Thinking about getting a netbook

B

Bremaine

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Hey there, I'm on the lookout for a cheap netbook, one where I can install Ubuntu distributions. I'd love to use it to play around with new upgrades, like Ubuntu 10.10 and then 11.04 when it comes out. I was wondering, which netbook is the best around for that? And how much would I have to pay towards it? Thanks for any info guys. ;)
 


I have a Dell 10V that I bought going on 2 years ago with Ubuntu pre-installed and love it. It has since been moved to Fedora with no issues. The thing to keep in mind with a netbook is that it is not a power house machine that you are going to do everything with.
 
I'm thinking about purchasing a new Linux netbook as well. I don't own any Linux products at the moment, but in the near future, I am most definitely plan on buying one when I get the money. I heard that Linux is actually a lot steadier and straightforward than Windows.
 
For LInux, you don't need much in the way of hardware resources. There are distros which will run even on 128Mb ram like the Puppy Linux I am using. However if you want to try the new distros, you need newer hardware. Not sure what's the minimum requirement but I had tried all the latest distros with a core duo pc with no problems.
 
I run ubuntu 11.10 on an acer aspire one 532h that came with Windows 7. It had 1 gig of ram which I upgraded to 2 gb for about $30 although the upgrade wasn't really necessary. I inherited the netbook from my wife who just got a new fullsize laptop.

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I have a samsung netbook running ubuntu, fedora and windows :)
 
DarthVader3257 said:
I'm thinking about purchasing a new Linux netbook as well. I don't own any Linux products at the moment, but in the near future, I am most definitely plan on buying one when I get the money. I heard that Linux is actually a lot steadier and straightforward than Windows.
Click to expand...

Linux is very different from Windows.

1. It's free. That's rather unbeatable, isn't it?
2. It works. Yes, it does. Free in this case does not mean shoddy at all.
3. It's faster. Using the same hardware resources, Linux is faster than Windows. Linux even runs on older pcs which cannot run Windows at all.
 
I'm not in the need of a new netbook but I do need a linux distro for a netbook with minimum resources. I'm leaning towards Xubuntu though.
 
If money isn't an issue, you could buy a MacBook Air and install Linux on that! I know what you're thinking, but the MacBook Air actually has topnotch hardware for a netbook. Then you could play around with various distributions, including the newest ones, since the performance will be really good.

It's a bit of a hassle to set up Linux on Macs though, but there are some good instructions here: http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=1057854, and they say after you set everything up everything will be working 100%! I don't really know though cause I've never had first hand experience with Apple products. Just throwing this out there.
 
Many netbooks have similar hardware configurations (CPU, RAM, 10" screen) so look closely at things that vary more from machine to machine like battery life, hard drive vs. SSD, and keyboard size/arrangement as well as warrant and return policies. You should be able to find something with a good "bang for the buck" ratio in the $250 to $300 dollar range. There are some really nice netbooks out there for $400 and up, but at that point you may as well start looking at laptops and enjoy the larger screen and full sized keyboard.
 
I think Eee PC's are good candidates. Samsung netbooks make good choices too.
 
Like Anon-sama said the Asus Eee PC should be in the range of around 200-350$ with a fairly decent screen, 10' perhaps, i don't know if it uses an SSD or a standard Hard drive.

Lenovo and Toshiba mini are also within the same price range. Maybe do some research online about their quality and performance before buying. Good luck!
 
I'm in the same position as you, pal. I find Linux to be quite confusing itself, but I am very much interesting in getting a laptop and trying it out regardless. I used to be interesting in computer software and such, but I still want to pursue that somehow. I want to buy a laptop as soon as possible.
 
I am also interested in getting a netbook. I am saving up to buy something special for myself, and a netbook would certainly be useful for me. I am a college student so it would be much more convenient to carry around a small netbook than my large laptop. I have seen many people with Asus', so I might check that out.
 
Hello. I have a Dell Precision M2400, a 14.1 "with 1440x900 resolution and I have to say that hardware compatibility with Ubuntu is 100% (everything works out-of-the-box). Since the Latitude series is virtually identical, I would advise the E5400 model, which is priced in my opinion perfectly reasonable for a notebook of professional construction (magnesium alloy chassis and compatibility with an endless array of accessories: docking station, battery slice, batteries to apply into the DVD player, etc..) and a size that is slightly higher than that of a 13 ".
 
I can recommend the ASUS Eee PC running Xubuntu; I'm currently using a three year old Eee PC 1000HE with Xubuntu 11.10 and works like a charm. Runs great.
 
Interesting replies on this thread.
I don't really think I would want to pay much for
a Netbook. Sorry it just isn't worth it.
Try to look for something low, or maybe try your hand at
building it yourself.
 
Dell 10V a friend gave me, or supposedly left it for a while lol so far its the 3rd netbook i have used, and the 1st one running on Linux. So far so good, its my first encounter with Linux also =)
 
No matter what netbook you have. Take on mind that you have to use a lightweight distro in order to get the best performance. If you like ubuntu you can use peppermint. Puppy is a good choice, slacko, arch, boot very fast and have built in many drivers. For peppermint and mint be carefull with the video settings, can be a pain. Hope helps
 
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