Netbook OS Roundup: a series

The operating system world is a crowded space–Windows, Mac, various flavors of Linux, FreeBSD, Haiku, Android, Chrome, and any number of odd and specialized projects. For the most part, though, actual usage on PCs is limited to Windows, with a smaller share of Macs and tiny numbers for Linux. This isn’t terribly surprising, given the prevalence of Microsoft operating systems in OEM builds and the difficulties involved in switching operating systems, especially on a computer that’s responsible for running your household. When I was faced with the problem of upgrading my 8-year-old computer, I opted to stick with the Windows rut that I’ve been in for almost 20 years, since purchasing an IBM PS/2 with Windows 3.0: the thought of switching from Quicken, Photoshop, and Vegas, even if the open source alternatives are just as good, was simply too daunting.

With my netbook, though, I don’t feel the OS lock-in. I very quickly moved off the Dell Linux build that shipped with the netbook to an Ubuntu netbook remix, and have dabbled a bit in other distributions. Swapping out the OS on a computer that is used most of the time as a browser or e-book reader, and occasionally for light word processing, is far less daunting a prospect. And there are so many operating systems available for netbooks, most of which can be tested for free, that there’s no excuse for a technically-savvy netbook user to try out a few systems.

My criteria in reviewing the operating systems I’ll be trying out are geared toward my own netbook usage; these may not be your criteria. But perhaps these reviews will be of some use. My interest are:

Ease of Installation

I’m technically savvy, and comfortable in a UNIX shell, but I don’t want to tax my brain too much to get a netbook OS installed. Netbooks are lightweight, and so ought their installation procedures be: I’m OK with downloading the ISO, copying it to a USB drive, and booting it up, but if the installation is even easier than that I’ll be especially pleased.

I’m also looking for an OS to recognize my hardware and network with minimal fiddling. Again, I’ll edit config files and download drivers if need be, but an OS that works out-of-the-box (or off-the-thumb-drive) on my Dell Mini is my preferred platform.

Application Support

On the netbook, a browser is the key tool. For me, a current Firefox version is preferred, since I’m using Firefox on my home and work computers are synchronize bookmarks across all three. If not Firefox, then Chrome is OK.

I’d also like to be able to use Dropbox (as an application rather than through the web interface), and a simple word processor. Reading e-books from Project Gutenberg is a nice feature, too. Beyond that, my application requirements on the netbook are pretty light.

Stability

The netbook should stay on and connected with minimal fuss. Frequent rebooting, dropped network connections, and sudden bouts of sluggishness are not appreciated. To some extent, stability is a function of things beyond the OS: the actual hardware, and my Internet connection (home wireless network, sharing a USI Wireless connection); but a good OS rolls with the punches.

Performance

I don’t expect blazing speed on the netbook: it’s small, with limited RAM and processor resources. But I expect fast startups (due to its small footprint), quick network connections, and reasonable responsiveness.

Appearance

Looks aren’t everything, but they’re something. I can accept utilitarian functionality for some things, but I appreciate a desktop that is at least pleasing. Eye candy ought not to come at the expense of performance and stability, but the user interface shouldn’t be a mere afterthought.

The things I’m looking for in a netbook OS may not be what most netbook users want; my comfort with the technical details will likely sway my judgment away from ease-of-use toward stability and performance. But if your netbook profile matches mine, you may find this series helpful.

I’ll be looking at Jolicloud, Puppy Linux, and Haiku in the next few installments. Fedora, Mint, and Ubuntu are likely to be covered as well. If you have a favorite OS that you’d like to recommend, let me know in the comments and I’ll gladly give it a spin.