If you're one of the lucky few who managed to get an Eee PC ahead of the Xmas rush, I'm sure you've thought about replacing the rather basic operating system with something a bit gruntier. Well, how about something gutsier?
Dedicated Eee PC owners have produced a customised version of Xubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon', the lightweight desktop Linux release based on Ubuntu (which, in turn, is built on Debian). Featuring full support for the Eee PC hardware with no post-installation configuration to worry about, the new release also handles the fairly low resolution screen better than a standard Linux distribution would.
Dubbed eeeXubuntu, the most important change the distribution has from the standard Xubuntu install is a tweak to reduce the number of writes made to the irreplaceable solid-state storage device inside the Eee, which has a limited lifespan.
Available, as is the tradition for desktop Ubuntu derivatives, as a Live CD which allows users to try it out before committing to install it, the operating system can be installed to either the internal SSD or to an external flash drive.
While replacing one Linux variant with another isn't as impressive as installing MacOS it is perhaps slightly more usable. As an Ubuntu user myself I certainly wouldn't sniff at an ultraportable replacement for my ageing 500MHz laptop.
Links to the ISO for the Live CD are available on the eeeXubuntu homepage, or a Torrent is available if you want to give their servers a breather.
Anyone out there with an Eee PC that they haven't modded into a toaster willing to test-drive eeeXubuntu? Let us know how you get on via the forums.
Dedicated Eee PC owners have produced a customised version of Xubuntu 7.10 'Gutsy Gibbon', the lightweight desktop Linux release based on Ubuntu (which, in turn, is built on Debian). Featuring full support for the Eee PC hardware with no post-installation configuration to worry about, the new release also handles the fairly low resolution screen better than a standard Linux distribution would.
Dubbed eeeXubuntu, the most important change the distribution has from the standard Xubuntu install is a tweak to reduce the number of writes made to the irreplaceable solid-state storage device inside the Eee, which has a limited lifespan.
Available, as is the tradition for desktop Ubuntu derivatives, as a Live CD which allows users to try it out before committing to install it, the operating system can be installed to either the internal SSD or to an external flash drive.
While replacing one Linux variant with another isn't as impressive as installing MacOS it is perhaps slightly more usable. As an Ubuntu user myself I certainly wouldn't sniff at an ultraportable replacement for my ageing 500MHz laptop.
Links to the ISO for the Live CD are available on the eeeXubuntu homepage, or a Torrent is available if you want to give their servers a breather.
Anyone out there with an Eee PC that they haven't modded into a toaster willing to test-drive eeeXubuntu? Let us know how you get on via the forums.
RELATED ARTICLES
MSI MPG Velox 100R Chassis Review
October 14 2021 | 15:04
Want to comment? Please log in.