This page is a set of brief observations, tips and, most importantly, suggested links I have come across in my efforts to get OzOS working on a netbook (or umpc - you know, one of those new cute little notebook computers). From time to time, I'll supplement this page with a more in-depth "How-To"-type article and link to it under the relevant topic below and in the "Links" section at the bottom of this page.
There are now at least half a dozen different netbooks on the market from different manufacturers. Each uses a slightly different set of technology and has a different default OS and set up. Naturally, being new devices, Linux tragics all over the world have been pulling them apart, changing them and, most importantly, optimizing them for their favorite distro. I've prepared a separate current "State of Play" for Linux on each of the netbooks I know of. Check out the one you are interested in, noting its key features (CPU, storage, wireless chip etc) and then return here to delve further into the issues you could encounter with OzOS and that setup.
No doubt things will change. Hacks and work-arounds necessary today will be redundant in time as the hardware manufacturers and distrosmiths (I just made up that word!) come to better understand the requirements of these machines and their users. Machine specifications will certainly change and new versions and models will be released (with a different set of issues and potential hacks). I'll try to keep these pages up to date.
In the meantime, here are a few tips, observations and suggestions from my own experience and from the more active umpc user forums on the web. Feel free to contribute through THIS THREAD on the CafeLinux Forums or contact me directly with a PM through the CafeLinux forums.
1. Different CPUs Need Different Distro Versions
So far, there have been three different types of cpus used in netbooks. The original eeePC 700 series and the HP mini-note use a Via processor, a few others use an Intel Celeron and several of the most recent recently released (Acer Aspire One, the eeePC 1000 and the MSI Wind) use Intel's Atom 1.6Ghz processor. A new AMD cpu and a faster, less power hungry, Via are rumored to be released soon.
The Via and Celeron cpus have no problems loading most Linux distros produced in the past year. The Atom is more particular, demanding a Linux kernel at least as recent as the 2.6.24.19 version. For users of OzOS, which is based on Ubuntu, that means that right now (July 2008) the Via and Celeron based netbooks can be loaded with the latest OzOS builds (From Here) but that on Atom-based machines you will need to first install either a basic Ubuntu or Xubuntu from the updated release of Hardy Heron - 8.04.1 ( Get Xubuntu 8.04.1 From Here) and then install the OzOS packages via this method. Other debian-based distros with the 2.6.24.19 or later kernel should also work fine.
Obviously, this situation will change with the next release version of OzOS, but for now you will need a clean and up to date base distro installed first.
2. No CD for you? Just use a USB Stick.
Most (all?) netbooks come without an optical drive. Unless you have an external CD drive that works with your machine, you will be needing to install your distro (OzOS or Ubuntu) from a usb stick or a 'net install.
We have a separate How-To on making a bootable live usb stick or you could use any of the methods available on sites live PendriveLinux or use a utility to do the work for you (eg Unetbootin). Just make sure the version of the distro you select is suitable for your machine (see 1. above)
3. Installing to Hard Drive or Solid State? - filesystem issues
Netbooks have been produced with both solid state drives (SSDs) and traditional, but small, Hard Disk Drives. SSDs have both advantages and disadvantages. They are certainly robust and relatively cheap (at the lower capacities). The disadvantages are that they a) wear out faster than HDDs and b) can be slower to read and write data.
Fortunately, we can work around these issues to some extent. Most importantly, we can use a filesystem (format) for our storage drive that doesn't "journal" - ie. keep an ongoing, constantly updated, database of file changes. The ext2 file system (the fore-runner of the more common ext3 that is usually the default for most installers) is ideal for this purpose.
Essentially, when installing a distro on a SSD, you should select the "ext2" format for your root partitions - and any other data partitions you make. This means doing a "manual" partitioning when you get to that stage of the install. This Page is a graphical walkthough of the Ubuntu partitioner showing how to select ext2 as your filesystem.
If you are reading this after installing your base distro on a SSD and are now going "oh, darn! I should have formated the blessed drive as ext2!" - don't worry. Here is a How-To on changing your filesystem from ext3 to ext2 "on the fly".
4. Them Darn Wireless Chips.
5. Readin', Writin' and 'Rithmatic - slow down, you're killing me!
6. But fstab Still Wants a CD!
7. I could throttle my cpu.
8. Sound and Vision
Some Links (most of these are also in text above)
Other CafeLinux/OzOS pages of interest
The OzOS on Netbooks Thread at the CafeLinux Forums
How-To: Prepare a bootable OzOS USB stick for installation
How To: Install the OzOS desktop on an existing OS
Blogs, Forums, Homepages and Reviews for Particular Netbooks
Acer Aspire One User Forum - helpful forums plus mods and hacks (ya gotta love those kids with dremels!)
AspireOneUser.com - a personal blog about The One - good international coverage and breaking news
Acer's Aspire One Site - mostly flash graphics and bad music.
General Netbook Linux Links
