Customer Reviews

Ubuntu Netbooks: The Path to Low-Cost Computing (Expert's Voice in Open Source)

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I picked up an ASUS netbook in Feb '10 and put the Ubuntu Netbook Remix on it. I had been tinkering with Linux on a desktop. My background is windows and DOS. Linux is like a can of worms, if you're looking for someone or something to take you by the hand and lead you through it. The user community is more than helpful, but there are different flavors and different configuration. I went with Ubuntu because not only did they have a distro geared specifically for the netbook, but it is a flavor in widespread use. There is ample information on Ubuntu. The most disconcerting thing to a newby is getting a book on Linux and finding that the screens under discussion bear no resemblance to anything you have.

Fortunately this book, though slightly dated in view of current releases, bore enough resemblance to my version. The desktop manager - Gnome - as with the rest of the applications on the netbook remix, was tweaked to gain the most benefit from the limited screen space and resources available on a netbook. I had tried a few other distributions and found that the fonts, menus and other options do not take into account the small netbook screen. This is a good book, though your basic intro level type book. What I got from it was reassurance of where the important applications were, how to take advantage of wireless resources, and the basic lesson to all intro books on Linux: the documentation/manuals are out there on the web, but the important documentation is not on Linux itself, but the applications that perform the individual tasks within the system.

The book is well written, reads easily, and provides a good foundation for moving forward with the netbook. I got the netbook because I got tired of sitting at a desk and working on a desktop computer. The netbook is portable, lends itself well to loafing on the couch while I read or write, and has more than enough power for my needs. I'm sold on these little laptop computers and don't think I'll ever go back to larger laptops or desktops as a primary computer.