For some reason companies seem to love throwing really larger shortcuts for commonly used programs onto tiny laptops these days. Asus pioneered the “easy mode” interface for the Eee PC. But others have followed suit with easy to use program launchers for Linpus Linux Lite (the OS used on the Acer Aspire One) and Ubuntu Netbook Remix (the flavor of Linux that will be used for the Gigabyte M912 and other computers). I don’t know if the theory is that the screen is so small that the icons should be big enough to see from space, or that Linux is so alien for many users that it should be as easy as possible to launch programs without pulling down the equivalent of a start menu.

Either way, Dell is getting into the fray by adding what appears to be a custom program launcher to its upcoming Inspiron 910 mini-laptop running Ubuntu 8.04. This is not the same thing as Ubuntu Netbook Remix, the add-on for Ubuntu developed by Canonical. Rather, it’s been described to me by an anonymous source as a customizable dock-style program launcher with shortcuts to preloaded applications and useful web sites.

Sascha at Eee PC News.de has a bit more information on the program launcher, but a picture is worth at least a few words, and someone sent Engadget a few photos of an Inspiron 910 running Ubuntu. You can see one which clearly shows the dock above, but there are a few more snapshots at Engadget.

Note that the reason the PC lists two CPUs is not because it features a dual core Atom chip. Rather, the Intel Atom N270 supports hyperthreading.

Want to know how Ubuntu Netbook Remix runs on the Acer Aspire One?

Spanish language blog Asus E3 apparently took the plunge and installed Ubuntu Netbook Remix on an Aspire One. As you can see, it runs pretty smoothly although it takes a fairly long time to boot.

Ubuntu Netbook Remix is currently available as an add-on for Ubuntu 8.04. In other words, you first need to install Ubuntu, then you can install the Netbook Remix packages which include optimizations for the Intel Atom CPU and for devices with small screens. Eventually Canonical hopes to partner with PC makers to preload the operating system on low cost ultraportable computers like the Asus Eee PC and Acer Aspire One.

[via Eee PC News.de]

Want to install Ubuntu on an Eee PC, but don’t want to go through the trouble of downloading and installing the operating system all by your lonesome? The folks behind the Ubuntu Eee project will soon be offering up a 4GB SD card with the operating system preloaded. This isn’t a memory stick that you can use to install the operating system — it will already be installed. All you have to do is pop it into your Eee PC, choose the SD card from the boot menu, and you’ll be running a custom version of Ubuntu designed for the Eee PC.

The cards are currently available for “pre-order.” All you have to do is donate $50 or more to the open source project.  In return you’ll get a shiny new 4GB Class 6 SD card with Ubuntu Eee and a cute little Ubuntu Eee logo. While you could certainly pick up a cheaper 4GB card and install Ubuntu Eee PC yourself, the idea is to make the process as simple and painless as possible.

Right now it looks like there will only be a limited supply of Ubuntu Eee SD cards. Developer Jon Ramvi says he’s only purchased 10 blank cards. But if they sell out quickly, I’m sure we can convince him to produce a few more.

Keep in mind, Ubuntu Eee is designed specifically for the Eee PC. It will probably not work as well on other devices due to hardware differences. 

[via Linux Loop]

The Gigabyte M912 may not be coming to the US anytime soon, but if you happen to live in Germany, it looks like you should be able to pick one up within a few weeks. Eee PC News.de discovered that the Notebook Shop is selling M912s in several configurations — including two versions that are described as having no operating system.

Now, since there are two models listed that run Windows Vista and two that are listed without an OS, I’m going to assume this is a typo and that the computers are actually running Ubuntu. We already saw the M912 running Ubuntu Netbook Remix at Computex, so we know it’s capable of running the OS. and Gigabyte doesn’t have to pay any licensing fees to include Ubuntu, so I can’t imagine why they would sell a piece of hardware without any software when there’s a perfectly usable OS available for free.

But even if this isn’t a typo, and Gigabyte is selling a computer in Germany with no OS, this is actually a good thing as it makes it perfectly clear to customers that they can choose the operating system they want to use. The Notebook Shop is charging between 459 € and 569 € or $726 and $901 for the Gigabyte M912, depending on the operating system and amount of RAM you select.

The MSI Wind laptop has generated a lot of excitement due to its low price and high quality feature set. But some of the earliest reviewers have pointed out that it was pretty difficult to figure out how to install Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron, one of the most popular Linux distributions on the Wind. The installer just got stuck partway through the process.

Earlier this month, Canonical’s Gerry Car indicated that Ubuntu Netbook Remix would be able to boot in as little as 5-10 seconds. It turns out that isn’t true.

While anyone can install Ubuntu Linux on an Eee PC, you need to do a little tweaking to get the WiFi working. And if you want the Fn keys to let you adjust the volume and screen brightness, that’s a little more tweaking. Shortly after the Eee PC was releeased last year, OasisBob at the EeeUser forums put together eeeXubuntu, a custom version of Xubuntu designed to work out of the box with the Eee PC, adding support for the computer’s hardware.

While anyone can install the packages that turn Ubuntu into a rudimentary version of Ubuntu Netbook Remix, Ubuntu founder Mark Shuttleworth says the ultimate goal is to ship cheap laptops with the open source operating system preloaded. And the company is working with several PC manufacturers to make that happen.

If you thought the Asus Eee PC’s 25-30 second boot time was impressive, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Canonical marketing director Gerry Carr tells Laptop Magazine that Ubuntu Netbook Remix will boot in just 5-10 seconds.

Canonical doesn’t plan to launch Ubuntu Netbook Remix for a few more months. But if you’re itching to check out the customized version of Ubuntu designed for low cost subnotebooks like the Eee PC, the current source packages are already available for download. Keep in mind, this software is still under development, so your results may vary. Of course, open source software is always under development, but if you don’t want to risk mucking up your Ubuntu system, you might want to create a new user to test out the Netbook Remix interface.

Canonical won’t be ready to ship its custom version of Ubuntu for low-cost ultraportable laptops until the fall, but that’s not stopping the group from showing off an early version of Ubuntu Netbook Remix at Computex.

Canonical founder Mark Shuttleworth says next week the company will be announcing a custom version of its popular Ubuntu Linux distribution for low-cost ultraportable, also known as Netbooks. All we know at this point is that it will be known as the Netbook Remix and it will be optimized for computers like the Eee PC, MSI Wind, and HP Mini-Note.

As I reported earlier today, Lee over at the MiniNote User forums has posted a custom version of Ubuntu 8.04 that includes out of the box support for the HP Mini-Note’s WiFI and video hardware. The MinBuntu download link is pretty slow, but after a few hours of waiting (im)patiently, I managed to get a disc image.

But since I don’t have a USB CD-ROM drive, burning it to a disc wasn’t really an option. I was hoping to mount the ISO under Windows XP on my Mini-Note using Virtual CloneDrive and install MinBuntu using Wubi. But while the full version of Ubuntu 8.04 includes Wubi, it looks like it’s missing from this image.

Luckily, there’s one thing that this image does that the standard Ubuntu install disc doesn’t: It installs perfectly using the PendriveLinux method. Basically, all you have to is download the Ub8convert.exe utility from PendriveLinux using a Windows system and follow a few easy steps. When it comes time to copy your ISO, just copy the MinBuntu ISO file into the Ubuntu8 folder and keep following the directions.

When you go to boot your MinBuntu liveUSB the first time, everything should work right out of the box, including the WiFi. But more importantly, you’ll get past the bot screen. A few weeks ago I tried making a liveUSB using a full Ubuntu image, and instead of bringing up a full Linux desktop, I got a screen full of nothing. What you’re supposed to do to prevent this is force Ubuntu to use xvesa, but the PendriveLinux splash screen looks different from the typical Ubuntu 8.04 splash screen, making it harder to choose this option. You can install Ubuntu from within Windows using Wubi. But then you’ll have to configure your wireless and video drivers manually, which is a bit tricky for Linux newbies.

So as of today, I’m going to say that the easiest way to shoehorn Ubuntu 8.04 onto the HP Mini-Note without a CD-ROM drive is to download MinBuntu and follow the PendriveLinux instructions for creating a LiveUSB. If you’re not running Windows, PendriveLinux also has instructions for creating a persistent USB installation (meaning the disk will save your changes), from a liveCD or from Linux.

Installing Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron on an HP Mini-Note is about as easy as downloading the ISO, burning it to a CD and hitting the install button from Windows or booting from the LiveCD. But getting the WiFi, sound, and graphics drivers working properly is another story.