Linux Linux Mint on Netbook

prabs

prabs

Skilled
I am new to Linux. I decided to give my old netbook a new lease of life so I installed Linux Mint 18.3 XFCE on it.

Though it appears to be faster than Windows 7 Starter Edition youtube videos at 480 still struggle. I also want to activate the function keys so that I can press Fn + Up/Down to increase brightness, Fn + Rght/Left to increase decrease volume etc.,

Please advice.
 
Current linux releases must be based on 16.04 ubuntu.

I might be mistaken but I think I read some older netbooks might not have good linux kernel support for graphics/video or things like keyboard function keys.

Try downloading and installing the latest beta of the upcoming 18.04 xubuntu to see if a newer kernel works better.
 
vishalrao said:
Current linux releases must be based on 16.04 ubuntu.

I might be mistaken but I think I read some older netbooks might not have good linux kernel support for graphics/video or things like keyboard function keys.

Try downloading and installing the latest beta of the upcoming 18.04 xubuntu to see if a newer kernel works better.
Click to expand...
Will make a usb boot stick and try it out.
6pack said:
what is the config of the netbook?
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A very powerful configuration that consists of -
Intel Atom 450
2 GB RAM
320 GB HDD
 
My advice is to download linux mint 17.2 xfce and use that. It is better suited for low cpu and memory systems and systems that have old gen gpus on them.
I've used both 17.1/2/3 and 18.3 and feel 18.3 is too laggy and slow compared to 17.x versions. They changed something in it and put flatpak etc and xfce is not as stable as it was in 17.x.
 
6pack said:
My advice is to download linux mint 17.2 xfce and use that. It is better suited for low cpu and memory systems and systems that have old gen gpus on them.
I've used both 17.1/2/3 and 18.3 and feel 18.3 is too laggy and slow compared to 17.x versions. They changed something in it and put flatpak etc and xfce is not as stable as it was in 17.x.
Click to expand...


Yesterday I did a microcode update for the processor and then an upgrade.

Performance improved quite a bit. Youtube now plays 480 better than it did before. It stutters at times but at 360 it's very smooth.
720/1080 videos play well unless you try really high bitrate files.

vishalrao said:
Current linux releases must be based on 16.04 ubuntu.

I might be mistaken but I think I read some older netbooks might not have good linux kernel support for graphics/video or things like keyboard function keys.

Try downloading and installing the latest beta of the upcoming 18.04 xubuntu to see if a newer kernel works better.
Click to expand...

Tried Xubuntu didn't like it as much as Linux Mint.

The package upgrade got most of the function keys to work. Brightness level can be toggled using the function keys but it doesn't really do anything.

Some other stuff that I was trying aimlessly as I am not really sure what I want to do with the Netbook -
NES, SNES and Genesis emulators ran well
PSX emulation was a surprise. There are dips in framerate at times but is okay most of the time.
GBA emulation on the other hand is a bit under cooked. Couldn't get VBA or mGBA to work with a controller and it lags. Retro Pi too had a similar issue but worked after a few changes.
 
If you could add a bit more ram, you could try Deepin or Elementary or Backslash. I am not a linux guy, but I have a HDD with linux installed handy with me just to scratch those itches.

While I love how mint can function on a low end system, I thoroughly enjoy the visual flourishes of the linux flavours I mentioned here. Just my 2 paise :D
 
soulweaver said:
If you could add a bit more ram, you could try Deepin or Elementary or Backslash. I am not a linux guy, but I have a HDD with linux installed handy with me just to scratch those itches.

While I love how mint can function on a low end system, I thoroughly enjoy the visual flourishes of the linux flavours I mentioned here. Just my 2 paise :D
Click to expand...

Thanks @soulweaver

I am not sure what my objective was when I swapped out the 250 GB HDD with PS3's 320 GB HDD so that in case Linux doesn't work out I can still go back to the 250 GB HDD with Windows 7 Starter Edition on it and use it for Steam downloads.

Now that it has worked out so beautifully with Linux Mint I am still not sure what to do with it.

Like @vivek.krishnan said over the phone that there is no point of giving away a hardware to someone who won't appreciate it.

I think I will use it for getting accustomed to Linux. So far I like Linux Mint more than Windows 10. It has a very clean uncluttered interface and yet a rich feel. Windows 10 isn't bad but looking at this had it not been for work and games I would have put this on my main PC and Laptop.

Gotta mention @SayantanGuhaRoy. Thanks for helping me with installation of Linux Mint (Swap space and all).

@vishalrao - I remember my friend giving a Live CD Ubuntu 6 or 7 remix. I used to use that CD only for recovering data from PC in case of HDD crash or virus back then but I remember a feature. If I kept the mouse pointer on a music file it would start playing allowing me to preview it. Can you tell me if it is a plugin or a program and if yes then what is it.

Regards.
 
I believe that audio preview was in old versions of GNOME's file browser (nautilus) and for current ubuntu/mint you need to add a PPA and install some plugin. Try googling "ubuntu 16.04 audio preview" to see if something similar is available these days.
 
prabs said:
Now that it has worked out so beautifully with Linux Mint I am still not sure what to do with it.
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You can use it for anything. Its a full featured machine. Use it for always on streaming or downloading or NAS or connect to tv and watch videos or youtube or other sites.
You can use it as a print server, or put privoxy on it and use it as ad blocking proxy server etc.
 
I installed Wine on it today and then Windows version of Steam on it thinking I can use it to download PC games for me and then I can transfer it to PC later. Steam installed but wouldn't launch.

Nonetheless this is really good for watching movies while lying down (I just keep it on my chest like I used to earlier before it became a slow mess) instead of holding a tablet in hand or a bed table for the laptop.
 
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