Most consumers know exactly what they’re getting into when purchasing a netbook, but some have purchased netbook models that seem to struggle to run Microsoft Windows well.
The latest Linux-based OS to try to fill in as a Windows alternative is Jolicloud 1.0, a small, fast OS that is available for free. The desktop market has different versions of Linux available, but very few netbook versions of Linux have been released.
The Jolicloud 1.0 Linux OS has been designed to run on most netbooks, boots and shuts down quickly, and should be fairly easy to use for new users. The OS is more cloud-based since most of the apps save information within web services, so Jolicloud accounts can be used on any computer.
Developers include more than 10 different apps pre-installed, including Gmail, Google Docs, Facebook and Twitter. The OS also supports an app store that contains hundreds of free additional downloads.
Interested users can dual-boot Jolicloud 1.0 alongside Windows, or can install the OS and boot it on a CD or USB flash drive. The OS is available through the Jolicloud website, or via BitTorrent.
The Jolicloud blog includes a "tips and tricks" section along with a basic entry welcoming new users to the OS.
This looks like a fairly appealing netbook OS, even though I haven't had the chance to test it firsthand. I've read a few different reviews that provided positive thoughts, and a colleague recently said he especially enjoyed the fast boot times. Be aware you may run into occasional bugs that developers are continually trying to resolve.
It's free and includes a Windows-installer to make installation even easier, so it's definitely worth trying out for those of you looking for an OS with a faster boot up and better performance on a netbook.
