linpus linux hell

Yamanoto

Hey all,

Set up a nettop for my Father, we're both new to Linux OS and tbh, pretty appalled at the linpus linux UI. (Don't wanna experiment with another distro just yet though).

Two choices of desktop - Gnome or Simplemode as per attached -IMG_20120406_170848.jpg.

But in simplemode, icons are small & text is squished -IMG_20120406_170634.jpg

Icons have been resized, but only options are small or medium -IMG_20120406_170932.jpg

Am I missing the bleedin' obvious here or are we stuck with the above?

human 19

Never heard of Linpus before now, Not much info on distrowatch.com either...no reviews even . I would suggest you post your laptop model and ask what is the best distro to use for it

niallb

linpus came preinstalled on machines several years ago, and while they are still actively releasing things, they have a poor track record on supporting older equipment.
It's likely that what you're looking at is ancient by today's standards, and even at the time looked primitive as a side effect of trying to look different.

As above, what's the model of the nettop? By not considering any other distro, you're restricted to getting help from people who used to use linpus in the days of the first EEE PCs. I used it myself on an EEE 701, and would consider it a waste of time to try and get things working on it from scratch when so much has improved since then in terms of hardware support. Your build however, does look a lot newer from the screenshots, so I' m curious as to what you have. I'm assuming linpus was on it when you got it.

What do you want to do with the machine? If it's a media center situation, take a look at OpenElec.
It boots from a USB stick, so won't change anything actually on the box unless you want to install it, and autodetects so much that you might be up and running as required in 10 minutes after downloading it. It's based around the XBMC media center software.

Yamanoto

It's an E-Machines ER1401

Linpus Linux (Lindus Lite 1.4) preloaded
AMD Athlon II Neo K325 dual core CPU
2GB DDR3 RAM
250GB SATA hard drive
Integrated NVIDIA GeForce 9200 graphics
Built-in multi card reader (MMC/SD, xD, MS Pro)
Wired 10/100/1000 Gigabit and wireless networking
Connections - 4x USB 2.0, HDMI, VGA, RJ45, SPDIF, mic and headphones
Dimensions (HxWxD) - 274x255x100mm (with stand)Computer Case Style - SFF Hard Drive Capacity - 250GB Processor Type - AMD Athlon II Neo K325 RAM Memory Size - 2GB

It won't be used as a media centre (though Openelec looks great), just for my Dad as a functional home office machine. I took a look at www.zorin-os.com which looks appealing - As the UI is Windows-esque, which he'd be familiar with.

If I overwrite Linpus with another distro, I'd ideally like something which updates itself automatically and requires little further tinkering - As a complete noob to linux, the sheer volume of potential OS's and a lexicon all of its own is a little overwhelming - perhaps you'd recommend a good starting point?

Johnboy1951

I advise you start by testing the following three distros running 'live' on the machine to see how they 'feel' to you.

We all have different tastes and needs ..... so make your decision from a little exposure to what might be available ...


Mint
PCLinuxOS
Mepis

Those are three which usually 'feel comfortable' to new users.

Also check out their forums to get a 'feel' for the communities ...... as it is from there the distro will be supported.

Good luck.