This blog is about using the Linux versions of Acer Netbooks. I'm writing it because these are probably the Netbooks that you should buy, but there are quite a few tricks to using them to their full potential. Or as the kids used to say some time in the 90's - at least according to copywriters - "Maxed Out!!!" A Linux Acer is no harder to use than a Windows Netbook, but it is different.
At this point there are probably several questions you want to ask. So I'll answer them:
Why is an Acer running Linux the Netbook I should buy?
Acer build great Netbooks. They have excellent screens, outstanding keyboards, fast Intel Atom processors, and good (for a Netbook) graphics. And the price for this degree of quality is terrific.
As for why you should buy Linux - Acers are among the more powerful Netbooks available, but they are still underpowered by the standards of desktop PCs that Windows XP was designed for. Run XP on an Acer and it will, more often than you like, run like treacle. Run the version of Linux that Acer chose for its Netbooks, which was designed for Netbook-like machines, and your Acer will run like sparkling wine. Plus you'll have the option of buying a Netbbok that avoids having a hard drive, the least reliable and most vulnerable part of a portable computer. Netbooks without hard drives typically boot faster than hard drive machines too, and you can add extra storage using an SD ("Secure Digital") Card.
Linux Acers also come with an excellent suite of programs - including a powerful set of Office compatible business applications - and are less likely to have problems with malaware and viruses than Windows machines.
What are the downsides of Acer's hardware?
Battery life tends to be short. My Acer One exhausts itself in 2 or 3 hours of use. You can get round this by buying extra battery packs, including larger extended life packs. The charger is small and easy to carry around though and there is no problem with using a machine and charging it at the same time.
What are the problems with using the Linux version of an Acer Netbook?
The version of Linux that comes with Acer's Books is Linpuss Lite. Linpuss is actually easier than Windows when it comes to doing the things that basic users want to do virtually all of the time and even advanced users most of the time. It provides an exceptionally friendly interface for running the Netbook's free programs. It's not unlike the interface of an ATM (or "cash machine" as we Brits say) and about as hard to use.
Where Linpuss Linux does get tricky is in letting you do moderately advanced stuff and in installing new programs. The Linux method of installing a new program is less friendly than the Windows one (ignore the Linux geek screaming in the corner - they're like that) but you don't have to do it too often, so it's a good trade-off for a Netbook that works better for the things you do 99.99% of the time.
Anyway, one of the first things I'll do is tell you how to install programs on an Acer - the second or third after this introduction, the first being what to do when you get your new Netbook.
Why another Netbook blog?
I decided to install VLC on my Book (and you should install it on yours if you want to watch movies - it's probably the best movie player going) and found there wasn't a single source explaining how to do it 100% correctly, although (thankfully) there were a couple of 70-90% correct solutions I could bang together.
