HP revs netbooks: Attempts custom Linux OS
Summary: Hewlett Packard on Wednesday rolled out a netbook lineup designed to play catch up with Dell, Asus and others. But the real interesting play here is HP's move to develop a custom Linux operating system for one of its netbooks.
Hewlett Packard on Wednesday rolled out a netbook lineup designed to play catch up with Dell, Asus and others. But the real interesting play here is HP's move to develop a custom Linux operating system for one of its netbooks.
First the news (statement, specs, Techmeme): HP is rolling out three netbooks powered by Intel's Atom processor. Given that netbooks are accounting for most of the growth in PC units HP would be foolish not to dive in. Frankly it's a bit surprising HP has waited this long to dive into netbooks. As for the models, HP is launching:
- The HP Mini 1000: A black netbook powered by Windows XP Home with solid-state or traditional hard drive options. Screens are 8.9 inches to 10.2 in
ches. This one is available in December and will start at $399. - The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition (right): Basically a Mini 1000 with a red peony-flower design from Tam, who is a fashion designer HP says. (I wouldn't know Tam if she fell on my head to be honest.) This netbook, which will be available in mid-December and start at $699, is for "Internet centric fashionistas." I'm not in that fashionista club but it sounds interesting.
- And the HP Mini 1000 with MIE (mobile Internet experience): This one comes with an HP interface that's built on Linux and is designed for digital content--videos, music and video. It also comes with Skype, instant messaging and a dashboard to get to email and browsing. The MIE will start at $379 with availability in January.
That latter one is the most interesting for a few reasons. Among them:
- HP has been increasingly dabbling in operating system refinement and the user experience.
- By customizing Linux it HP is illustrating that the open source OS is still too complicated for the average bear on the desktop.
- However, if HP--and others--start improving the user experience of desktop Linux it could be an emerging threat to Windows.
When you look at the netbook market--and its growth--you realize that these mobile Internet devices are really a Trojan horse for desktop Linux. We'll see how the Mini 1000 MIE sells, but I'm very interested in HP's interface and how it compares to other operating systems.
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Talkback
HP revs netbooks: Attempts custom Linux OS
I'm not sure why anyone would be surprised that they are offering a Linux OS, though. Several companies have been doing this for some time, including retailers like TigerDirect.
Is it really necessary?
But in any case I am interested to see where they go with this. Maybe they DO have something interesting up their sleeves.
One issue ...
"That latter one is the most interesting for a few reasons. Among them:
<SNIP>
By customizing Linux it HP is illustrating that the open source OS is still too complicated for the average bear on the desktop."
Umm , as far as I can tell all of the PC with Windows OS that have come thru the shop with a BRANDED name have been more or less customized for that brand.
yes and no
HP Touchsmart
I don't like very much HP, but we must admit they have style.
And I think it's much easier to make custom, stylish interfaces on a Open operating system then on a closed one, so here it shows the beauty of Linux
HP needs a custom interface ...
Let's apply this logic to something else ...
The location of menus and applications are all in the same general locations for the major desktops, that includes Windows, OSX, Gnome, KDE, and even XFCE. Using these desktops for finding and launching applications are all basically the same, it's just the location of certain features are that unfamiliar. In no sense does unfamiliarity equate to being complicated. This is a false argument. What if we apply this logic to something like the automobile industry.
There are hundreds of makes and models of different vehicles available for purchase. In ever single vehicle the constant in each vehicle is the location of the steering wheel, the brake, the throttle, and the turn signals. All of the additional accessories are located in a different location in each vehicle. From the headlamps, radio, cruise control, climate controls, wiper controls, even the gear selector, all in a different location.
Now if this is totally acceptable with automobiles why should this be any different with an operating systems desktop? The menus and applications can be located in the same general area and everything else should be grouped accordingly, same as with a vehicle's interior controls.
This doesn't just apply to the auto industry. Things like televisions, DVD players, DVRs, audio equipment, mp3 players, mobile phones, home appliances, even toasters all have different user interfaces. But somehow when it comes to the desktop everyone reverts back to an infant like state and the Linux desktop all of sudden becomes "too complicated" ;)
LOL
This distro is suppose to be Ubuntu ...
Even the HP Touch Smart is a graphical overlay which IMHO is needed because unless you have childlike fingers the standard Vista desktop is going to be difficult to manipulate.
I was playing with the TouchSmart the other day without the HP interface and even with my hands, which are nowhere near the caliber of Rachmaninoff, opening applications and closing windows was somewhat difficult. ;)
Silly analysis....
RE: HP revs netbooks: Attempts custom Linux OS
RE: HP revs netbooks: Attempts custom Linux OS
Updating on linux is no joy either. In fact its become a chore that is so bad many people don't want to use it because its such a hassle. Lets taking updating the system for instance. The user will need to check the versions of all 500+ packages, go to each application's website to find the most current version number, navigate through the site to find the source code, figure out which file is the latest version, download it, then go into a terminal window, use a string of commands to get it to extract, then use a series of complicated commands and switches to get it to compile -- remember this is going to take 5 or 6 tries just to get the right options set, wait a few hours while it compiles and hope at the end it does so cleanly and doesn't fail, then let the system install the executable to any random directory it wants because linux lacks any type of basic file heiarchy, then spend another hour looking for the random spot on the harddrive for said file, set permissions on the file, then try to run it and watch it as it segfaults and causes your linux to kernel panic. And after all that is done you get to spend a week on linux forums trying to figure out what went wrong.
That doesn't sound like anything any user will want. HP is only wasting time and resources trying to create a custom linux. Think of all the others who tried to do the same thing and failed. There is a point where one has to realize that linux isn't worth the effort and then just drop it like a deflated balloon.
Wow.. 3rd post I've found this same FUD
To the rest of the intelligent world, Linux is as easy to update as clicking 4 buttons and there is no need to go into the command line 99.9% of the time now.
Oh, and downloading updates takes just a few minutes depending on your internet connection but even works better than updating or installing Flash, Java or Windows updates. On dial-up, where every improvement is noticeable, Linux is by far faster and easier than updating Windows. Plus you don't go to the software maker's websites, those 4 clicks I mentioned before will update the operating system, open office, adobe, firefox, thunderbird, and everything else that has been installed from the repositories (which have something like 18,000+ applications).
Running Ubuntu Hardy Heron
I honestly can dig deep into the OS if I wanted to as I have been a Linux user for 18 years but I have never really had to with Hardy Heron (Ubuntu 8.04). I have a folder with sub-folders to store docs, picutres, whatever I want and it can be accessed via dialog boxes just like windows. I don't have to mess around with command lines to do anything a computer user does. I want save a picture, I click the save button and select the location I want to save it in. Easy.
Updating to new version easy as well
So updating from 8.04 (current version) to 8.10 (out tomorrow) is easier (and less costly) than upgrading Windows, adding a Service Pack or upgrading OS X!
So you are keeping track of my posts?
Now there are a few flaws with your post that I am going to gladly point out. Those updates you speak of don't work because they go to a central repository where anyone can upload code. The problem is people have uploaded malicious code to these repositories leaving them down for months. Imagine no updates for months when critical vulnerabilities are found. Thats assuming you can even get to the internet with your linux box considering how poorly it supports networking.
The other problem with your post is dial-up. Linux doesn't support modems. It takes weeks of configuration and recompiling the kernel to get it to even recognize the hardware, let alone set up a dial up connection.
Are you kidding right?
Have you ever hear about something called package management? You know, there are several companies that provides Linux distributions, like Novell, Red Hat, Mandriva, Cannonical, and all them have a central repository that are [b] controlled [/b] by those companies, and everything uploaded to these repositores is heavily reviewed and patched by the repository management teams..
And about dial-up, Linux have a problem with the so-called WIN-modems, as you can see, are modems that doesn't implement it's funcionality on hardware, but on a software that will only run at Windows
But again, this is old news, it's being several years since linux distros circunvented these problems
When was the last time you used Linux? 1995?
No i'm not
Depending on what distro you use
Mepis Linux does a good job of detecting modems and configuring them for you. At least it did the last time I used dial up.
... Loverock Davidson is outdated. Upgrade [Y/n]?
That changed.
Now, distro repositories are redundant (if one goes down, there are others to take up the slack), packages use security certificates with strong signatures (except the Debian ones which used to have a problem - solved, but Red Hat/Suse/Slackware/Gentoo etc. users avoided that problem), the kernel is more modular than ever (more flexible memory and process controllers), access to official repositories is strongly controlled, many winmodems are supported (eventhough they dont work anymore in Windows) among most if not all hardware...
As it stands, installing a Linux distro on any computer now is easier than making a Windows install: maybe you have never faced it, but a crappy laptop that requires a specific hotfix integrated with the Windows install CD (Im not talking about AHCI) to not crash every 5 minutes is a tiring, costly process that I never faced with Linux: at worst, I needed to manually change a setting in xorg.conf and restart X (2 minutes per attempt).
In Windows, if a fresh install fails, you can do nothing but remaster a CD and try again from the beginning (one hour per attempt, requires 2 machines).
I think that HP is going the Linux way because:
- they have significant experience with it (they support Debian on their servers)
- it is very flexible (you can visibly replace the UI without any problem)
- it is resources-friendly (when you replace the UI, the native one doesnt stay loaded in the background; less RAM used needlessly, less RAM installed needed)
The difference between a Linux and a Vista install on low-end hardware is staggering: Linux is snappy, flexible and responsive; Vista is laggy, thrashes the hard disk drive, and cant run more than a single applicatio correctly.
This was typed on a Celeron 500 and 256 MB of RAM using Mandriva 2009, and this old thing (which could barely run Windows XP) can run Google Earth, Firefox and OpenOffice 3 at the same time without too much trouble.