Mini 12: 8.02 Dell/Canonical, 9.04 remix or 9.04 desktop?

[michael37]

Hi, I got my new Mini 12. Great computer, very similar to my old trusty and now semi-retired Inspiron 700m, yet better in many ways.

It came pre-installed with Dell/Canonical lpia flavor of Hardy. The original version, dated about February 2009 was simply unusable. I am not surprised so many users reported trouble.

I ran several updates and I am seeing very significant improvements. The key one is version 0.3 xserver-xorg-video-psb which makes graphics tolerable. I would definitely qualify it as usable. I also read about 9.04 problems with Mini 12's GMA 500 graphics adapter so I am a bit apprehensive trying that version.

Question to the audience: which version of Ubuntu should I be running on this computer? Keep in mind that 12" screen with 1280x800 resolution isn't that small and the Atom dual-core CPU is probably faster than old 1.5 GHz Centrino in Inspiron 700m which, in turn, ran desktop version quite successfully.

[shiningkenmonster]

yeah, the GMA 500 graphics is a bitch to deal with.

you are better off sticking with the preinstalled Ubuntu from Dell.

and wait until Ubuntu 9.10 or 10.04 comes out. hopefully by than they will have support for GMA 500.

[michael37]

Notes to myself and everyone else in this (much shorter thread than the "mother of them all" five-months long one).

Why GMA 500 aka Poulsbo graphis WAS a problem (Attention: this info is outdated): Intel GMA 500 (Poulsbo) graphics on Linux: a precise and comprehensive summary as to why you’re screwed (http://http://www.happyassassin.net/2009/01/30/intel-gma-500-poulsbo-graphics-on-linux-a-precise-and-comprehensive-summary-as-to-why-youre-screwed/)

Why it isn't a problem anymore (at least not a huge one):
How to install Ubuntu 9.04 on a Dell Mini 12 (http://www.tipsandthoughts.com/?p=4)

[tyroeternal]

The answer to your question depends greatly on what you want to use it for.

Dellbuntu Hardy is a good choice for those who want a stable system out of the box with video drivers that are okay. If you must have the latest version of [insert application here], then upgrade to Jaunty. Beware, video drivers are not up to par, but you will have the resolution you like (that is about the limit to it). As to the choice of lpia vs i386... that seems to be up for debate. If you want a better supported arch, pick i386. Lpia is rumored to have benefits, but I have not seen anyone give solid benchmarks indicating any significant gains.

Odds are, if you are willing to blow your system away to re-install than it would be just as useful to test two or maybe all three solutions out for yourself to see what feel you like the most.

[tweston]

The remix was the only distribution which worked for me from a USB flash drive. (the Dell 9.04 DVD iso would not boot via USB flasd drive on the Mini 12 - although it did on my MSI wind!)

Any way the 9.04 remix runs great on the Mini 12, provided that you
(1) turn off maximus daemon (system -> preferences -> startup programs)
(2) revert to classic desktop (system -> preferences -> switch desktop)
(3) install support for the Intel Poulsbo grahic chip, see here:
http://www.tipsandthoughts.com/?p=4

[tyroeternal]

After some trial and error I've settled on the lpia-alternate version of Jaunty. Having the small battery makes me want that extra 10 to 20 minutes of life it seems to get this way.

[michael37]

Thanks to all who responded.

After some considerations, I decided to stick with Dellbuntu lpia flavor. I like the LTS support. Out-of-box working acrobat reader and flash 10 is nice to have. I installed openoffice 3.1 from the ppa repositories and a number of packages from medibuntu. Both provided solid hardy lpia versions.

It's just simply that I don't have a strong reason to upgrade to jaunty (which I run on my 15" Core 2 Duo notebook).

[imaginarythomas]

I just loaded up the 9.04 remix with tweston's little checklist and it works even better than the included software! I'd recommend this to any mini owners.

This also gives you a chance to set up an XP dual boot for any games that will not run correctly in wine.

[pada]

can you provide a link to "tweston's little checklist" ?

No reply needed sorry I found it upper

And it seems that 3D is available with a new driver since 2009-07-13 !

But unfortunatly there is a pb with kernels:
initially after install it is 2.6.28-11-generic
and after update it is 2.6.28-14-generic
And the driver available 2009-08-10 does not work with these 2 kernels
may be 2.6.28-13-generic is needed