Upgraded the OS on my home computers recently after getting tired of the limitations of the old versions.

Asus EEE 901:
The original Xandros was OK I suppose for an attempt at a mass-market OS, once one figured out how to run a terminal and use it properly! It’s main limitation was the backup/restore system which froze the original OS files on the 4GB OS SSD, even after software upgrades were installed, resulting in the OS partition soon becoming full. This not only prevented further updates but caused some system stability issues. Also, it seems as if Asus has gone off Linux on netbooks. Time to move on.

New choice is Eeebuntu. I went for base 3.0 and it is excellent. The good:

  • Proper linux interface
  • More sensible OS disk management means I have more software installed and still reasonable space left
  • Most things Just Worked, including Wifi, Vodaphone 3G broadband and Skype (but see below).
  • Wider range of software available? Certainly seems easier to find and install things, e.g. banshee.

Minor hassles:

  • The install didn’t notice the 16GB user SSD, which I didn’t want to touch during the update, hence Eeebuntu set up a new user account on the 4GB OS SSD. Some work required to mount the 16GB SSD and shuffle files around, but all working OK now. Perhaps I missed something during the install process?
  • Camera didn’t work in Skype. Must be enabled in the BIOS for Eeebuntu (so how did it work under Xandros? Never mind).
  • Boot time seems slower than Xandros, but still very fast.

Dell laptop:
I’ve used SuSE for many years at work and at home. Installed openSuSE 11.1 on the new desktop, but to be honest I’ve used Vista on that a lot more[1]. It is only with upgrading my laptop from openSuSE 10.3 to 11.1 that I have fully appreciated how much better it is. The good:

  • NetworkManager 0.7.0 is a vast improvement. Previously I had a lot of trouble connecting to Wifi points. The newer version is better for managing different wired configurations as well. Must try the 3G broadband. That never worked under 10.3.
  • zypper used to cripple the system at login. Never could understand why an online update program would want to do so much work before there was a functioning internet connection. Now updates happen properly (i.e. are suggested to me to approve) with much less overhead and fuss.
  • Banshee was the last straw that made me update from SuSE 10.3. New version (1.4.0) in Suse 11.1 is much better at importing CDs[2] and is also quite a decent video player. Still don’t like Amarok at all.

The not so good:

  • Firefox3.0 is slow, and acroread 8 is glacial. They need a lot of performance optimisation.
  • Sound quality and volume control are not as good in smplayer and banshee. It seems a lot more difficult than it was to get the volume consistent across different files, and to get some files loud enough without losing quality.

Overall though, very happy with the updates.

[1] For those critical physics simulation applications (Call of Duty 4, Crysis, …).
[2] It’s always a pain when it reports the new CD as Unknown Album from Unknown Artist[3], but at least some thought has gone into improving the efficiency of inputting the meta data by hand. Can’t find an easy way to send this data back to their repository though, even just as a suggestion for someone to check.
[3] Currently loading All the Ghosts by Gwyneth Herbert, 12 hours after the album launch gig. Come on internet, do try to keep up! :-)