netbook os
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Jolicloud 1.0 now ready for your downloading delight on Windows or bootable USB
Tariq Krim's app-based cloud OS has been a long time coming, but it's finally freely available for download -- just grab a 16MB installer and you too can join the Jolicloud. We've been impressed more than once by the responsive netbook operating system which can boot in seconds flat, and now that it's got touchscreen support and a streamlined Windows dual-boot installer all for the bargain price of free, it's definitely worth a try. Give it a spin at our more coverage link, and let us know if it improves your life in any meaningful fashion. If your keyboard is inexorably intertwined with Windows, however, don't fret; a little penguin tells us a tablet PC version is also on the way.%Gallery-98860%
MeeGo 1.0 demoed on MSI netbook, looks shockingly stupendous (video)
You've already watched pre-release versions of MeeGo fly around on a number of netbooks, but if you're still wondering if it's worth your while to install v1.0 on your own machine, you owe it to yourself to have a look at the video posted after the break. The fine folks over at Liliputing have installed the fresh-out-of-the-lab operating system onto their MSI netbook in order to showcase some of the features, and frankly, we're duly impressed by what we're seeing. It's clearly light on its feet, with an Expose-like shifting of screens happening at speeds which we previously only dreamed of seeing on an Atom-based rig. We can't say the rest of the world is really ready to ditch Windows 7 for something as niche as this, but judging by this vid, you should probably give it a whirl. What's to lose, right? P.S. - Phoronix was able to run the new OS through the benchmark gauntlet, and it certainly showed up Ubuntu. [Thanks, Rafael]
Jolicloud pre-beta now available to download, walkthrough now available for viewing
Let's face it: Chrome OS has been snagging all of the attention in the OS world here lately, but let us not forget about Jolicloud. The Linux-based system, which was designed to be installed onto existing netbooks without much of a fuss, has finally reached its public pre-beta stage. In other words, the 600MB .exe file is now out for you and yours to download and try, and according to our good pals over at Download Squad, it's well worth the effort. They seemed to have no issues whatsoever installing it as a second OS on their machine, and they went ahead and deemed it superior to Chrome OS' earliest build due to its ability to support "both native and web-based applications equally well." Their own tests found it to boot in just 15 seconds on an Eee PC netbook, but if you're still curious if dipping your toes is the best move, hop on past the break for a lengthy walkthrough video.
Symbian Foundation boss talks up Symbian for netbooks, and more
We've already seen Symbian ported to an Atom-based PC for kicks, but it looks like Symbian Foundation boss Tim Holbrow already has some considerably grander plans, and says that we could actually see some Symbian-running netbooks in stores before too long. As TechRadar reports, when asked if we'll see Symbian netbooks on the market, Holbrow replied "I think so, yep," before intriguingly adding that he thinks the real question is "will netbooks carry on being netbooks?" Apparently, Holbrow sees netbooks becoming nothing more than a "single processor" that people carry around and use to access data from various sources -- letting folks use a wireless keyboard and display at home and have the UI adjust automatically, for instance, or what Holbrew calls "superconvergence." Of course, Holbrow isn't making any firm promises just yet, although he does say he can "see world in two or three years' time where mobile devices start to eat into the world of laptops and netbooks."
