After the problems I experienced running Windows 7RC and Ubuntu Remix on my LG X110 netbook computer, I looked around for alternatives.
(7RC runs painfully slowly with ReadyBoost, while Remix suffers from frequent wireless disconnects -- a reported bug, and then I lost most menu items.)
I found two alternatives, and first tried Linux Mint. And I like it! It is based on Ubuntu, and so will be completely familiar to Ubuntu users. Mint, however, has its user experience tweaked, and so it feels really nice to use. It looks really nice from the fonts and colors that are used). More importantly, it works correctly. It is a pleasure to use.
It does not suffer from the wireless disconnect problem plaguing Remix.
It works quickly. Heck, it should, because the minimum RAM requirement is 256MB, and my netbook as 4x as much.
It has a good interface for easily installing additional software, including crucial-to-me software like Picasa 3, the Opera Web browser, and Adobe Reader 9. (It comes with FireFox 3 and OpenOffice 3, among the other software that I need.)
The only problem I experienced was the "full" partition, and I describe the solution in the previous post. And it would be nice if Mint booted faster, like Presto's 35 seconds. But a one-minute startup is still 3x faster than Windows 7.
- - -
So I now have a wonderful/okay dual-boot solution on my netbook computer:
- I normally boot into Linux Mint for my everyday on-the-go computing: Web browsing, writing, processing photos from my camera, and so on.
- When I need to wade through Windows-restricted software, such as AutoCAD or PageMaker, then I can boot up 7RC.
The difference? Windows comes from a global corporation with an R&D budget in the billions; Linux Mint operates on monthly donations of around $2,500. (upFront.eZine sent in its donation last night.)
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