dear tech and linux folk, wanna put linux on my hp 1030nr netbook

if you go to ubuntu.com, you can download a bootable live disc. basically, you stick it in as you're booting up and it will let you run linux, the entire thing, no compromises, without installing anything on your system. runs off the disc, or in your case if you have no disc, a usb stick. it allows you to fully test the waters before you commit to deleting anything and installing linux, so your hardware compatibility concerns will be put to rest. it will run a bit slower than an actually install, though.

your router and such should be fine, and ubuntu does a good job of keeping your current hardware running like it should. it does keep cookies like firefox does now, though it might keep them in a different folder on the hard drive - you may end up starting from zero with firefox, resaving passwords and such.

keep in mind that linux wont run most of your windows apps. there's emulation, translating the windows program code so it'll run on linux, but then you take a performance hit.

what software do you use most?

thanks for your patience with this post, ijust woke up and i know its rambling and ugly to look at.

1. Probably.

2. From what I saw, the wireless chipset in that little guy is a Broadcom. You should be able to make it work for sure, but depending on which particular chip it is, and which distribution you choose, it may be a pain. It may also autodetect and be fine with no configuration necessary. (A cursory examination on the Internet showed that Ubuntu, at least, should be fine with it... and the webcam too, if you care about those sorts of things.)

3. There should be no problems related to the router, and if there are, it's the routers fault... AND you'll more than likely be able to work around them.

4. Firefox in Linux is largely identical. Obviously, it will keep things in different places, but it will keep them.

5. That depends very much on how you define "hurt." If you've got a day or two to burn, a few DVDs to watch in the background, and another computer to get on the Internet with while you're working on it, it should just be a (fun?) adventure. If you have none of those things and don't have a factory install method to get the netbook back to Windows land in a pinch, you may be into some pain.

Related: what format have people been using mostly in workshop submissions? I haven't really been paying attention to that.

Do you have my AIM/MSN/whatever contact info? I'd be happy to lend a hand real time if you want and have any questions.

bito. the software is basic, i keep little on my netbook, and that all i keep on the 4gb sd card. i store some picts and music there as well, as a third just in case place. (i have a 16gb flash with the nec photos and music in case i lose everything in a fire or something.) basically, i do not intend to upload my favorite version of photosuite on there nor video editing or whatnot. it is basically for workshopping. it is used as a word processor that happens to also surf the web.

brother kickass_

Related: what format have people been using mostly in workshop submissions? I haven't really been paying attention to that.

mostly, workshop members use doc file format. a few use rtf, and someone recently posted a piece in txt (which sucks and mood let him know not to do that anymore). basically, i'll be using openoffice doc format.

Do you have my AIM/MSN/whatever contact info? I'd be happy to lend a hand real time if you want and have any questions.

i dont, yet. because i havent used aim or yahoo message since probably 2001.

i dont feel too concerned, though. i do have a desktop that i use mostly. so i have that for the days i aim to work with ubuntu, and i have a reformat disc in case all else fails, and i'm fairly certain i have an external optical disc drive around here somewhere that i can finally make use of. maybe downstairs or in a cupboard. so it's not like i really have anything to lose. i'm just a little xenophobic about that particular species of software.

so, basically, all i do is..

delete all of my software from my system (except the os, of course) and do a full install of the linux over my current xp(?) and then install my software again.

and you think the linux system will automatically connect via my wlan like it did with my current setup. all i did was turn the netbook on the afternoon i bought it and accept the wireless account it displayed automatically, right?

anyway, from there i know i'd be safe. i'm just hoping in theory that getting there appears sound and all.

thanks, yaw

oh, and the 1030nr does have a broadcom wireless WLAN driver

i'd download the live disc package and put it on a CD or your 4gig usb drive, and boot from it. it'll give you a chance to feel out ubuntu, make sure you arent going to have driver issues, etc, before you delete the windows that's on the netbook.

if you need decide to go this route and need help booting from a usb stick, i'm just a PM or phone call away.

^^^ is definitely a good idea. Bonus, with a CD, you'll be sure your external drive is fine booting in case you have to restore to factory.

I haven't used Ubuntu for more than a few minutes, so I don't know how their connection manager goes for wireless, but from what I've heard, it's pretty simple. Just like Windows, you'll have to enter your WEP/WPA keys and crap... assuming the wireless card gets autodetected properly. If you try a live CD, you'll know first hand.

Also, is that 16GB drive all one partition? Or is it split into a C: and a D:? I know a few of the netbooks with the larger solid state drives have them even physically separated.

Clayton is the guy you want in on this discussion.

I ran Ubuntu on an old laptop of mine until recently, mostly to screw around with. I rather liked it, but at the end of the day I just couldn't be nearly as productive as I am on a win box because of one simple thing. Adobe software isn't available for *nix, and from everything I've read, its next to impossible to get it running. For me, that's a deal breaker.

Also, be prepared to spend a lot of time at the command line. Supposedly, you can do everything from the GUI, but when you go looking for help, the only resolutions you find are done through the CL. It's not that it's bad, but if you're like me, you've been using windows so damn long that learning a whole new set of CL instructions makes you want to put a bullet in your head. I know how to do wget and tar, and I'm happy keeping it at that.

yeah. one of the ones i was originally after was an ascer. but it was really an eight gig ssd and an eight gig sd flash card. i felt lied to when i read the box more closely so i didnt buy it. then came across this one on clearance and went home and read the reviews and went back and bought it that night:

it has a 16gb ssd AND a 2gb "disk on key" little drive that is on the back-right side. it's basically a small drive you can take out for no good reason. but, since it came with, i actually have twenty-two gigs of available space: the 16ssd, the 2gb disk on key, and a 4gb sd card i bought for ten bux at big lots.

i.e., the hard drive on this one is not partitioned..

also, will i accomplish some irreparable damage to my computer's kernels?

i'd read that in order to fully install osx on a pc, you would have to change the kernels (in some or big way, and i really dont know what that shit means). but is nix and pc similar enough that i have to worry not about such a thing?

in a word, no.

the ONLY time i did anything i couldnt undo was years ago when a small boot partition from a previous install refused to be deleted. i think it was like a gig. it wasnt a big deal at all, really. and it doesnt seem to be an issue anymore, period, but i thought i would throw that out there. any damage done can be undone in much the same way you do it in windows, by popping the disc (in this case thumb drive) back in and starting anew. thats really drastic though.

the link i sent you last night should have a live eval version. i'd be shocked if it didnt, in fact. and i will stand by ubuntu as both stable and pretty much idiot proof. not that you're an idiot, but ive put some dumb motherfuckers on ubuntu machines, and other than being too lazy to download the updates, the dumbest person i know has had no real problems

EDIT concerns:

1, will i come across any major stumps -- prolly will, yea. netbook support is pretty new, and new things are full of bugs. on the plus side, linux is community based so bugs are reported and fixed, sometimes daily. in the version i mention above, said updates will be listed automatically, and install on their own, once you enter your password

2, will it fuck with my 802.11b/g WLAN -- i dont think so.

3, will it work just fine with my current att wireless router --yes, yes it will. but depending on whether or not the appropriate wireless stuff is installed without you installing it, that first boot should be done while wired, at least so you can make sure you get all the previous updates to your system.

4, does it keep kookies the same way firefox runs now -- basically, yes.

5, basically, am i setting myself up for a world of hurt -- no. ubuntu (and others as well) can be installed in about an hour, depending on processor speeds and package list. most problems with linux can be solved by google, or a trip to www.linuxquestions.org (just tell them you're new, and you need it in english.)

wait now. are you still thinking linux, or has the BRILLIANT idea of installing OS X actually floated through your head?

i love hackintosh machines!

it was an idea that lingered for a few moments, but it is almost impossible to do so without messing with the kernels and i wouldnt be able to change it back to windows if problems with this notebook ensue. ima load linux tomorrow. just have a few chores to get through first-

technically when you're changing the kext files on os x, the only thing you can mess up is that installation of os x. if you were to reformat the hard drive, start clean, you'd be free to have another go at os x, linux, or windows. people are actually distributing discs of questionable ethics but very high efficiency that install os x on specific machine configurations close to automatically, saving you the grunt work of messing with kext kernel things.

linux is still good though, and sounds like it'll meet your needs. you thinking of trying the ubuntu live boot thing, where you can test drive without installing? im a fan of ubuntu, but like another poster here, cant use it for my everyday needs primarily because of the lack of adobe. i need creative suite 4, my photoshop, illustrator and such for a living.

wait a minute.. that might mess me up-

so i cannot use any form of adobe with ubuntu? does that include the opening of pdf files? the workshop allows pdfs, currently, and so a few members a month submit using that format. would that function no longer be available to me on my netbook if i install ubuntu.

and yes, i do aim to start with the live disc idea, but i have to get around the optical drive because i must have gotten rid of the one i had years ago. but i can use a flash drive.

you're good j. they make an acrobat reader for linux .pdfs are pretty universal, which saves me a lot of work as a designer. adobe just doesn't code their high end productivity stuff for linux, is all. no worries.

yeah, you can absolutely use a flash drive. when your netbook is booting up, watch for a message 'press XX for setup' (usually f2 or delete, in my experience, yours may vary) and do so. you'll be presented with a 'cmos setup screen' where you should be able to find a tab or blank for 'boot order' make sure that USB is set before the hard drives in the hierarchy, so that it checks for anything in the USB slot that's bootable (ubuntu!) before it boots from the hard drive by default. instructions for getting your usb stick ready for all of this down below.

i made research for you.

downloading ubuntu netbook remix! (as opposed to the desktop version)

click here, save!

getting the ubuntu install file on your flash stick to be bootable:

• Download the desired .img file (previous step.)
• Download Disk Imager from here.
• Insert your flash media
• Note the drive letter assigned to your flash media
• Start Disk Imager
• 
• Select the downloaded file and target device, and click "Write"
• Remove your flash media when the operation is complete

follow wise instructions in previous post about how to get your netbook to boot from the usb drive, and have at it. try the live boot before installing.

i found that a few people were having issues with getting sound to work. everything else, internet included, worked fine off the bat. there's an ongoing discussion about it here.

/ end made research.

seriously, yaw rock !! thank you