Moblin 2.1 on an inherited Dell netbook
A little while ago, I inherited a little Dell netbook (an early netbook as it is more like a tiny laptop) from my sister. The battery does not hold a charge very long and it was running kind of slow. It had Windows XP, SP2 for the OS and was used a lot over a few years. I thought I would use it to experiment with and so I accepted the gracious gift.
I instantly knew what I was going to do wit it… install Google Chrome and Moblin 2.1 that I had on a DVD (which I acquired from a DVD insert in either Linux Journal or Linux User). Perhaps Chrome had some problems negotiating older hardware or the version I had to install was intended for different hardware, but it was a glitchy install and basically unusable (I might give it another try again soon as I am sure it is my mistake). Next, I tried Moblin 2.1, a Linux distribution that is being supported by Intel. It is being developed for netbooks, handhelds and other mobile devices.
So far, it is an interesting operating system and I might just keep it for a while. I suspect that the hardware I am using (Dell Latitude D430) might be a little slow for its needs, but it seems like an interesting operating system if you only want to use your netbook as a surfing device. It is clunky when trying to use files (pdfs, text docs, or images) as it is really designed to work with the limitations of small screens. But it recognized the hardware instantly, connected to my wireless, and basically worked right off the bat. For surfing, it is very quick. It loads quickly and recovers from hibernation quickly too. Once you get used to the interface and figure out where and how to access needed resources, it is nice to use.
It is rather clunky when it comes to working with files since you navigate between open applications by using ‘zones.’ I saved some screenshots (which in Linux-based distributions like Moblin is very quick and easy) and moved them via a USB flash drive to a different computer in a normal fashion (I had read of some problems with USB drives if I remember correctly) and of course moving files over the network is fine. By the way, if you press ALT and <– (left arrow) or ALT and –> (right arrow) you access some kind of run-time debugging interface or something and so can see what is going on internally as you are working (this was interesting to view when I connected the USB drive as I could see it was reading the FAT file system). (To get back to a ‘normal’ view just use the key combination to go into the other direction.)
It is based on Linux so it will be basically familiar if you use some Linux-based distribution. After an update, I keep getting warning messages about the kernel failing to load properly but it seems to correct itself. Of course, the OS is still under active development and I don’t think I am really using it on hardware envisioned by the developers, so any glitches are to be expected.
The OS has a nice, clean (and slightly quirky) aesthetic too. It will be interesting to see where they take this but as I said, I think I will keep this on the Dell laptop for a while and just use it. This afternoon, I took it out with me to sit and read in my backyard. I was surprised and the quality of the Dell laptop to pick up signals in the neighborhood. It picked up the signal from my old wirless router at high strength and it was quick with accessing the web. So, if you are looking for a quick-but-still-in-development OS to try, Moblin 2.1 is interesting.
A new laptop and operating system…
After a busy week, my new laptop and operating system arrived. I currently have two Dell PCs at home, one of which is about nine years old and runs Windows 2000 (but still 
runs very well). (I have been told that Windows 2000 was the first, good operating system that Microsoft made (and this comes from the most computer-literate person I know and someone who is a big fan of Linux-based operating systems).) Despite the fact that this computer is extremely reliable and runs extremely well, it is showing its age and becoming more difficult to use. As I said, the computer runs fine, but its connectors and ports have slowly been becoming more obsolete or, as the general computer manufacturing and retail industry shifts, these are becoming more difficult for me to maintain. I could easily replace the 1.1 USB card but other features are becoming much less common, like the slots on the motherboard. Or, it is that the 2000 OS itself simply cannot support some new devices and drivers. Hence, the new laptop mentioned in the title.
The new laptop is another Dell (I almost bought an MSI sub-notebook but Dell had a good sale on a new model and I teach at at a university which often buys Dells and so I can get support or be able to scrounge spare parts). I couldn’t buy this model without the operating system (Microsoft Vista) it was advertised with or I would have had a Linux-based operating system installed. So, I asked a friend to help me partition the hard-drive and add Ubuntu on the other partition. I wanted a third partition for data but, alas, there were problems with the configuration that we could not figure out. So… Vista was nixed and now it simply has the Linux-based Ubuntu:
I really like Ubuntu so far… it is simple and quick… it seems very stable and it is a lot more secure… it came with very useful software… and it is all free.
I have, more and more, become a supporter of the idea of Open Source and really tired of the large companies, especially software companies, becoming too dominant, too large, too powerful, and structuring the industry to maximize their profits (instead of the users’ profits (financial or otherwise). Microsoft, Adobe, Apple, and many others have turned the indsutry into a obsolescence-minded, control-driven and sometimes disempowering space. And I am really getting tired of how they more and more treat the people who use and rely on their products like mindless consumers. More simply, I do not like the fact that they make software WAY too expensive.
I do not mind that people might charge money for software… I purchase software all the time. But I do not like the fact that some companies get too large, buy up the compeitition so that the industry becomes a oligopoly in some ways and an oligopsony in others, and that they accelerate obsolescence for their own purposes. Usually, open source software is free but sometimes people do charge money for it (more like they are selling support for the software). That is why I like to purchase software made by individuals or by smaller, independent companies (and, of course, I buy games and DVDs all the time).
But, as I said, I have started to become tired that a few large corporations dictate too much of what goes on in the industry… especially so because hardware and software have become critical to the operation of modern society. Hence, I have made a conscious choice to move gradually to Open Source software. I still have another PC running Windows XP and another at work, so I still will use commercial and proprietary software (there are a lot of Apples there too). But over the long term I am hoping to one day completely be free. SO far, I think there are extremely good quality software out there that is open source and/or free (GIMP (raster-based image manipulation), Open Office (word processing, spreadsheets, database), Firefox (web browser), Thunderbird (email), Word Press (blogging software), Media Wiki, Audacity (sound editing), KompoZer (html/web editing and design). There is Inkscape (vector-based design software) which is really useful but is a little clunky since it has not been in development as long.
I like the idea of Open Source because it is community driven and does not have, as part of its core identity, the need to maximize profit and drive for obsolescence.
A while ago, I came across this essay which presents a convincing evaluation of Open Source / Free Software. It comes from 2003 and is very detailed, and is worth reading: “Why Open Source Software / Free Software (OSS/FS)? Look at the Numbers!” by David A. Wheeler. A pdf version from 2003 is here and an updated (2007) html version is available here.
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