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mamamia88
June 29th, 2010, 04:36 PM
I seem to here people say stuff like "don't waste your money on a netbook". but after using mine for around a year I would never go back to a fullsize laptop. It does everything I want from a laptop, has great battery life, and I can carry it on my pinky. So why all the hate for netbooks?

ELD
June 29th, 2010, 04:38 PM
I am personally a little torn on the matter.

While my netbook has it's uses the 10" screen is a little small to do anything really worthwhile, i got a 15.6" one and returned it as it is too big.

I think 12-13" would be perfect and i plan to get one that size.

snowpine
June 29th, 2010, 04:41 PM
I think you will find there are many satisfied netbook users on these forums. :)

dragos240
June 29th, 2010, 04:42 PM
I use my netbook all the time. It's fine! It has a 9 inch screen, it's nice.

lykwydchykyn
June 29th, 2010, 04:45 PM
People hate on all kinds of perfectly good things. You just don't notice it until it's something you actually like.

sydbat
June 29th, 2010, 04:46 PM
People hate on all kinds of perfectly good things. You just don't notice it until it's something you actually like.Yup.

/Thread.

ubunterooster
June 29th, 2010, 04:48 PM
On one hand I dislike the lack of power, small screen and lack of customisability; on the other a Archos 5 Tablet is on my list to get.

McRat
June 29th, 2010, 04:48 PM
It depends on what you use a computer for. I have one and I love it for doing certain tasks like reprogramming engine computers in the car/truck.

But I can't do CAD at all, spreadsheets are very clumsy, etc. The screen and keyboard aren't big enough. The hardware will do it though. A netbook today is more powerful than a desktop was 10 years ago.

I think 13-15" is about the "right" size for a portable computer. 17" is a PITA, and 10" is a PITA as well. Remember that a 14" monitor was the norm on desktops for decades.

RiceMonster
June 29th, 2010, 05:02 PM
I don't "hate on them" but I dislike them, because I find them very akward to use at such a small size, and I find my laptop to be portable enough as it is.

aysiu
June 29th, 2010, 05:59 PM
As long as you don't do anything graphics-intensive on your computer or something that requires a big screen, netbooks are great, and probably the best value for your money.

It's really just about finding the right tool for the job... or your lifestyle. Are you someone who travels a lot and mainly surfs the web and checks email? A netbook's probably for you. Are you someone who plays graphics-intensive games and does 3D modeling on your computer? A netbook's probably not for you.

eltonw
June 29th, 2010, 06:01 PM
I'm using an Asus EEE 1000 PC which has a 40 Gb SSD. I think people's dislike of netbooks relates mainly to screen and HD capacity. This 10" screen supports only 1024 x 600, but I can and do connect it to my 32" LCD / HDTV at much higher resolutions. :popcorn:

WRT the lack of HD capacity, this is easily solved with external storage: memory stick, SD card, external HD.

.... just my two cents...:p

Dragonbite
June 29th, 2010, 07:06 PM
My primary laptop is a 12" older laptop, not a netbook. Most netbooks have longer battery life and are as or more powerful, in exchange for those 2" of screen real estate.

The smaller size is beneficial for portability, which I could use in a few different situations.

For development, code, graphics, etc., I hook it up to an external monitor which makes a big difference.

I think the best combination would be if there were a docking station to ease connecting it to power, monitor, mouse, keyboard, external CD/DVD, etc. Right now I plug in the monitor, power and usb hub which works.

So netbooks really come down to your needs and priorities.

blur xc
June 29th, 2010, 07:15 PM
I once was a netbook hater and even posted a thread on these very forums asking what the point of a netbook was- I just didn't get it... But my wife wanted one for Christmas last year, and after having it for a while I've come to love the little device... While I still use the desktop for RAW photo developing, editing videos, listening to music, etc., the netbook is very convenient for couch web browsing.

Only gripe- only 600 horizontal lines of resolution...even w/ my giant ape hands I can still manage to type on it pretty well.

BM

lykwydchykyn
June 29th, 2010, 08:38 PM
I've been coveting a netbook for a while, but I haven't had the funds to get one. I was hoping with the iPad becoming trendy and competition from the cheapo ARM netbooks that I could get my hand on an x86 netbook for under $100 US, but so far no luck.

kerry_s
June 29th, 2010, 09:53 PM
i liked mine for the 1 day i had it. mom quickly snagged it from me. it was a hp 210-1010nr that i spotted on sale for $260.
it had windows 7 starter, it sucked cause it is really not made for small screens, i had issues with trying to disable messenger cause the apply button is off screen, there were other things to.
anyways i didn't even get a chance to try ubuntu on it cause i didn't have a usb flash ready. :mad:

funny thing is, i'm starting to notice a pattern here, when i got my first nettop, dads computer broke & he quickly snagged that from me. as soon as mom found out i got the netbook, her laptop breaks & so the good son i am, i give up the netbook.

ohh well, the next 1's all mine.

endotherm
June 29th, 2010, 09:59 PM
I love my netbook, but it is an appliance not a PC. since I have 6 PC's its not a problem for me, but i never suggest anyone get a netbook as a primary machine. just the poor typing alone is enough.
my netbook is a highly customized HP Mini 311 speced up to the max, so it cost me about 600$ but it doesn't perform better than my 300$ ubuntu media box (usually worse). it's just portable, thats all.

pr0t3g3
June 29th, 2010, 10:06 PM
To be blunt? The people you see 'hating' on netbooks, are probably hardcore gamers; Netbooks are perfect light processors, and not meant for such things. It's like buying a little car to drag a trailer. There is no reason to hate a netbook, as they are perfect for the light things i.e. word process and small webpage making. If you do light things, grab a netbook... if you do heavy stuff, avoid them like the plague.

Ric_NYC
June 29th, 2010, 11:57 PM
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/1223/netbook.png

NormanFLinux
June 30th, 2010, 12:15 AM
When Asus launched the now famous EEEPC, it set off a worldwide craze. Before that, mini laptops had high prices with equally upscale features. Asus found a way to pack a modest processor in a small case for a more affordable price. And people weren't put off because the netbook could do 90% of what they wanted on the full size notebooks they were using. A netbook is fine for Internet surfing, e-mailing and light word processing work, which is most people do anyway when they turn on their desktop machine. And you can go anywhere with it. So what is not to like about it? I happen to have three of them!

NightwishFan
June 30th, 2010, 12:16 AM
I agree. Probably gamers or anyone that got a system with Windows Vista Starter Edition. I do not blame them for the latter but I do for the former. Gaming is fun but overrated and I find it hard to agree or associate with hardcore gamers.

As for netbooks, honestly I could make due with one. I have always wanted a more general purpose machine though, and something that is decent in virtualization, so laptop it was.

NormanFLinux
June 30th, 2010, 12:19 AM
Consider it an adjunct to the notebook you're now using. Different tools for different uses.

formaldehyde_spoon
June 30th, 2010, 01:41 AM
I haven't noticed many people saying they hate netbooks...

There's nothing better for portable computing, IMHO. I used to have an 11.6'' Toshiba that I bought with the intention of carrying around with me, but the short battery life and the size and weight meant that I almost never did.

Now I have an Eee 1005PE and it's fantastic. 12+hrs continuous usage from the battery; I charge it overnight and carry it around all day.
The only thing I don't like about it is that it's x86 based instead of ARM, and has a 250GB hard drive instead of an SSD.

Old_Grey_Wolf
June 30th, 2010, 02:08 AM
I don't know that anyone hates the netbook unless they chose to use it without understanding their needs. If they thought it was equavalent to a desktop or laptop then they did so in ignorance.

We have choices of desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablets, smart phones, and whatever is offered in the future. I don't want to pay for each of the computing choices available. I have to look at the options to determine what works best for me.

FuturePilot
June 30th, 2010, 02:14 AM
Because people buy them for the wrong reason. They think they'll be a high end laptop only small and then complain when they can't play their games on it. If you want something powerful a netbook is not for you. Don't expect too much power out of a netbook and you'll be happy with it. I bought my netbook knowing full well that it was not a powerful computer and I don't try to do things like encode 1080p videos on it, and I'm very happy with it.

JDShu
June 30th, 2010, 02:25 AM
I agree. Probably gamers or anyone that got a system with Windows Vista Starter Edition. I do not blame them for the latter but I do for the former. Gaming is fun but overrated and I find it hard to agree or associate with hardcore gamers.


My sister got one of those for a present. Why do OEMS do this??? The thing took hours to start up. I had to make a liveUSB and install Ubuntu on it to make it useable at all.

NightwishFan
June 30th, 2010, 02:47 AM
It also has other restrictions. Needless ones.


Windows Vista Starter
Much like its predecessor, Windows XP Starter Edition, this edition sells in 139 countries such as Russia, Brazil, People's Republic of China, Nepal, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, and Thailand. Microsoft does not make it available in developed technology markets such as the United States, Canada, the European Union, Australia, New Zealand or Japan (although users can install a 30 day trial-version from the 32-bit DVD).[4][5] Vista Starter has significant limitations, such as allowing a maximum of three applications with a user interface at once, not accepting incoming network connections, a watermark in the corner of the screen, and a physical memory limit of 1*GB. Unlike other editions, a 64-bit version of Starter Edition has not been released.[6] It supports AMD's Athlon XP, Duron, Sempron and Geode processors, and Intel's Celeron, Pentium III processors and certain models of Pentium 4. The usable portion of the hard disk has a limit of 250 GB. Starter Edition comes with some locale-specific desktop wallpapers not found in other editions of Vista.

I live in the USA and I know someone who has a 'starter' one. Probably of Windows 7 though.

CharlesA
June 30th, 2010, 02:49 AM
The thing that sucked about the netbook I got was that it came with 1GB of RAM and Windows 7 Starter. It's now got 2GB of RAM and Win7 Pro. I've got BT4 running on it as well as Lucid without much problems.

The screen is a bit small, but it makes it portable. :)

Primefalcon
June 30th, 2010, 03:41 AM
Netbooks == Awesome

witeshark17
June 30th, 2010, 04:12 AM
My sister has one and loves it. It does what she needs it to. But I prefer the power and display of a full laptop myself. :guitar:

3rdalbum
June 30th, 2010, 04:24 AM
I hate notebooks. Too big, too heavy, and STILL too slow for use as a main computer.

Netbooks are portable enough and have enough power for web surfing and stuff. Although not if you load them up with antivirus and Windows 7.

smellyman
June 30th, 2010, 04:26 AM
I see their use and are great little machines, but for my poor eyes they are just way too small.

Johnsie
June 30th, 2010, 12:39 PM
The only people I know who hate netbooks are people who don't have one... Most people who have them love them. 10" screen is the bare mimumum though and its always important to test the volume of the speakers before puchasing.


Some jobs that require a little more power should be done on a desktop though.

gnomeuser
June 30th, 2010, 01:03 PM
I really like mine, though I wish the battery lasted a bit longer. Also I am favoring a small SSD over the HDD that is installed in it. I want no moving parts, small, portable, silent and cool. It has plenty of power for the tasks I do on the go.

However lately I find myself using my phone more for many former netbook tasks. It still can't take the place of a proper netbook for writing but much of the communications and light browsing works very well.

I am looking forward to the return to the netbook roots, slimming the feature set and providing a proper specialized Linux OS experience. MeeGo and Unity look promising here.

RiceMonster
June 30th, 2010, 01:29 PM
The only people I know who hate netbooks are people who don't have one.

Well why would you buy something you hate? "That looks stupid, I think I'll buy it!"

gnomeuser
June 30th, 2010, 01:33 PM
Well why would you buy something you hate? "That looks stupid, I think I'll buy it!"

The normal reasons include guns, explosives and/or a blender and YouTube.

KegHead
June 30th, 2010, 02:04 PM
Hi!

My Dell mini 9 got me started on Ubuntu.

It meets my needs and enlightened me to others os's.

KegHead

Dragonbite
June 30th, 2010, 02:51 PM
Hi!

My Dell mini 9 got me started on Ubuntu.

It meets my needs and enlightened me to others os's.

KegHead

I sooo wanted a Mini 9 when they first came out. Only thing that turned me off of it was the keyboard.

forrestcupp
June 30th, 2010, 04:26 PM
It does everything I want from a laptop, has great battery life, and I can carry it on my pinky. So why all the hate for netbooks?You answered your own question. It does everything you want. The people who hate on them are people for whom it doesn't do everything they want. What you're saying is like someone saying they love their Ford F-250 full sized truck because they can haul their farm equipment on a trailer behind it, and they can't understand why a family of 5 wouldn't want one as their primary vehicle.


To be blunt? The people you see 'hating' on netbooks, are probably hardcore gamers;There are a lot more limitations to a netbook than just gaming.


Well why would you buy something you hate? "That looks stupid, I think I'll buy it!"+1
I don't like netbooks, and I don't have one. I haven't bought one because it won't do everything I need it to do, and yes, I've messed with friends' netbooks before. My laptop will. Why would I want two devices to switch back and forth between when my laptop can do everything in one device? I don't need something even more portable than my laptop; it's not like I could carry a netbook in my pocket or something.

I'm more apt to buy some kind of tablet because I could actually get some uses out of a tablet that would be more awkward with a laptop.

donkyhotay
June 30th, 2010, 04:47 PM
As mentioned before, it's all a matter of what you need. My wife has a netbook that I would never have bought for myself, it's too small for me to type on and is too low powered for me to do any practical work with. On the other hand it's perfect for her since she can carry it around and doesn't use it for anything more then browsing the web and checking Email.

aysiu
June 30th, 2010, 05:26 PM
You answered your own question. It does everything you want. The people who hate on them are people for whom it doesn't do everything they want. That doesn't explain why people hate on netbooks. Why would you hate something just because it doesn't do what you want? You can just as easily say "Netbooks are great for certain things. I just don't do those certain things. I prefer something else, but I highly recommend netbooks for people who do not do graphics-intensive work." That's not hating.


I really like mine, though I wish the battery lasted a bit longer. Also I am favoring a small SSD over the HDD that is installed in it. I want no moving parts, small, portable, silent and cool. It has plenty of power for the tasks I do on the go. I've had two netbooks with SSDs. They're not all they're cracked up to be. Both have had fans that are loud (not too loud but certainly audible), and both heated up quite a bit (though not as much as my Macbook Pro).

forrestcupp
June 30th, 2010, 08:42 PM
That doesn't explain why people hate on netbooks. Why would you hate something just because it doesn't do what you want? You can just as easily say "Netbooks are great for certain things. I just don't do those certain things. I prefer something else, but I highly recommend netbooks for people who do not do graphics-intensive work." That's not hating.
Well, for my personal needs, netbooks are trash and I hate them for myself. But I'm happy for the people who get good use out of them and I don't hate netbooks on their behalf.

In other words, if all of my computers were taken away and I was left with a netbook, I would have very hateful feelings. But a netbook is sufficient for my uncle, and I'm happy for him. :)

But maybe the OP should give heed to what you're saying. You can't project your likes and needs on other people, no matter which side of the fence you're on. ;)

formaldehyde_spoon
July 1st, 2010, 02:09 AM
You answered your own question. It does everything you want. The people who hate on them are people for whom it doesn't do everything they want. What you're saying is like someone saying they love their Ford F-250 full sized truck because they can haul their farm equipment on a trailer behind it, and they can't understand why a family of 5 wouldn't want one as their primary vehicle. I don't think he meant anything like that. He never specified how the other party should use the F truck, or what role it would fill.
Using a netbook as your main machine would be strange...


There are a lot more limitations to a netbook than just gaming.
It can't game, and it does everything else slower.
What else is there?

+1
I don't like netbooks, and I don't have one. I haven't bought one because it won't do everything I need it to do, and yes, I've messed with friends' netbooks before. My laptop will. Why would I want two devices to switch back and forth between when my laptop can do everything in one device? I don't need something even more portable than my laptop; it's not like I could carry a netbook in my pocket or something. Out of curiosity, what is it you do with your laptop that you wouldn't be able to do with a netbook?
Note though that no-one (including myself) is saying that YOU should use a netbook.


I'm more apt to buy some kind of tablet because I could actually get some uses out of a tablet that would be more awkward with a laptop.
That would make sense if the tablet were 5-7'', otherwise it's a phone that can't call, or a netbook without a keyboard.
Even if it were 5-7'' it's still not much of a stretch to use a phone or a netbook instead, and have one less device.

...
I've had two netbooks with SSDs. They're not all they're cracked up to be. Both have had fans that are loud (not too loud but certainly audible), and both heated up quite a bit (though not as much as my Macbook Pro).

No SSD is likely to ever get as hot as an HDD.
Perhaps your expectations were just too high, but SSDs are an improvement in terms of heat and noise (directly and because of the lower heat).

wykedengel
July 1st, 2010, 02:42 AM
I like netbooks. I have an Asus 1005HA. I don't like when I get my nails done and they slip in between the keys. My Aspire 4810T has the right size/spacing of the keys and I find myself spending less money on nail touch ups.

odiseo77
July 1st, 2010, 03:15 AM
I have one with a 10" screen and I find it very practical. Sure it's not adequate for heavy tasks, but that's not it's purpose or the purpose I want it for, but only to browse the net and chat while I'm traveling... although the processor could be a bit better (it's a 1,6 ghz C7 VIA processor with only 128 kb of cache).

cptrohn
July 1st, 2010, 04:51 AM
I love my little Zotac Sam102 (barebones) that I got on sale at Newegg a while back.... Threw in a 2GB 200 pin DDR2 800mhz RAM and a 500 GB 7200 RPM HD....... The only drawback to this 10" netbook was the 3 cell battery... Going to upgrade to the 6cell battery soon.... Running ubuntu 10.04 on it.. (had UNR but went back to a reg Ubuntu install)...

LOVE the netbook....

3rdalbum
July 1st, 2010, 05:04 AM
I've had two netbooks with SSDs. They're not all they're cracked up to be.

Netbook SSDs suck. They suck AND blow at the same time. They get terribly, unusably slow. I bought a new netbook SOLELY because the one I had was afflicted with one of those SSDs and it took ages to do anything that involved writing to disk.

amitabhishek
July 1st, 2010, 08:09 AM
I absolutely love my Asus 1001P EEEPC. Its battery lasts more than my phone. Asus expertise with netbooks shows in its build quality and performance. Pity Mint 8 outperforms Lucid on this tiny thing.

NightwishFan
July 1st, 2010, 08:11 AM
How does Mint 'outperform it'. Not even something like Gentoo noticably outperforms most distributions. They all use the same software! >_<

amitabhishek
July 1st, 2010, 08:25 AM
By 'outperform'I meant hardware compatibility.

-To start with, display is crisp and bright in Mint. Dull and dark in Lucid and UNR.
-Sound worked out of the box in Mint. Had to Google this forum to configure sound with Lucid.
-Had trouble in configuring wifi in both distros; ndiswrapper worked with Mint but not on Ubuntu.

NightwishFan
July 1st, 2010, 08:37 AM
I hear this all the time about mint, and I am still skeptical, though I will not doubt you.

amitabhishek
July 1st, 2010, 08:54 AM
One of the reason to go with Ausus was my guess that Ubuntu would work without a glitch. I was taken aback when I saw a netbook that was dark, couldn't talk and couldn't connect. I thought I was in for a long haul of scrounging through various Linux forums. Luckily Mint worked (well almost)!

Johnsie
July 1st, 2010, 09:38 AM
I usually just go with the OS that comes on the netbook. If the netbook hasn't been tested with Linux drivers then you might end up with hardware problems further down the line. Eg. overheating, excessive hard-disk cycles etc.

Hardware companies spend a long time testing their devices, usually with whatever operating system they sell it with.

Dragonbite
July 1st, 2010, 02:35 PM
Netbook SSDs suck. They suck AND blow at the same time. They get terribly, unusably slow. I bought a new netbook SOLELY because the one I had was afflicted with one of those SSDs and it took ages to do anything that involved writing to disk.

Couldn't you just buy a regular hard disk and replace the SSD?

forrestcupp
July 1st, 2010, 03:37 PM
It can't game, and it does everything else slower.
What else is there? Someone earlier mentioned that they're not good for CAD. They have an awkwardly small keyboard, they don't have an optical drive, the small screen means lower resolution, which is a big hindrance, slower processing means it's not as good at multitasking. Read on to find out more.


Out of curiosity, what is it you do with your laptop that you wouldn't be able to do with a netbook?I do a lot of processor intensive stuff. I like to mess with 3D modeling, 2D animation and programming games. I also program apps, and a small screen isn't good for an IDE. I edit videos and photos. I do some multi-track audio recording for music. I also have a decent video card in my laptop that can handle some of the game thing, too. I'm sure I could think of more if I took the time. I don't think I could do any of those things efficiently on a netbook, but I can do them all on my laptop. My laptop is portable enough that I don't need two separate devices.



That would make sense if the tablet were 5-7'', otherwise it's a phone that can't call, or a netbook without a keyboard.
Even if it were 5-7'' it's still not much of a stretch to use a phone or a netbook instead, and have one less device.Well, you're thinking out of your own experiences. I actually would want a larger tablet. I'm a public speaker and I print out a lot of notes. If I had a large tablet, I could use it for my notes and it would be thin enough to lie on a lectern, saving me from having to print my notes out all the time. I can't really do that with a laptop, netbook, or smart phone.

I'm sure I'd also use it as an e-reader and other things. The only reasons I haven't bought a tablet are because I don't know if it would be worth the money for my limited needs, and I'm waiting for better, low cost options to become available.

aysiu
July 1st, 2010, 04:04 PM
Couldn't you just buy a regular hard disk and replace the SSD?
Regular non-HDD hard drives for my netbook are extremely expensive. I have an HP Mini 1120nr, which requires a 1.8" 5mm PATA ZIF hard drive. These aren't easy to find, and if you do find one that stores as much as 80 GB, it's usually well over US$100.

graabein
July 1st, 2010, 06:10 PM
I don't "hate on" them either, they're just not as useful as small laptops are.

aysiu
July 1st, 2010, 09:24 PM
I don't "hate on" them either, they're just not as useful as small laptops are.
You forgot to append for me at the end of your sentence.

They're plenty useful for other people, just not you.

formaldehyde_spoon
July 2nd, 2010, 02:29 AM
Someone earlier mentioned that they're not good for CAD. They have an awkwardly small keyboard, they don't have an optical drive, the small screen means lower resolution, which is a big hindrance, slower processing means it's not as good at multitasking. Read on to find out more. I'm looking for limits there, but not seeing any. Just the obvious lower values for some stuff (power, comfort) in exchange for higher values for others (portability, battery life).


I do a lot of processor intensive stuff. I like to mess with 3D modeling, 2D animation and programming games. I also program apps, and a small screen isn't good for an IDE. I edit videos and photos. I do some multi-track audio recording for music. I also have a decent video card in my laptop that can handle some of the game thing, too. I'm sure I could think of more if I took the time. I don't think I could do any of those things efficiently on a netbook, but I can do them all on my laptop. My laptop is portable enough that I don't need two separate devices. You left out the bit where I wrote that I wasn't saying you should get a netbook. ;)
Of course, if you were to take the netbook route, a desktop and a netbook combo would probably do both the heavy stuff and the portable stuff better than a laptop could, and cost less to buy.



Well, you're thinking out of your own experiences. I actually would want a larger tablet. I'm a public speaker and I print out a lot of notes. If I had a large tablet, I could use it for my notes and it would be thin enough to lie on a lectern, saving me from having to print my notes out all the time. I can't really do that with a laptop, netbook, or smart phone.

I'm sure I'd also use it as an e-reader and other things. The only reasons I haven't bought a tablet are because I don't know if it would be worth the money for my limited needs, and I'm waiting for better, low cost options to become available.I agree, lying flat on a lectern does sound like a specific task that a tablet would be very well suited to, much more appropriate than a netbook.

But I don't see anything to support you saying that netbooks are bad. They have their downside, just like every other form of computer, but there isn't any other form of computer that can match or better EVERY aspect of a netbook. (This statement also applies to desktops, laptops, etc...)
Netbook SSDs suck. They suck AND blow at the same time. They get terribly, unusably slow. I bought a new netbook SOLELY because the one I had was afflicted with one of those SSDs and it took ages to do anything that involved writing to disk.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think I remember you saying your SSD had 15 second write latency, which was obviously wrong, and in fact you never actually pinpointed exactly the problem you were having that caused big pauses in I/O for your netbook.

It may well be to do with your SSD, but what you experienced is NOT normal behaviour, so to claim netbook SSDs are bad because of a single experience is ridiculous.