Netbook screens are 1024 pixel wide. There was a time when all desktop monitors were 1024 pixels wide. The only difference with a netbook is the screen height... which doesn't really matter because you can scroll up and down. And you can use a mouse on a netbook.
How would a web page look different on a netbook running Moblin vs. a netbook running XP? Same screen... same resolution.
Yeah... icons are small on a netbook. Guess what? If you can see the icon and double-click it... your app opens full screen and you're up and running. Netbook screens are small. That's the point... it's a tiny, ultra-portable computer.
"This is the Moblin M-Zone. It's where you see you calendar, tasks and appointments." I already have that... it's my iGoogle screen when I open my browser. I have instant access to my Gmail, GCal and everything else I can get to from any browser. Google works anywhere.
"The Moblin Media Player stores all your music, movies and photos." On your netbook? Then what happens to your existing library on your main computer? Now you have to keep 2 separate copies of your library?
Moblin is a cool idea... don't get me wrong. I wish all computers had a streamlined front end that made it easy to find all your stuff. But it seems silly to have regular computers running Windows, OSX or Linux... and then a complete separate interface on a netbook.
My 65 year old father just got his first computer... an Asus 1000HE netbook. He's only ever used my mom's 15" Dell to check his e-mail. His netbook works exactly the same as the big laptop. I'm not saying he could do any more or less with Moblin... but as a novice he can use his netbook because it's familiar to him after using Windows for a few years.
It says that it has front-end support for network storage, so i get the impression it is built around fetching songs/videos from other PCs, without having a dedicated home server.
>> "It says that it has front-end support for network storage, so i get the impression it is built around fetching songs/videos from other PCs, without having a dedicated home server."
There are a lot of ways to solve this problem of keeping multiple libraries synced (I use rsync that runs through a script that updates periodically), and I'm sure you could set up your library to stream to your netbook for while you're out and about if you'd rather do that. Personally I find having the option of streaming your files from place to place is really nice when you're working on a device with an ssd.
Maybe this isn't aimed at you or your 65 year old father. Perhaps this is the first step in changing OS UIs to be more user friendly and human centric (the streamlined front end you want). I'm glad there's someone working on this, and I'm glad there aren't people giving up working on Linux projects because certain people are so used to XP they wouldn't look at alternatives.
For those looking for a device strictly for reading, the new Kobo is a nice little option. It's small enough to slip into a pocket, can do more with a PDF than the competition, and at $129, it's $10 cheaper than both the Nook and Kindle WiFi.
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Netbook screens are 1024 pixel wide. There was a time when all desktop monitors were 1024 pixels wide. The only difference with a netbook is the screen height... which doesn't really matter because you can scroll up and down. And you can use a mouse on a netbook.
How would a web page look different on a netbook running Moblin vs. a netbook running XP? Same screen... same resolution.
Yeah... icons are small on a netbook. Guess what? If you can see the icon and double-click it... your app opens full screen and you're up and running. Netbook screens are small. That's the point... it's a tiny, ultra-portable computer.
"This is the Moblin M-Zone. It's where you see you calendar, tasks and appointments." I already have that... it's my iGoogle screen when I open my browser. I have instant access to my Gmail, GCal and everything else I can get to from any browser. Google works anywhere.
"The Moblin Media Player stores all your music, movies and photos." On your netbook? Then what happens to your existing library on your main computer? Now you have to keep 2 separate copies of your library?
Moblin is a cool idea... don't get me wrong. I wish all computers had a streamlined front end that made it easy to find all your stuff. But it seems silly to have regular computers running Windows, OSX or Linux... and then a complete separate interface on a netbook.
My 65 year old father just got his first computer... an Asus 1000HE netbook. He's only ever used my mom's 15" Dell to check his e-mail. His netbook works exactly the same as the big laptop. I'm not saying he could do any more or less with Moblin... but as a novice he can use his netbook because it's familiar to him after using Windows for a few years.
Thank you kind sir for your input.
It says that it has front-end support for network storage, so i get the impression it is built around fetching songs/videos from other PCs, without having a dedicated home server.
>> "It says that it has front-end support for network storage, so i get the impression it is built around fetching songs/videos from other PCs, without having a dedicated home server."
So what happens when you leave your house?
Oh wait... people already have MP3 players...
There are a lot of ways to solve this problem of keeping multiple libraries synced (I use rsync that runs through a script that updates periodically), and I'm sure you could set up your library to stream to your netbook for while you're out and about if you'd rather do that. Personally I find having the option of streaming your files from place to place is really nice when you're working on a device with an ssd.
Maybe this isn't aimed at you or your 65 year old father. Perhaps this is the first step in changing OS UIs to be more user friendly and human centric (the streamlined front end you want). I'm glad there's someone working on this, and I'm glad there aren't people giving up working on Linux projects because certain people are so used to XP they wouldn't look at alternatives.
Please don't be so quick to write this off.