Need a new netbook for work

PogMoThoin

My eeePc 2G Surf decided it doesn't want to charge the battery any more therefore I'm in the market for a new netbook.

* I'll be using linux for work so it must have good support for a Ubuntu type distro, therefore I'd try avoid Samsungs or any others that are troublesome.
* Maybe with an Atom, my last Celeron was painfully slow. 1GB ram is fine.
* Don't want mechanical hard drives, moving parts, would prefer solid state as it'd be one less thing to break.
* Not looking for lots of storage space, just a GB or 2 over the OS is fine, I carry a usb key at all times anyways.
* I loved the tiny size of the 7", therefore I'd not be looking for anything bigger.
* Not looking for bells and whistles, the old one never left the van when i got home in the evenings.

Orion

The Acer Aspire is a decent netbook. 2 friends of mine have them. It comes with a crappy distro just like Asus but takes UNR or Crunchee fine.

henbane

Another vote for the aspire here. Purchased a couple for my family and they are nice kit. Linpus is a bit pants but there are plenty of distros out there which will run happily.

E39MSport

This was discussed ad nauseam recently. Think the Samsung NC family came out on top.

EDIT: - scatch this. missed the SS requirement.
EDIT2: - and the avoid samsung bit.

I'll get back in me box.

zing

I know you're not looking for anything bigger than a 7" screen but there's some good deals to be had on Dell Mini's via their outlet store atm. They are refurbs/returns but do come with a 1year warranty by default (same as you get 'new' models).

The Mini 1011's with 8GB SSD & ubuntu usually go for €163 before VAT (~ €200 incl vat). If there's a few listed on the site hunt for one with a 6 cell battery (most will have 3 cell) and maybe a wireless card upgrade. These aren't as common but do get listed from time to time.

A lot of people may be put off by refurbs but they're great value for that price

If you end up with no other choice than a Samsung I can help you out. I did a lot of work on the NC20 and N130 and I had / have both of them running perfectly, including hotkeys etc.

There's a good page here that will give you a general indication of issues you might find with various netbooks:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/HardwareSupport/Machines/Netbooks

ravydavygravy

I have fedora running on my Samsung NC10, everything worked out of the box. You could easily replace the hard drive with a SSD - one of my friends has dine it already.

niallb

I have both an Asus 701 and an Acer Aspire One.
There is a bit of difference in size, but not that awkward.
I tend to use the Aspire One at home, but use my EEE 701 when I'm on a job.
I'm running Jolicloud on it which is an Ubuntu Jaunty install with all repositories available.
(I actually run this on both, but am testdriving moblin on the Acer atm)

I also like the smaller SS, as I can take an image of the drive, and do a fresh install
before connecting to a new client's network ensuring no cross infection or data leakage.

BTW, I upgraded my 701 battery to a 6 cell, and still have the original one which has seen very little use. Might it be of use to you?

PogMoThoin

Prob gonna opt for the 10' Dell mini's, the refurbished ones are selling for €163 in the Dell outlet store

PogMoThoin

Ordered the 10" Dell Mini, quite happy with it, its quite huge when compared to my eeePC. Atom chip is nice and quick also.

Now to find a guide to install a different distro, I believe the graphics adapter is quite troublesome. Anyone have a guide for the getting latest Ubuntu 9.10 NBR to run?