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Author Topic: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?  (Read 16855 times)

Pseudoman

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Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« on: May 31, 2011, 02:53:22 PM »
I'm planning to purchase a netbook, set it up with Tinycore and do some light computing: mostly word-processing for school, but more than that would be a plus. Games are fun... All for under $300, $250 being my target price.
Some I have seen:
* Toshiba Mini NB505
* HP Mini 110
* Asus EEEPC  1015PE
Really, I would like to know which is most compatible with GNU/Linux and if it can do some light emulation stuff (DOSBox, Stella, etc.).
Any info would be appreciated, thanks.

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #1 on: May 31, 2011, 04:34:08 PM »
Really, I would like to know which is most compatible with GNU/Linux

Are you aware that TC is not at all GNU/Linux?
(Of course it could more or less become GNU/Linux by adding extensions.)
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline OldAdamUser2

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #2 on: May 31, 2011, 04:56:43 PM »
I bought my wife the ASUS Eee PC 1001PX-EU27-WT, and we both love it. She mainly uses the native Windows 7, but I set it up to dual boot several Linux operating systems--principally TC 3.5. It runs very nicely.

Here is a link to Amazon's page on this nifty little netbook:

http://www.amazon.com/s?ie=UTF8&tag=mozilla-20&index=blended&link_code=qs&field-keywords=ASUS%20Eee%20PC%201001PX-EU27-WT&sourceid=Mozilla-search

Pseudoman

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #3 on: May 31, 2011, 07:03:14 PM »
Really, I would like to know which is most compatible with GNU/Linux

Are you aware that TC is not at all GNU/Linux?
(Of course it could more or less become GNU/Linux by adding extensions.)

Yeah, I know that it doesn't have all of the GNU tools, I guess that I should have been more specific  ;). What I meant was hardware compatibility with the Linux kernel modules and what not.
Anyhow, I'm considering that Toshiba Mini, any thoughts anybody?

Offline Guy

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #4 on: May 31, 2011, 08:04:36 PM »
You could install Tinycore on a usb drive, and if they don't mind at the shop, boot it from the usb drive, to see if it just boots with no special setup required.

Anything you learn, share here so others can benefit.
Many people see what is. Some people see what can be, and make a difference.

Offline curaga

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #5 on: June 01, 2011, 08:38:55 AM »
I would recommend a Brazos (E-350) one. Beats Atom in both cpu and gpu for the same price.

It should work fine on current TC, not counting Xorg. Accelerated graphics w/ Xorg would need to wait for TC 4.x.

edit: Talking open drivers of course. Latest Catalyst would work fine on current Xorg.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline danielibarnes

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #6 on: June 01, 2011, 09:00:52 AM »
Quote
I would recommend a Brazos (E-350) one. Beats Atom in both cpu and gpu for the same price.

I second that. The AMD E-350 is more than double the speed of the Intel Atom N455 and about the same speed as the Intel Atom D525.

Offline tinypoodle

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #7 on: June 01, 2011, 01:45:28 PM »
Really, I would like to know which is most compatible with GNU/Linux

Are you aware that TC is not at all GNU/Linux?
(Of course it could more or less become GNU/Linux by adding extensions.)

Yeah, I know that it doesn't have all of the GNU tools, I guess that I should have been more specific  ;).

Actually last time I checked, I found exactly one GNU executable ('locale'). A developer might possibly confirm or correct that.
"Software gets slower faster than hardware gets faster." Niklaus Wirth - A Plea for Lean Software (1995)

Offline labeas

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #8 on: June 20, 2011, 09:29:36 PM »
> Are you aware that TC is not at all GNU/Linux?
Does that mean it does NOT run `mc` : Midnight Commander ?
Previously I installed something, which 'started' with <busybox>;
and I had to write my own 'skelaton-mc' in `ash`.

I can't tolerate groping around the file-tree, using `ls` & `cd` !!

Could I load the apps to my 'HP Mini 110' via it's 8GB CF?
Cloud usage is not possible for me.

An Oberon [V4] user refered me to this TC, for possible use to
run Oberon-V4; which I currently do under GNU/linux [although I
prefer ETH-Oberon S3]. I'm wondering if TC can run any Oberon,
if TC is not GNU/linux ?

BTW I much prefer the Oberon TEXT based method, rather than the
US tendency to use cartoons.

Thanks for any answers.

== Chris Glur.

Offline gerald_clark

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #9 on: June 20, 2011, 09:51:09 PM »
There are many GNU addons.
Midnight Commander is one of them.

Use AppBrowser to view what is available.

Offline cast-fish

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #10 on: August 14, 2011, 03:03:43 AM »
hello

uh with the laptop chips do you mean that the AMD chip is double the speed
of the lower Intel because it's simply a dual core?

my understanding is that multiple cores are only used when the apps being
used are multi-thread apps.

how many linux apps are multi thread?.....i know some that are multi thread but what the percenage
is i am not sure. (it's low i think....maybe less than 5 percent of apps are multi thread) . Povray is multi-thread and Ardour music tool.

Otherwise, my understanding is that a dual core chip will allow the OS to perform
better because the OS is multi-thread. Dual core will also deal better with having several "single thread" apps open at the same time. Say you had some "single thread" app in the background
doing processing of an audio file (Audacity), while in the foreground you had some other "single thread"
app like FireFox working. (the dual core chip would give "some" improvement over a single
core chip in that scenario)

Dual core chips are more common now and i am not sure how much more expensive they
are than a single core chip.

As for doing virtual computer work, i was told that the AMD chip is capable of hardware
virtualisation where-as some intel chips are not capable of this and would be slow at the
task.

I notice that quad core laptops are not ridiculous in price. About $399, although i would need
to check that.

I hope this helps out in some way.

V.








Offline spence91

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #11 on: May 11, 2012, 07:29:00 AM »
There seems to be a lack of netbook/laptop hardware about at the moment, what would you guys recommend as the go-to netbook/ultrabook/small laptop these days?

(I realise that this is reviving a very old thread indeed - apologies)

Offline curaga

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #12 on: May 11, 2012, 07:46:59 AM »
I would still recommend AMD, just the updated model (E-450). Though within some weeks there's going to be a refresh (clock increase) with those chips (Brazos 2.0), so waiting might get you a price drop on the E-450 or a newer chip.
The only barriers that can stop you are the ones you create yourself.

Offline cast-fish

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #13 on: May 11, 2012, 01:41:39 PM »
spence

ye....spence....these comments about Brazos seem about right...

You have your budget also. Fits into it.

V.



Offline spence91

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Re: Suggestions for purchasing a Netbook?
« Reply #14 on: May 14, 2012, 03:25:48 AM »
The Brazos platform does seem quite good. Has anyone got any experience with Brazos under Linux/tinycore?

The ultrathin segment is still too pricey, but hopefully that will change in time.

Aside from that, the only thing that has turned my head is the Asus transformer Prime - A seriously good looking piece of hardware but I just don't think that I'd be able to use Android as a sole replacement for what can be done on an X86 laptop at the moment...