[ubuntu-uk] Good news for Linux promotion?

[Tony Travis]

Rob Beard wrote:
> Tony Travis wrote:
>> Rob Beard wrote:
>>   
>>> [...]
>>> I've been mulling over getting a netbook but keep holding out to see 
>>> what the ARM offerings will be like.  I've not been too impressed with 
>>> the MIPS based netbooks, but I've got high hopes for these netbooks.
>>>     
>> Hello, Rob.
>>
>> Have you tried a MIPS-based netbook, or are you talking about spec's?
>>
>> I've been considering buying one of these:
>>
>> http://www.tekmote.nl/epages/61504599.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61504599/Products/CFL-003-B
>>
>> However, you're right that an ARM-based netbook would be interesting!
>>
>> Bye,
>>
>>    Tony.
>>   
> I've had a bit pf a play with one that a friend had, it was a small 7" 
> one which I believe he bought from Maplins (they now sell WindowsCE 
> based ones).  It was around 400MHz with about 128MB Ram and 2GB flash.  
> It wasn't bad as such, I'd like to have had a tinker about with it's 
> internals, but it certainly wasn't anything spectacular.  I believe it 
> was running a modified version of Fedora Core 4 or something along those 
> lines, and being MIPS didn't support Adobe Flash (I don't even think it 
> had Gnash on it).

Hello, Rob.

I think these two netbooks are completely different - I Checked the 
Maplin Website and they are selling Refurbished Elonex ONEt 
Ultra-Portable Netbooks:

   http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=228796

These are similar to the CnMBook 'mini' netbooks also sold by Maplin:

   http://194.150.201.35/cnmlifestyle/cnmbook/CnMNB7BE.htm

> Model  	 CnMbook 7"
> Operating System 	Linux (Modified Debian)
> Processor 	
> 
> 32bit MIPS
> Memory 	
> 
> 128MB
> Storage 	
> 
> 2GB NAND Drive
> LCD Screen 	
> 
> 7" Widescreen 800 x 400 (WVGA)
> I/O Ports 	
> 
> 3 x USB, 1 x Earphone, 1 x Line-In
> Card Slot 	SD Card Slot
> Keyboard 	
> 
> Standard 80 Key
> Mouse Control 	
> 
> Touch Pad
> Networking 	Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g), 10/100 Ethernet
> 3G Broadband Support 	Yes (Huawei E156G, E160G, E169G & E220)
> USB Support 	Keyboard & Mouse
> Memory Sticks
> Software 	Firefox 2 (Bon Echo) - Web Browser
> Email Box - Email Client
> Xip Chatting - Instant Messenger
> FBReader - EBook Reader
> Xip Word - Word Processor
> Xip Table - Spreadsheet
> PDF Viewer, Dictionary
> Calendar, Calculator
> File Manager
> Media Player
> Xip Flash Player, XipTar
> Video Online - YouTube Viewer
> Image Gallery, Paint Brush
> Printer Manager, Sound Recorder
> Weight 	660g
> Dimensions (L x W x H) 	214 x 141 x 32mm

You're right that these are extremely limited, but it's got nothing to 
do with being based on MIPS architecture. The 64-bit MIPS netbook I am 
considering is qn order of magnitude more powerful:

http://www.tekmote.nl/epages/61504599.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/61504599/Products/CFL-003-B

> Lemote YeeLoong 8101B 10" mini-laptop Specifications:
 >
> Processor: Loongson 2F CPU, 900MGHz, integrated DDR II and PCI 2 controllers;
> 
> Memory slots: SO-DIMM DDR2, 1GB;
> 
> South bridge: AMD CS5536;
> Display: 1024 x 600, 10" TFT LCD;
> Network: Rtl8139 + RTL8187B(wifi);
> Interface: USB2.0x3, earphone+MIC, SDx1, RJ45x1, VGAx1, DC-inx1; SD reader supports SDHC.
> 
> Storage: 160GB 2.5’ SATA HDD;
> 
> Graphics: SMI712
> 
> Webcam: 300k pixel
> 
> SD: Realtek RTS5158E
> 
> Size: 25,2 x 3 x 18,5cm
> 
> Weight: 1 kg
> Operating Systems: Debian Linux;
> Full power: less than 20 W;
> 
> Battery: 3 Cell Lithium, continuous operation: 1,5 hours, under saving module: round 2 hours. 

I think these Chinese MIPS-based netbooks deserve serious consideration, 
and not just because they are endorsed by Richard Stallman and the FSF!

> I'm going to hang fire a bit longer and if I can get an ARM based 10" 
> netbook (or there abouts, maybe a little smaller even since I have a 
> 12.1" notebook already) for around the £130 mark I'll probably pick one up.

I'm still quite interested in ARM, but the Acorn Archimedes was a missed 
opportunity because of the proprietary nature of its hardware design. I 
bought one without a hard disk(!) in the early 90's, but in less than a 
month I'd exchanged it for an Amstrad PC1512 with a 32MB pre-IDE hard 
'card' at the same price, on which I could run Minix and later Linux.

I have a feeling that ARM flourishes best in a proprietary environment 
like the iPhone, and where low power consumption is the priority, not 
compatibility. There is no rational reason for that, other than Acorn 
RISC Machine's once stated objective to be the UK version of Apple!

The ARM was originally a development of the 6502 CPU architecture used 
in the BBC Micro, and spun off into a separate company called "Acorn 
RISC Machines". Like many other success stores, they retrospectively 
re-invented ARM as the "Advanced RISC Machine" and they are now called 
"ARM Holdings". It's frustrating that this brilliant bit of UK design 
was not exploited in a value for money PC, and an opportunity to get 
RISC-based computers into schools floundered because they shipped 
'RISCOS' on the Archimedes as a version of "BBC Basic" in ROM, when the 
rest of the world was beginning to use CP/M and DRDOS/MSDOS on disk.

ARM is well supported by Linux now, and I'll watch with interest what 
happens in the ARM netbook arena. Maybe Alan Sugar will promote it ;-)

Bye,

   Tony.
-- 
Dr. A.J.Travis, University of Aberdeen, Rowett Institute of Nutrition
and Health, Greenburn Road, Bucksburn, Aberdeen AB21 9SB, Scotland, UK
tel +44(0)1224 712751, fax +44(0)1224 716687, http://www.rowett.ac.uk
mailto:a.travis at abdn.ac.uk, http://bioinformatics.rri.sari.ac.uk/~ajt