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Features Distros Galore

And, although it isn’t something I want to a book on, it’s perfect for document use and for surfing the Web and chatting online. Keep in mind that what makes a net- book distribution isn’t necessarily a de- sire to use as few resources as possible. These little have come a long way since they first appeared. Many sport hard drives with several gigabytes of storage, and most have a gigabyte or more of RAM. Consequently, it’s more about real estate than resources. I’m talking about the small screens that run from 7 to 10 inches. I might let you get away with calling it a netbook when it has a 12-inch screen, but when your has a 18-inch, 16:9 display and every conceivable add-on imagin- able, it’s not a netbook. Because most don’t come with a or DVD drive, you will most likely want to burn your image to a USB key (or Nmedia, Fotolia thumb drive). easy Peasy Because I borrowed from the Easy Peasy website for this introduction, it seems only fair that I should start there in my Is that a netbook in your pocket? investigation of netbook distributions. As it turns out, my new netbook came with what Easy Peasy called “that horri- ble ,” and I desperately BOOT UP wanted to something better. First stop on the netbook distribution tour: Give your old Os the boot and try one of these distributions designed Easy Peasy. Easy Peasy recommends that you use specifically for netbooks. BY MARCEL GAGNÉ a little program called to in- stall the distribution image to a USB key (see Figure 1). This program, and the ver on the Easy Peasy website PC. It was particularly exciting for Linux package by the same name, is available [1], it says, “Right a wrong. Why enthusiasts, because it came preinstalled from your repositories, but I rec- Owas your netbook with a specialized version of Linux. With ommend that you download the installer shipped with that horrible operating sys- a 7-inch display, 512MB of RAM, and from the Easy Peasy site. The version in tem? Your netbook is not a typical lap- only 4GB of storage in flash memory, the repositories isn’t as recent and tends , so why should you use a typical op- this ultraportable notebook was a new to create more problems than it solves erating system? Easy Peasy is harder, class of device. These days, what we call (of course, this could change by the better, faster and stronger than what a netbook has certainly pushed the you this). As a prerequisite, you came with your netbook.” boundaries of what you might call ultra- also need the p7zip-full package, I sincerely wish they hadn’t used the portable. you can install as follows: word “harder” in there, but I understand My has a 10-inch the sentiment. Netbooks are different screen, 1GB of RAM, a 160GB hard install p7zip‑full enough from what we call notebooks (or drive, an processor, and a even ) that they call for some- whole lot more. Unlike the 17-inch behe- Windows Bootin’ thing more compact and resource moth I’m writing this article on, my Acer the Unetbootin helper application is friendly than the OS from Redmond. At netbook lets me do things I wouldn’t do also available as a Windows executable, least that’s how it was in the beginning. on my workaday notebook. For one if you find yourself running a Windows The first netbook to get the world’s at- thing, I carry the netbook all over the netbook but have no handy Linux sys- tention in a big way was the Eee house because it’s super- and light. tem floating around.

38 ISSUE 04 Netbook Distros Galore Features

Figure 1: UNetBootin is a little program that a number of netbook dis- Figure 2: As the Easy Peasy ISO is copied to the USB key, the UNet- tributions use to create a bootable USB key. Bootin program keeps you posted on the progress.

To run the downloaded version of the key, and install a (Figure 2). suited to a smaller screen. To the right is program, change its permissions to exe- When the completes, click the your Places menu – mounted sys- cutable and run it with administrator . Do not click the Now tems, external drives, and your home privileges. Depending on your distribu- button unless you downloaded and cre- and media folders are all easily avail- tion and , you can ated the USB key from your netbook. able. either click on the downloaded image To boot from the USB key, you may Looking back to the top left, you’ll see from your file manager or enter the fol- have to go into your netbook’s setup an area labeled Favorites. Likely, it’s lowing at the command line: menu (on mine, I press F2 as it’s boot- empty at the moment, but you can start ing) and change the boot order so that it putting the applications you use on a chmod U looks at the USB key first. Assuming all regular basis here. After all, Easy Peasy +x unetbootin‑eeeubuntu‑linux‑276 this is done, put in the USB key and re- comes with hundreds of programs and sudo ./unetbootin‑eeeubuntu‑linux‑276 boot. The UNetBootin GRUB-like menu dozens of applications. If you’re like me, appears. Select the default option, and you probably use the same handful of To use this program to create a variety of press Enter. Easy Peasy will boot, and applications over and over. Navigate Linux distributions on a USB key, includ- you’ll see the Ubuntu logo appear while through the menus, find what you like, ing Easy Peasy, click the radio button la- it does so. In a few moments, you’ll be right-click, and select Add to Favorites. beled Diskimage, sure ISO is - looking at the Easy Peasy desktop (see Add your , your IM client, lected in the drop-down selector to the Figure 3). your word processor, and whatever else right, then click the … button to select Running down the right-hand side of you need. Don’t forget to add something your ISO image file. In theory, the pro- the screen is your menu of applications fun, like Cheese, a photobooth package, gram should automatically select your organized in categories. These are essen- to take advantage of that built-in web- USB thumb drive (assuming you only tially the same as you are used to if you cam (see Figure 4). have the one USB drive plugged in), but already use Ubuntu. Easy Peasy provides take a moment to verify, then click OK. a collection of applications that are well Kuki Linux The installer will extract the files in suited to a distribution on the go. The Kuki Linux [2] (see Figure 5) is another the ISO image, write them to the USB organization and layout is also ideally Ubuntu-based netbook distribution (ver-

Figure 3: Easy Peasy comes with a number of useful applications well Figure 4: Cheese is a photobooth application with some cool photo suited to a distribution on the go. effects built in. Easy Peasy makes it easy.

Ubuntu User ISSUE 04 39 Features Netbook Distros Galore

Figure 5: Built using the 4.6 manager, Kuki’s interface Figure 6: CrunchBang Linux, winner of the geekiest name prize, opts uses a classic look. for the minimalist look of Openbox. sion 9.04 as I write this) that eschews formation, starting with system details [4], followed by the only non-Ubuntu the idea of an alternative layout for a like , memory use, disk usage, distribution I’ll cover today. To wrap it more lightweight . and so on. Below that is a collection of up, I’ll show you what happens when However, the graphical desktop it uses useful shortcut keys you will no doubt Ubuntu remixes its with our non- more closely resembles the classic task- memorize as time goes on. Most of these Ubuntu distribution. But first, I’ll take a bar with application start button that shortcuts are some combination of the look at the Ubuntu Netbook Remix, many users are familiar with. Created by so-called Super key (the *ahem* Win- based on Ubuntu 9.10. João Ferro, Kuki uses Xfce 4.6 and dows key) and something else. For in- As you can tell from Figure 8, Ubuntu comes with a number of lightweight ap- stance, if you want to start the web Netbook Remix is designed to make plications. Its focus is primarily the Acer browser, press Super and the letter W. Ubuntu users feel right at home with the Aspire One, but that shouldn’t stop you Pressing Super and the letter T brings up classic brown/​ palette. This desk- from running it on other hardware. a terminal (or ) window. To get a top is much like the one you saw with To achieve this minimum footprint full menu of applications, it’s Super and Easy Peasy, only more Ubuntu-ish and goal, Kuki relies not only on the light- the Space bar. somewhat more desktop real estate- weight Xfce window manager, but also A good mix of useful applications are friendly. The places menu that took up on smaller, more nimble applications. chosen not simply for their small foot- the right-hand side has been folded into One example is the web browser, print and performance but also to pro- the Files & Folders menu category to the a surprisingly good and seriously fast vide a balance in terms of general use- left. Favorites comes preloaded with a ACID3-compliant browser. is also fulness. You’ll find , a microb- small handful of programs (e.g., Cheese, provided, in case your hardware is rea- logging client, AbiWord and Gnumeric IM, etc.), including an icon for sonably peppy. Claws is for email, for your word processing and spread- . To add another icon to for , and lots more. sheet needs, Pidgin for instant messag- your Favorites, simply hover over any Questions, suggestions, and kudos for ing, and other smallish FOSS applica- program icon in the various categories, Kuki are welcome in the IRC channel tions. On the other hand, CrunchBang and you’ll see a little plus sign in the top #kukilinux on irc..net. includes for VoIP communication right-hand corner of the highlighted (see Figure 7). Not all applications are icon. Just click that plus sign. CrunchBang tiny either. Included with CrunchBang is Because I made a point of highlighting Winning the prize for possibly the geeki- the vector drawing program, Ubuntu One, I should probably say est name for a netbook distribution, is the and video editors, and so something about the service. Ubuntu CrunchBang [3] (see Figure 6), also on. One is ’s -based storage spelled #! if you thought the name solution. Although you need a Launch- wasn’t sufficiently geeky. This Ubuntu- Ubuntu Netbook Remix pad account to it, Ubuntu One based distribution (9.04, aka Jaunty As you are probably starting to see, net- provides you with storage space in Jackalope) uses the Openbox window books have, if nothing else, forced the manager to provide a minimal window creators of Linux distributions to rethink Security in an manager to go along with this minimal what a desktop should look like and Insecure World distribution. And , you can create how it should deliver applications. I’ve gotten into the habit of carrying one your USB key with the UNetBootin pro- You’ve probably also noticed that all of of these distributions with me on a USB gram. the distributions I’ve shown you (and key to use when I don’t have my own The layout is definitely stark. In fact, it most of the netbook distributions) are netbook (or notebook) handy. It makes opens up in black, as if to make a based on Ubuntu. What I’m going to do me feel more secure in a world domi- point. Down the right-hand side of the now is show you Ubuntu’s own netbook nated by computers running an inferior screen, there is a collection of useful in- distribution, the Ubuntu Netbook Remix operating system.

40 ISSUE 04 Ubuntu User Netbook Distros Galore Features

Figure 7: Applications are chosen on the basis of popular user Figure 8: Ah, the classic brown (orange?) Ubuntu look. Making net- demand. Skype isn’t FOSS, but it’s part of CrunchBang. book users feel right at home.

Ubuntu’s cloud. You can back up your You can then select the location of the ent, with the end result being that the data, your files, and even ISO image, identify your USB key’s main experience is different. Its focus is on the those files and folders with others via partition, click , then click on social and media-rich aspects of modern email invitations. The service offers 2GB Make Startup Disk. mobile computing. We chat, tweet, share of free storage. If that isn’t enough for A progress window will appear with a photos, videos, and otherwise you, you can increase that to 50GB for a percent completion bar keeping you up consume and share media in many paltry US$ 10 per month. In any case, to date on the process. When creation is forms. As such, even some of the basic this is a great service and one that’s par- complete, put the key into your netbook applications, like the web browser, look ticularly interesting for a and reboot. You can either install from and feel different. like your netbook. the boot menu or run it without install- To install or just plain take it Installation of Ubuntu Netbook Remix ing – you can always install it later from for a spin, their website [5] and is a little different from others I’ve men- the main menu; yes, it is one of the Fa- download the latest image. To create tioned. Once you’ve downloaded the vorites. your bootable USB key with Moblin, image for the Ubuntu Netbook Remix, make sure you also download the image- you’ll want to install a little program Moblin creator program, a single Python called -creator (sudo aptitude install The penultimate netbook distribution I that simplifies the whole creation pro- usb‑creator). This package comes with want to look at is Moblin. Moblin [5], cess. two versions of the program: usb-creator- created by Intel (and hosted by the When you’ve downloaded image- and usb-creator-. Select the one ), is designed for a va- writer, change its permission to make it for your preferred desktop environment. riety of mobile devices (aka executable, then call it from the com- Figure 9 shows the Gtk version of the MIDs) based on the Atom processor. mand line using sudo (the script needs program. Your USB key should be That said, your netbook is the prime en- administrator privileges). The only thing plugged in, at which point the usb-cre- vironment for this unusual distribution. you need to is the path to the Mob- ator program will automatically detect it. I use the word “unusual” because of all lin image you downloaded: the netbook distributions I looked at, Moblin is the standout in terms of out- chmod +x image‑writer right looks. The look and feel of the sudo ./image‑writer U desktop environment is entirely differ- moblin‑2.1‑final‑20091103‑002.

Listing 1: You Have Been Warned! 01 Warning: The USB drive (/dev/sdb) will be completely erased!

02  Do you want to continue anyway? (y/n) y

03 : /home/mgagne/Downloads/moblin‑2.1‑final‑20091103‑002.img

04 Size: 754 MB

05 Destination: /dev/sdb

06 Writing image (Est. 2min 30sec)... 100%

07 193024+0 records in

08 193024+0 records out

09 790626304 bytes (791 MB) copied, 69.8089 s, 11.3 MB/s

Figure 9: This is the Gtk version of the usb- 10  creator program used to create an Ubuntu 11 The image was successfully written to the USB drive Netbook Remix USB key. 12 You may now boot your mobile device with this USB drive

Ubuntu User ISSUE 04 41 Features Netbook Distros Galore

Figure 10: Image files (as opposed to ISO images) can use a tool like Ubuntu ImageWriter.

You’ll see a warning about erasing po- dynamic start Figure 11: Moblin is, by far, the most interesting and innovative of the tentially valuable data and be asked that remem- netbook distributions. whether you want to continue (Listing bers what you 1). If you choose y, the program will pro- were doing, what you were listening to, fine for your netbook, this image is not a vide you with feedback as the USB key is and where you were surfing. It also “try Live and install later” distribution created. shows you updates from your Twitter or but an auto-installer. If you feel really Alternatively, you can install the Last.fm feed on the right, and it lets you and you’ like to see where the fu- graphical ImageWriter tool (Figure 10). know whether you have appointments ture of Ubuntu on netbooks might be You’ll need to install the usb-imagewriter or to- in your calendar. At the bottom going, then check it out. For those with a package (sudo aptitude install usb‑im- of the left-hand pane, there’s a small set little more patience, or might not be agewriter) and run it with administrator of icons. These are, you guessed it, your quite as adventurous, there’s an Ubuntu privileges (sudo imagewriter). Once the Favorites. project working to remix Ubuntu Karmic program starts, click on the Write Image Along the top, you’ll find a menubar Koala with the latest Moblin. button and select the location of your that gives you access to the various func- image file. Then click on the to button to tions that Moblin feels are the most im- Wrapping Up select your USB key. All that’s left is to portant. Myzone is the starting point. To wrap up this exploration of Ubuntu click Write to Device. You’ll be warned Next to that is where you update your on netbooks, I want ot leave you with a that you’re about to overwrite whatever status. After that you have a list of the comment that I hope won’t sound too might have been on the USB key. If people you regularly connect to, fol- much like a warning. Some of the distri- you’re OK with that, then proceed. A lowed by your web browser, access to butions I mentioned (e.g., Easy Peasy) progress bar will keep you updated on media, and so on. Additionally, there’s a were created to support a specific model the process. link to a number of preinstalled applica- of netbook. That doesn’t mean it won’t When the process is complete, plug tions, among which is the Mobin appli- work with your hardware, but there may your USB key into your netbook and re- cation installer. be issues you need to work through if boot. The Moblin boot menu gives you If you want or need the GIMP, F-Spot, you want to use it. the option of from the USB key, , or a number of popular For instance, I found a few distribu- installing, or booting from whatever OS source applications, then look here. To tions that didn’t support my wireless is already on your hard drive. Select the add these and other icons to your Favor- card out of the . However, if I first option to boot directly into Moblin. ites, click the Applications link from the plugged a physical network cable into When you start Moblin, you’ll be look- top menu and mouse over the applica- my , then I could connect, down- ing at what’s referred to as Myzone, a tion you’d like to add. A little pushpin the appropriate driver, and continue icon appears in the top right-hand corner on without issue. Strangely enough, eve- INFO of the selected app. Click, and it’s now a rything I tried supported my webcam [1] easy Peasy: Favorite. without issue. So the news isn’t always http://www.​­ geteasypeasy.​­ com​­ bad. Ubuntu Moblin Remix Explore. Have some fun. Until next [2] Kuki Linux: http://www.​­ kuki.​­ me​­ If you enjoy the Moblin experience, but time … . n [3] Crunch Bang Linux: you’d like a shot of Ubuntu with that http://crunchbanglinux.​­ org​­ distribution, sells its Mini 10v with Marcel’s an award-winning colum- [4] Ubuntu Netbook Remix: Ubuntu Moblin Remix Developer Edition nist, book author, public speaker, http://​­www.​­ubuntu.​­com/​­getubuntu/​ [6]. Dell cautions that this device is “ex- radio and personality, and ­download‑netbook clusively for Linux enthusiasts, develop- a well-known voice in the Linux and [5] Moblin: http://moblin.​­ org​­ ers, and early adopters.” You can down- universe. He’s also a published science fiction author and [6] Ubuntu Moblin Netbook Remix: load a copy of the image file and install http://​­www.​­ubuntu.​­com/​­getubuntu/​ editor and a private pilot, and he was

it using Ubuntu Imagewriter, but be fore- AUTHOR THE ­download‑netbook once a Top 40 disc jockey. warned that although it might work just

42 ISSUE 04 Ubuntu User