Will it work?

Hi y'all, pretty sure I'll be getting a Acer Aspire One this Christmas but it's a toss up between the Linux and Windows versions. There are a few programs I'd like to run and I was wondering how easy it'll be to get them working in Linpus Linux Lite. The programs are,
- Gnome do or similar
- ScummVm
- Latex and a text editor
- A mail app that will work with the HTTP protocol (does the default one do this?)
The other programs have been covered elsewhere but I couldn't find anything on these. I really want something that will "just work" but don't mind faffing around a bit ie getting the right click menu working.

 

even if you got a windows or linux AA1, you could always put a linux distro that can run those

 

That's true. I don't know if I could be bothered with that though, and I'd like to go with an OS that definitely works with all the hardware in the netbook.

 

As I understand you you do not want to install an OS you just want one preinstalled that will do everything. Is the accurate? If so then your best bet is to get a customized computer that has been setup by someone to your specifications. Of course you would have to pay quite a bit extra for this and the trouble is that even then as things get upgraded you will find things that may not work. IMO the easiest to install and have the most things working with the least effort is Mandriva 2009 Gnome.

 

Well really I was wondering if the programs listed worked with the Linux edition of AAO. I am wary of installing a new OS as it seems some extra fiddling is required, and even then not everything works. I'm assuming that the Linux that ships with the AAO will not result in the problems people seem to be getting by installing a new OS. After some more searching I've managed to find some vague answers to my question.

 

If you want absolutely everything to work, use the Linpus version that comes on the AA1 and don't do anything that might mess up Linpus's customized scripts. Installing GNOME is likely to mess up those scripts.

However, using the latest Fedora, Mandriva, or Ubuntu, the only obviously non-working component I've encountered is the xD card reading capability of the multicard reader (right slot). I'm not familiar with ScummVM; the other components work just fine with any of these distros. Installation is not difficult and has been documented many times in many places in the Acer Aspire One Forum

 

Thanks RockDoctor, that's all I really wanted to know. I may try Ubuntu Netbook Remix, it depends on whether I decide that a greater selection of functional programs are better than having all the hardware bells and whistles working properly. Cheers

 

If you want the OS to be as easy as possible and swift too you´d probably want to go for the Linpus Lite version (the pre-installed distro on Linux models). A few easy steps and you have access to an advanced menu where you can tweak, access and remove/install applications etc. Cold boot to desktop < 20 sec. Cold boot to internet connection < one min. Most hardware, if not all (as far as I´ve experienced myself) works out of the box. With all that in mind, nothing beats Linpus as far as I can tell.

About ScummVm on Linpus. For what I know ScummVm is required before being able to play old, classic games like "Beneath a Steel Sky" and "Flight of the Amazon Queen" on the AAO and will thus be added automatically as a dependent game application during the installation process. I´ve only spent some 20-30 minutes playing "Flight of the Amazon Queen" and ScummVm didn´t cause any problems at all. So even with that limited experience I´d say ScummVm works pretty well under Linpus.

Hope you find a distro that suits all your needs.

 

I installed Scumm and latex without problems. They also run fine.

Installing thunderbird and/or evolution is dooable, though requires some tweaking.

 

Cool, I think I'll be able to give up on some of the programs I'm used to in Windows. Does the tweaking I need to do to install some programs mean that I can't run Live Update anymore? Or if I do will I need to redo the tweaks after I've run it?

 

No problem. One of the tweaks (I believe it can be found at Macles biog or somewhere here on these boards) includes the ability to enable/disable otherwise mandatory updates via the live updater. Thus if you think that an update might interfere with your new settings/tweaks simply disable that update and go for the ones you prefer. I´d recommend you to run all updates after the initial installation though before tweaking your system and always take backups/notes of amended scripts/documents, but that´s just me.

 

I installed SCUMMVM under linpus, but when playing flight of the amazon queen, the text flashes off screen before I have a chance to read it, and there is no voice, just music, did you have to tweak your install/options in any way ?

 

No, I didn´t need to do anything after installing the game to get it working.