Looking for Perfect Netbook Distro

[mamamia88]

Mint Gnome Version Crashes way too often and I need something more stable

[snowpine]

I've said it before and I'll say it again: netbooks are nothing more or less than small computers, there is no need to use a special "netbook distro."

So then the question just becomes "what is the most stable Linux distro?"

Personally I have had excellent luck with Debian Stable and CentOS as super-stable distros on my two netbooks. A strong argument could also be made for the LTS releases of Ubuntu.

You must keep in mind however that "stable" in the Linux world usually needs "old." So the most stable distros might not necessarily have out-of-the-box support for the latest hardware, therefore if you want to use an older distro on a brand-new netbook, you need to be comfortable researching and installing the necessary drivers for your hardware. The more popular and reputable a distro is, the more likely this will be well-documented (check out the Debian and Arch wikis for excellent examples).

Here is a great comparison of the top 10 distros: http://distrowatch.com/dwres.php?resource=major

[mamamia88]

ok i'll try debian stable. how hard is it to configure ndiswrapper on it?

[Legendary_Bibo]

Try MeeGo, I heard it's stable, and it seems to be the most intuitive for netbooks.

[snowpine]

ok i'll try debian stable. how hard is it to configure ndiswrapper on it?

It is as easy (or as hard) as following the instructions:

http://wiki.debian.org/NdisWrapper

However, are you sure ndiswrapper is required? Which netbook do you have and what is the wireless card?

[mamamia88]

It is as easy (or as hard) as following the instructions:

http://wiki.debian.org/NdisWrapper

However, are you sure ndiswrapper is required? Which netbook do you have and what is the wireless card?

samsung n130 rtl8192e (realtek)

[snowpine]

samsung n130 rtl8192e (realtek)

I'm not familiar with that card personally, so all I can do is steer you here: http://wiki.debian.org/rtl819x

[NormanFLinux]

I like e17. Easily configurable once you get the hang of it with beautiful eye candy. Light on resources, too.

[NUboon2Age]

Two I've liked and two i've heard about: Like: Ubuntu Netbook Edition, Peppermint. Heard good things about: Kubuntu Netbook Edition, Jolicloud.

I somewhat disagree with the person who said netbooks are just small computers. Thing is they have very small screens and small keyboards, usually no CD/DVD drive, and may/may not have a touch screen. All these points need to be factored in when creating a Netbook edition.

[earthpigg]

mint lxde or peppermint

[Warpnow]

My fiance has zero linux experience. I put Xubuntu on her netbook and it runs wonderfully.

[Shakz]

Peppermint or Peppermint Ice. Its amazing for performance. I have found nothing that runs better and I have tried them all.

http://peppermintos.com/download/

[Plumtreed]

Peppermint Ice gets my vote because of it's compactness and speed. It is not weighed down with any extras but if you want them they are available.