HP releases new netbook interface

[guriman]

Hewlett Packard has released a custom version of Ubuntu Linux designed for netbooks. For the HP Mini 1000 Mi Edition (http://www.hp.com/united-states/campaigns/mini1000/hpmini1000_mie.html), to be exact. Under the hood, the operating system is based on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. That means it can run pretty much any application that runs on Ubuntu including OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird and Pidgin. In fact, it comes preloaded with all of those applications plus a few more. It’s also fairly easy to install other Linux staples like image editor GIMP.

http://www.blogcdn.com/www.downloadsquad.com/media/2009/02/hp-mi-home-screen.jpg

But what makes the Mi Edition software stand out is the graphical user interface which looks nothing like Ubuntu or even Ubuntu Netbook Remix. When you first boot up the Mi Edition software you’re greeted with a screen with a web search engine, a list of favorite web sites, and shortcuts to your music and photos. If you click the Start New Program button, a program launcher will open that separates your applications into Internet, Media, Utilities, Work, Play, and All tabs. The settings manager shows you everything you’d find in the typical Ubuntu settings screens, but it’s arranged in a new way that makes it easier to find what you’re looking for with fewer clicks.

[crimesaucer]

"..... Under the hood, the operating system is based on Ubuntu 8.04 Hardy Heron. That means it can run pretty much any application that runs on Ubuntu including OpenOffice.org, Firefox, Thunderbird, Sunbird and Pidgin....."


Every application except for the Terminal..... lame.

[bash]

Every application except for the Terminal..... lame.

Well this (http://www.liliputing.com/2009/01/hp-mini-1000-mi-edition-photo-gallery.html/hp-mini-mi-terminal) shouldn't work then, right?

[Benzaa]

I recently tried this new feature on a brand new hp computer. The one with the touch screen.

It was slow and non responsive, even though it had 4 gb in ram and a dual core processor.

It is a nice try, but still needs some work.

[crimesaucer]

Well this (http://www.liliputing.com/2009/01/hp-mini-1000-mi-edition-photo-gallery.html/hp-mini-mi-terminal) shouldn't work then, right?

Only if you change the default configuration or install a different distro: http://digg.com/linux_unix/Linux_based_HP_Mini_Mi_ships_with_command_line_dis abled

[mikewhatever]

Every application except for the Terminal..... lame.

If you look at the posted picture, and concentrate on the three square buttons at the bottom, and then look very hard at the rightmost one, then, may you gain your satisfaction.

[chucky chuckaluck]

But what makes the Mi Edition software stand out is the graphical user interface which looks nothing like Ubuntu or even Ubuntu Netbook Remix. When you first boot up the Mi Edition software you’re greeted with a screen with a web search engine, a list of favorite web sites, and shortcuts to your music and photos. If you click the Start New Program button, a program launcher will open that separates your applications into Internet, Media, Utilities, Work, Play, and All tabs. The settings manager shows you everything you’d find in the typical Ubuntu settings screens, but it’s arranged in a new way that makes it easier to find what you’re looking for with fewer clicks.

ever thought of writing commercials? it does look nice, though. looks like it stole from some of the darker mac themes.

[Icehuck]

Every application except for the Terminal..... lame.

Is this sarcasm? The picture he attached has the terminal sitting next the Start button that is highlighted.

[KiwiNZ]

The disabling of the command line makes sense for this model. Its designed for the general public usage not enthusiast usage.

Easily lived with out

[crimesaucer]

If you look at the posted picture, and concentrate on the three square buttons at the bottom, and then look very hard at the rightmost one, then, may you gain your satisfaction.

I did look at the picture..... and I also googled it: http://www.google.com/search?q=hp-mini-mi+command+line+disabled&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:unofficial&client=firefox-a



and that one picture is the ONLY site that has command line working in the HP mini-me from about 100 different posts..... then if you dig further and read the forums from that same site you will see it takes some configuration that it is not shipped with for certain commands and virtual consoles: http://myhpmini.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10


*snip* I was only saying what digg.com and every other tech site has said about the HP mini since it was introduced..... then after reading that site and the related forums it's obvious that there are ways to configure the virtual consoles to work and other ways to enable the commands that HP ships it with as "DISABLED".



If you look at the posted picture, and concentrate on the three square buttons at the bottom, and then look very hard at the rightmost one, then, may you gain your satisfaction.


No. It is not sarcasm..... This is how HP originally announced it's interface as having the "command line disabled"...... I guess it has changed since the last time I read about this "mini-me".


Did you read the digg.com article? Or every other post on google?


Gee..... I'm sorry I offended your mini-me.... but when this was announced a month ago it was announce all over the web as "having the command line interface disabled" for people that were scared of Linux and the command line interface.... and pardon me for not looking at the terminal launcher before making my comment.....


whatever dude.

[crimesaucer]

This forum had some interesting perspective of how people are enjoying the HP-min-mi: http://myhpmini.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=10

[KiwiNZ]

Lets keep it calm

[crimesaucer]

Lets keep it calm

Maybe I should of left my original post as it was when I had said "virtual consoles and command line interface" instead of terminal (which I did not see in the picture).


My apologizes to the world.....


and after further research it's pretty simple to just "run program" to get a terminal: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1045239


But again, if you don't own one of these computers..... or if you don't research every detail about it then you might just believe what every article in the RSS news feeder has said about this computer over the last month..... again, my bad..... sorry to offend.

[mikewhatever]

...
But again, if you don't own one of these computers..... or if you don't research every detail about it then you might just believe what every article in the RSS news feeder has said about this computer over the last month..... again, my bad..... sorry to offend.

Quite true. The reliability of the internet in this case has turned out to be pretty lame. I dare say many still think mini mie has the Terminal disabled. Here is a link to the thread, where I asked an owner of a mini the Terminal question. (post#9)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1042198&highlight=mini+mie

It is also evident that HP had a rough start with marketing the new product. First, their spokesman claimed about the disabled Terminal, then there was a Windows logo next to the Linux based OS, and last, they offered MS Works for productivity software.

[crimesaucer]

Quite true. The reliability of the internet in this case has turned out to be pretty lame. I dare say many still think mini mie has the Terminal disabled. Here is a link to the thread, where I asked an owner of a mini the Terminal question. (post#9)
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1042198&highlight=mini+mie

It is also evident that HP had a rough start with marketing the new product. First, their spokesman claimed about the disabled Terminal, then there was a Windows logo next to the Linux based OS, and last, they offered MS Works for productivity software.


You know..... I usually never answer a post like I did with my first "lame" comment.....


I wish I had just linked that "digg.com page", and then I would of just been corrected with some info that I hadn't discovered yet on my own.


I'm still wondering it the tty1 - tty6 virtual consoles work for when the xserver breaks or needs to be off to configure something.


I find myself using the virtual tty1 console a lot when installing the newest NVIDIA beta drivers from the official site.

[bash]

You know..... I usually never answer a post like I did with my first "lame" comment.....


I wish I had just linked that "digg.com page", and then I would of just been corrected with some info that I hadn't discovered yet on my own.


I'm still wondering it the tty1 - tty6 virtual consoles work for when the xserver breaks or needs to be off to configure something.


I find myself using the virtual tty1 console a lot when installing the newest NVIDIA beta drivers from the official site.

I assuemed you meant the normal GUI gnome/kde/xfce/... terminal with saying "terminal". And that according to different sources that seems to pretty easy to come by using ALT + F2.

But they disabled tty* completly? At least thats how you post sounds. Or can you enable it later again? Wondering, as I'm contemplating of getting a HP Mini myself within the next time ;)

[Mohamedzv2]

That's a hot interface. I want it with my system lol

[crimesaucer]

I assuemed you meant the normal GUI gnome/kde/xfce/... terminal with saying "terminal". And that according to different sources that seems to pretty easy to come by using ALT + F2.

Yeah, I realized this after researching a bit..... I guess I shouldn't of made that first comment..... and I shouldn't of said "terminal" when I was really meaning CLI like all of the FUD I had read from my RSS news feeder had said..... I had been under the impression that the "Alt + f2" didn't even work in this HP-mini-mi nor the gnome terminal..... I was wrong about both.



But they disabled tty* completly? At least thats how you post sounds. Or can you enable it later again? Wondering, as I'm contemplating of getting a HP Mini myself within the next time ;)

I am still wondering this myself. I have no idea if the virtual tty1 - tty6 screens work in this HP Linux-OS..... and I also wonder if you can run that HP-mini-mi with no gui from the virtual consoles, or ditch the gui and install xfce4 or openbox..... I am not sure at how they handle the tty1 - tty6 console screens or different DE's..... so I'm not implying that any of these don't work..... I'm just wondering if they DO work like other normal Linux installs?



Again, my bad for getting all on the defensive..... Now I realize that a lot of the posts about this HP (like digg.com) were sort of FUD..... or maybe the posts just made it sound worse than it is...... The funny thing is that the first time I heard about this HP having the "Command Line Disabled" I thought to myself that there probably was an easy setting somewhere to enable CLI, and if it didn't come installed with a terminal that it should be easy to add one through synaptic..... and if the tty screens were disabled that a simple edit of a conf file in /etc/inittab or elsewhere would probably fix it......


I also thought the HP mini-mi with a light install of Arch and xfce4 would be cool.