Acer Aspire One
Update: Just a quick note, this page will no longer be updated. The netbook decided to give up on life and it is on its way back to Amazon. I thoroughly recommend anyone not already proficient with Linux to stick with Windows. There is a very, very good reason why Windows' market share is largest.
I recently bought an Acer Aspire One netbook, running Acer's customised version of Linpus Linux Lite. It's a fantastic little machine; fast to boot up, with a good, clear widescreen display despite its size, a keyboard big enough for someone with normal-large sized hands to use without making type-o after type-o and all the major applications work out of the box. However, once you decide you want to install your own selection of programs or update the existing ones, you start to run into problems. Even for the technically minded it can get quite frustrating going round in circles for hours on end.
Here's a brief summary of what I wanted to set up:
- Update Firefox to Firefox 3.
This was a simple task, following the instructions on Acer's site. - Set up 'advanced mode' for Linpus. This allows you to add software and to run more software that is already installed on the machine, by right clicking the desktop.
- Install VLC media player. This, in my opinion, is the best video player available. I had an error with missing dependencies, but following this guide was able to get it working. (The specific problem I had was that I needed to run 'sudo yum install fedora-release' in a terminal to get the missing items VLC required.)
At this point, you may be wondering what a terminal is, and what that string of words meant. A terminal is like the Command Prompt you may have used on Windows. It allows you to run commands on the OS. "sudo" is a prefix to run the commmand as "root". The "root" user is the computer's administrator, referred to as a superuser. Only root can install programs and the like. "yum" is a package manager, which deals with the installing of software. "install" is fairly self explanatory, and "fedora-release" is the package you're installing. Often, if you want to install some software and know the name of it, you can simply run a terminal and type "sudo yum install software-name". - Access shared folders from my XP desktop, over the wireless network.
Press Alt+F2 to get a terminal, then run:
sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.0.3/Shared NetFolder -o username=*****,password=*****
Where 192.x.x.x is the IP of the PC you're trying to connect to, NetFolder is any folder in your home directory, and the username and password are those of the PC you're connecting to.
Then run sudo Thunar in your terminal window. This opens a file manager (Thunar) running as root, the superuser. The shared files don't want to show up if you're a normal user. - The next thing I wanted to do is to get my Nokia phone working as a USB GPRS modem, so I can access the internet from anywhere with mobile GPRS reception. This is theoretically possible through either a data cable (USB) or via Bluetooth (built in or through a USB bluetooth dongle). I haven't yet got this working, but will update this page when I do.
Linux does offer many advantages over Windows, but it can be daunting for a new user to get to grips with. It has a steep learning curve and requires a lot of patience, or you're going to end up hurling your £200 'brick' through the nearest glass-filled opening. I hope the information on this page is of use to other new AA1 users who found themselves in the position I did. Remember, if you're struggling with something, Google it or search the Aspire One users' forum. Good luck!