Ubuntu Linux on ultrabook or think netbook

[grigio]

Hi, i'm looking at a Macbook Air -like PC with Ubuntu, I've seen Acer Aspire S3, Samsung 9 Series, ASUS UX21 Zenbook, but is there something like that sold with Linux?

Gnome3/Ubuntu are pushing much touch friendly UIs, but I'm still not able to see an High Quality devices (Tablet ARM?) which could take advantage of it.

[mips]

Hi, i'm looking at a Macbook Air -like PC with Ubuntu, I've seen Acer Aspire S3, Samsung 9 Series, ASUS UX21 Zenbook, but is there something like that sold with Linux?


No. Install it yourself. I like the look of the Asus.

[Lars Noodén]

It is hard to find netbooks with Linux pre-installed. However, you should be able to get a Windows refund (http://www.google.com/search?q=windows+refund), if you are careful to dot your i's and cross your t's in documenting your installation. Be prepare for some resistance, though.

[kaldor]

According to this (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=11397808), the Zenbook looks to be not worth it. Shame, it's a really cool laptop :(

[alexhung]

I had a chance to discuss suspend/problem with ASUS engineer and they might have a BIOS solution for Zenbook. It may worth trying to test their latest BIOS (if they release any).

[wolfen69]

Gnome3/Ubuntu are pushing much touch friendly UIs

They are not touch friendly at the moment. Unity/Gnome-shell as they stand, would not work on a tablet. If anything, they cater more to those that like to use keyboard shortcuts. Why people think unity/gnome-shell are touch UI's is beyond me. I have yet to see any tablet with such interfaces. It just wouldn't work.

[horadee]

Hi guys,

I'd really like to see some replies here. I can't find enough information about the ideal thin/ultra book for Linux.

At the moment the Acer Aspire S line interests me most.


Is everybody using big ugly bulky laptops for their Ubuntu setup?

[philinux]

Hi guys,

I'd really like to see some replies here. I can't find enough information about the ideal thin/ultra book for Linux.

At the moment the Acer Aspire S line interests me most.


Is everybody using big ugly bulky laptops for their Ubuntu setup?

I'm using an Acer 1410.

[Copper Bezel]

Is everybody using big ugly bulky laptops for their Ubuntu setup?
I think it's more likely that there simply aren't a lot of brand-new systems represented here. I know there are successful installs on Samsung Series 9 machines out there, and there are a lot of very thin netbooks and smartbooks running Ubuntu, like Asus x101s. There's just a lag on the newest systems being fully supported and a lag as users actually move up to new machines.

Edit:

They are not touch friendly at the moment. Unity/Gnome-shell as they stand, would not work on a tablet. If anything, they cater more to those that like to use keyboard shortcuts. Why people think unity/gnome-shell are touch UI's is beyond me. I have yet to see any tablet with such interfaces. It just wouldn't work.
Tablet interfaces don't generally look like Gnome Shell or Unity, no. I wouldn't conflate them, however. Gnome Shell makes some serious concessions to touch interfaces and would be usable on a tablet - the only thing that isn't really ready is the (last I knew) bonkers onscreen keyboard. Unity isn't designed for touch at all, because of its dependence on hover states and small click targets. There is a difference.

[neu5eeCh]

wolfen69 writes: //Why people think unity/gnome-shell are touch UI's is beyond me.//

Because it has replaced the drop down menu with touch screen style menus (oversized icons obviously intended for fingers rather than the mouse). They are also progressively replacing the old check boxes with IOS style on/off slides. The direction in which they're going is obvious to me.

Bezel writes: //Unity isn't designed for touch at all...//

Sure it is, and for all the reasons stated above: the launcher, oversized icons, lack of drop down menus. Setting aside whether it works, Unity is clearly intended for touch. From Shuttleworth himself:

"By 14.04 LTS Ubuntu will power tablets, phones, TVs and smart screens from the car to the office kitchen, and it will connect those devices cleanly and seamlessly to the desktop, the server and the cloud. Unity, the desktop interface in today’s Ubuntu 11.10, was designed with this specific vision in mind."

Unity is clearly being designed for touch UI. If you disagree, you're going to have to take it up with Shuttleworth. :popcorn:

[Copper Bezel]

Let me amend that statement a bit, then: Unity 4.24 is not designed for touch. You're right that it's obviously going in that direction, and that in future versions, it will be ready for that kind of interaction. That's still a different case from Shell, which has the groundwork in place. Shuttleworth also consistently and explicitly refers to tablet-friendliness in Unity as a future goal, not as a feature in the current release.

[horadee]

I think it's more likely that there simply aren't a lot of brand-new systems represented here. I know there are successful installs on Samsung Series 9 machines out there, and there are a lot of very thin netbooks and smartbooks running Ubuntu, like Asus x101s. There's just a lag on the newest systems being fully supported and a lag as users actually move up to new machines.

Edit:

Tablet interfaces don't generally look like Gnome Shell or Unity, no. I wouldn't conflate them, however. Gnome Shell makes some serious concessions to touch interfaces and would be usable on a tablet - the only thing that isn't really ready is the (last I knew) bonkers onscreen keyboard. Unity isn't designed for touch at all, because of its dependence on hover states and small click targets. There is a difference.

Thanks for the reply. So do you think in time most of these new 'ultrabooks' will be supported well by ubuntu? i.e everything works after the initial install?

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, definitely, just like every other new machine that comes onto the market. There's just always that annoying lag between new hardware on the market and the software that runs it.

[horadee]

Maybe it's not a great time to buy an ultrabook now since this year many are coming:

http://www.theverge.com/products/compare/4608/4600/4598/4817

The HP looks nice.

[phibxr]

It looks like AMD-powered ultrathins are going to pop up during 2012 for almost half the price of the Intel Ultrabook solutions.

My best bet would be to wait it out and give the marked a couple of months before making a purchase.

[horadee]

It looks like AMD-powered ultrathins are going to pop up during 2012 for almost half the price of the Intel Ultrabook solutions.

My best bet would be to wait it out and give the marked a couple of months before making a purchase.

Yeah I think I will have to do that. AMD is plenty for a ultrathin/book.

We'll see!

[rex86]

I recently upgraded my 1.5 years old laptop with more RAM and 120GB SDD and now it's just like an ultrabook.

My point is that right now ultrabooks are more of a hassle than anything worth considering. Wait for a year or so when the new AMD thin and light notebooks and Intel 2nd gen ultrabooks come up. These are gonna be much better machines than these 1st gen ultrabooks.

[keithpeter]

Hello All

Just a couple of points to chuck into this discussion, if you are intending to have just the one small powerful laptop...


Desktop docking
Position of power switch


Thinkpads used to have docking stations available where you could slide the laptop in and it would provide an optical drive, more connections, and a video out to a monitor. I'm sure other makes did that as well.

My little Asus EeePC netbook isn't very stylish and has a cheap and nasty keyboard but it can drive a 1920 by 1080 monitor well. The power switch is below the monitor so you can't switch it on without opening the device. The Samsung NC10 has a power switch on the outside, so it can act as a desktop with a USB keayboard, mouse and external monitor.

[Copper Bezel]

Some notebooks even with the power button on the outside still can't be turned on or off when closed - Toshiba's netbook line is like this. The idea is to keep a suspended or shut-down machine from waking up or a suspended machine from shutting down in your bag (frying the machine or losing your session data.) You probably have it on AC if it's docked, so just use suspend in that case.

With a 13" or even an 11" one with higher resolution, I don't know that the external display would be as much a necessity. I use an Eee as well, and the display certainly is the biggest limitation. I have a custom cradle on my desk I can drop it into to plug in an external display and speakers.

I extend the desktop, though. I wouldn't like to think of having two displays sitting on my desk and not take advantage of them both. Consequently, I don't need an external mouse / trackpad or keyboard (though if I did, I'd try to go with Bluetooth to avoid adding any cables.

[Eugenian]

I saw the new Samsung Series 5 (not the Series 5 Chromebook) in a store and I was impressed by its excellent, non-reflective display. I'm going to wait until they upgrade it with Ivy Bridge processors, which should have much better graphics capabilities. Or maybe I'll wait for AMD Trinity-powered "ultrathins." Now that Intel has postponed Ivy Bridge until June, Trinity and Ivy Bridge should hit the market at approximately the same time (but it's unclear when the notebook variant of Trinity will be introduced).

[Spaced]

I saw the new Samsung Series 5 (not the Series 5 Chromebook) in a store and I was impressed by its excellent, non-reflective display. I'm going to wait until they upgrade it with Ivy Bridge processors, which should have much better graphics capabilities. Or maybe I'll wait for AMD Trinity-powered "ultrathins." Now that Intel has postponed Ivy Bridge until June, Trinity and Ivy Bridge should hit the market at approximately the same time (but it's unclear when the notebook variant of Trinity will be introduced).

I am very interested in that laptop, but I'm afraid it is not fully compatible with Ubuntu. Having such a great machine and not being able to do things like two-finger scrolling would drive me crazy. So I'd better wait for others to confirm it works before buying it. Any information, even second-hand reports, are much appreciated!