Saturday, April 25, 2009

Ubuntu 9.04

This week ubuntu 9.04 (jaunty jackalope) has been released and I can say with certainty that it is the best version of Ubuntu so far. This time, instead of upgrading my current installation I decided to go re-install from the beginning. Something that I like from Linux is that all your data is in your home directory, making easier to backup and restore. (Tip, if you care about configuration information saved in hidden folder, you will need to use the command prompt).

After backing up my Acer 5315-2153, I place the live cd in the cd-rom and there we went. The installation was a breeze, I went with an standard installation, except for 2 items: I use ext4 instead of the default ext3 (ext4 is faster) and use a different keyboard configuration. It worked without a flaw, all hardware was supported and ready to be used (including my bluetooth mouse!).

It was a great experience, so good that I decided to replace the Asus Xandros Linux in my eee pc 1000 for Ubuntu Netbook Remix.

The experience was just as great as with the full desktop except for the following:

1. UNR can't turnon or off the web cam or bluetooth, you have to do it by using the BIOS.
2. Not all hotkeys are supported.

After some digging I found this neat software that allows me to control the web cam and bluetooth (plus a couple of extra utilities, including the hotkeys):

http://greg.geekmind.org/eee-control/


I am planning to do the same on my wife's eee pc 900, I expect an easier ride since it is an older model but I'll post about it!

One quick note: the 1000 has 2 SSD, once speedy the other not so much, I partition both with ext4 and mounted "/" in the 8gb and "/home" in the 32gb. I left some 2gb in the 32gb for swap space, the rest for "/home".