Change has come to computers. Change has come, and it’s name is Netbook. Netbooks. Netbooks. Netbooks. Netbooks are small-sized, cheap yet useful computers.
A netbook is a small portable laptop computer designed for wireless communication and access to the Internet.
Primarily designed for web browsing and e-mailing, netbooks rely heavily on the Internet for remote access to web-based applications and are targeted increasingly at cloud computing users who require a less powerful client computer.
So netbooks are “smaller” computers.
Now, there is new fight; a new dawn for operating systems designers; the netbook OS. Who will create the OS that fits the most for these computers ? At the beginning, it was Windows XP. Yeah. XP can’t continue; netbooks OS are now focused on the future, not in the good things of the past.
So today, you’ll read about four different netbook OS. Android (but oh, this isn’t an “official” netbook OS, it’s for smartphones; I know). Moblin, the Linux-ed one. gOS, Good OS, cloud operating system also based on Linux. Jolicloud, the frenchie one launched by Tariq Krim, founder of Netvibes.
Let’s begin.
Android
This, is Android. I will be fair, everyone is gonna have his own presentation.
Android was built from the ground-up to enable developers to create compelling mobile applications that take full advantage of all a handset has to offer. It was built to be truly open. For example, an application can call upon any of the phone’s core functionality such as making calls, sending text messages, or using the camera, allowing developers to create richer and more cohesive experiences for users. Android is built on the open Linux Kernel. Furthermore, it utilizes a custom virtual machine that was designed to optimize memory and hardware resources in a mobile environment. Android is open source; it can be liberally extended to incorporate new cutting edge technologies as they emerge. The platform will continue to evolve as the developer community works together to build innovative mobile applications.
Alright. Android is all about syncing, the cloud, web data, syncing, web data, open source, syncing web data. It’s a simple yet powerful smartphone OS and it’s surely the first open source OS for smartphones. At least, the most famous one. Now, what about netbooks, huh ? Well, I think Android is a very flexible OS that will surely adapt to the netbook OS market, at least, I hope so. If the Open Handset Alliance accepts, of course.
Moblin
The Moblin Architecture is designed to support multiple platforms and usage models ranging fromNetbooks to Mobile Internet Devices (MID), to various embedded usage models, such as the In Vehicle Infotainment systems. The central piece of the architecture is the common layer we call “Moblin Core”, a hardware and usage model independent layer that provides one uniform way to develop such devices. Underneath the Moblin Core sits the Linux kernel and device drivers specific to the hardware platform, and above the Moblin Core are the specific user interface and user interaction model for the target device.
Moblin is the Linux fondation OS for netbooks. As you can see in the video, it has a nice design, and it’s simple, free and open source. It’s my favorite one though I don’t like that much Linux OS (I prefer Leopard). Moblin seems very fast yet powerful and connected to the Internet. Moreover, I like the name Moblin.
gOS
Since our debut in 2007, gOS has been praised for being the most beautiful and easiest to use Linux operating system on the market. Now with our third and best version of gOS, we have carried on our effort to create a Linux for the rest of us. Turn on your computer to a desktop full of your favorite widgets, fresh with live, personalized content just for you. We want to personally thank the Google Gadgets for Linux team for their efforts.
I think that gOS is a good netbook. But I think this netbook OS battle requires more creativity, aesthetically too. gOS has the good sides of OS X; the Dock, the upper-status bar and the Dashboard styled Desktop with all these Google Gadgets. It’s fine, but it surely isn’t the most innovative, fresh one. But they’re probably right when they say that Good OS is the easiest Linux OS to use.
Jolicloud
Jolicloud is an Internet operating system. It combines the two driving forces of the modern computing industry: the open source and the open web.
Jolicloud transforms your netbook into a sophisticated web device that taps into the cloud to expand your computing possibilities. The web already hosts a significant part of our lives: mails, photos, videos, and friends are already somewhere online. Jolicloud was built to make the computer and web part of the same experience.
The online world is taking processing power away from our computers, so we won’t need expensive machines in the future. The web improves itself, so we don’t need to replace machines all the time to be able to run newer versions of operating systems or office suites.
Well, I’m sorry. I searched for an official video but I didn’t find one. Mr. Krim ? Remember, remember I talked about this OS a very long time ago… Jolicloud is a remarkable OS, it’s a social one; it’s perfectly connected to all your web profiles but this connection is it’s only great innovation; Moblin has it too. And Moblin’s design is more beautiful and more social on the inside. Social on the inside ? The Linux community is surely bigger than Jolicloud’s one even though Jolicloud was built on Ubuntu.
Verdict
If you want a ranking, it’s simple. Android (because it’s not adapted yet), gOS, Jolicloud and Moblin. But more sincerely, you decide. You have the tools to decide what is the best OS for you. I can’t choose for you.
I said that I prefered Moblin because I like the way it’s connected to your web data, it’s clean and simple and I like the idea of the community behind it. I like Jolicloud because it’s French and because it has a stronger link to your web updates than the others. I like gOS because it’s the easiest way to get in touch with Linux and I like Android because I like it.
