I just purchased a new netbook and instead of using a regular Linux distribution such as in the past I'm thinking of using one of the netbook versions.
In the past I've used OpenSUSE and Mandriva on netbooks and Ubuntu on a desktop.
If I'm correct Acer comes with Linpus but is that available for purchase without purchasing a netbook?
Also, what about the custom Xandros distribution on the ASUS eeePC. Is that available separately?

The two choices I really know of that I could likely install on my own are Ubuntu Netbook Remix and Mandriva Mini. Does one of these stand out as the best? Is there another one out there that I don't know about?

the last acer with Linpus I got several months ago for someone else - I deleted Linpus and installed opensuse!

the reason is
I use opensuse/suse since 1998 most successfully, also on my servers!
hence my rule is NEVER change away from a known system unless you have an absolute MUST

I am very happy user of acer ( currently ferrari 5000/5000/travelmate 7520G ) with opensuse and would never move away.

its NOT only about the dist BUT also about system updates, maintenance and bugfixes.

whatever you choose, choose a dist that you are familiar with and that you also could use for any later expansion of your work - like dedicated server, office, etc

now with opensuse available as a free iso image for download - it is even easier than ever before to get the newest version. before availablity on DVD ( here in PH ) was sometimes a problem.

What netbook are you buying?


Why go with a netbook distro, most main line distros will run just fine. Debian works perfectly on the Eees.

Debian runs great on My Acer Aspire One Netbook. I took one look at gOS, Linpus, etc.. and said no thank you. Had Debian installed and running the same evening I brought my netbook home.


If you view this post you will see all the options I found for Linux on the Acer Netbook. I'm sure all these options will work on other brands of netbook as well, you would just have to search out the appropriate how-to's if needed.

I don't agree with using a regular distro on an eeePC. You need to take steps to reduce the number of writes to a ram drive. You also don't want to use a swap partition. The Linux version that comes with the eeePC even uses the unionfs to reduce writes when editing a file.

Dan Washko of the Linux Link Tech Show tried out the Mandriva eeePC edition. He loved it.

Might consider Sabayon as well. Good distro all around and they have a netbook edition built in to the live/installer DVD.

Gryyphyn, out.

The answer to this question also depends on what you want. If you want something to install and forget, one of the netbook specific builds might be the way to go, if you want to tinker and tweak, maybe you look at the netbook distros as a reference and then pick the distro you are most comfortable with to modify to your heart's content. I use RHEL and SuSE at my work, but for my personal use, I've always preferred Slackware, I've always felt that it does a better job of getting out of my way than some of the other distributions. On the other hand, it's not always as up-to-date with the drivers for the latest and greatest hardware, so that may not be a great choice for you in this instance.

jvail

I am using SUSE version 10.0 that I bought shrink wrapped form best buy on Dell C640. It was installed with out any issue. Only when I tried to enabled the wireless using CISCO 340 card, where I started having problem with the WEPA2 encryption. After spending few hours, I bough a Dlink extreme 650 and it worked like a champ.

Thanks for all the advice. This will be installed on a MSI Wind. I wasn't familiar with GOs so will read up on that. I actually am comparing some of the distributions now so I can make a good choice. I may end up even going through a few before I make my final choice. Thanks you again for all of the suggestions.

A very valid concern when using a netbook with a SSD drive. Which is why I suggested looking up the how-to's for the various distros on netbooks. a decent how-to covers reducing writes to the SSD and mounting certain directories on ram disks rather than on the SSD device. The Debian how-to even suggests turning off the Firefox network-prefetch option to reduce disk writes, among other noatime, and ramdisk suggestions..

My Netbook has an actual hard drive, so this was not a concern in my case, but it's definitely something that should be pointed out.

you could also try: damm small linux (DSL), it is wery little and you could have space for everything after