeah, strangely just before this I was reading that the year-old HP mini 2133 is the only HP laptop in the UK which uses Linux ...at least you'll be able to get one that looks like a handbag though...
Just guessing, but 8.04 is a Long-Term-Support release.
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
It won't even come bundled with toolbars, trials, demos, etc that their Windows computers come bundled with.
This is excellent to see.
From an ergonomic standpoint, "ALT+F2" is easier to press in almost all scenarios than "Windows Key+R"
If you hunt-and-peck:
- ALT+F2: Thumb on alt, Index finger on F2. One does not need to bend their wrists upwards
- WIN+R: Thumb on Win, index on R. One has to rotate wrist, elbow, and shoulder.
If you use home row:
- ALT+F2: Same as the hunt-and-peck
- WIN+R: Bending either the left or right thumb inwards, extending index finger to the R key.
If you have a DVORAK layout:
- ALT+F2: No fucking clue, I don't use DVORAK keyboards because the name reminds me of John Dvorak.
- WIN+R: Same as above
For almost 25 years Microsoft has been dictating the OS and hardware for personal computers. Both consumers and producers alike have suffered.
Better systems not supported by Microsoft languished.
Companies with really good ideas run bankrupt when Microsoft copies them and incorporates their knock-off into DOS/Windows.
Before Microsoft, system companies competed on features and support. These days everything is about price and with "windows" being the price point, the HPs and Dells of the world have to play ball with Microsoft.
If, however, the Windows stranglehold can be weakened in that people accept that they don't NEED windows, then that opens opportunity for Linux and other systems.
It is about time the OEMs started flexing their muscle. Once they free themselves, they opportunities will grow!! Economic growth for sure!
Yeah, I've sort of been waiting for this. It makes a lot of sense to me that OEMs would want their pre-installed OS to be something that they could control completely, even if they don't technically "own" it.
Once upon a time, every computer company came out with their own hardware and software package. You had Apple, IBM, Commodore, etc. Some of the reason that everyone came out with their own software was because they weren't allowed to just take each others' software, but some of it was also that they each had different ideas about what was important.
That model fell apart because it was too expensive for everyone to develop everything themselves from scratch, and also because it was too annoying to deal with all the incompatibilities. However, by turning to Microsoft as an alternate solution, everyone sacrificed a lot of power and control over their own products.
Now that there are credible FOSS operating systems just sitting around waiting to be used, the problems of "starting from scratch" and "dealing with incompatibilities" are pretty much gone. If I were running Dell or HP, I would have had people working on custom/rebranded Linux or BSD distributions for several years already, including packaging systems and servers that would allow my company to control updates too.
But the only reason HP even attempted to go in and fix all the niggardly little details was because FOSS programmers built a whole operating system for them to use. This seems like everything is working just the way it's supposed to, to everybody's benefit. Linux is getting improvements from both ends.
Not only netbooks. Anything below the $400 price point can't afford $30+ if there's a cheaper alternative. Probably some larger laptops (13"?) will use atoms of via nanos and drop the dvd. With more space, they could run cooler and get even cheaper parts. Anything below $250 cannot afford $30+ for windows. All the upcoming ***tops below $250 will run linux, I bet.
black GUIs look great until you want to either:
a. use the internet
b. edit any kind of document
At this point you have to either:
a. get blinded everytime you use google
b:
import internet
internet.colour = not internet.colour
Ancient, ancient, tired troll. Go to bed, troll.
You can't put a Playstation game in a Wii. And yet they sell both Playstations and Wiis. It's fucking amazing.
Hey, I finally got my first freak! Took you long enough!
Probably because the number of halfway competent users is far, far less than half the number of users :p