Viewing 34 posts - 1 through 34 (of 34 total)
  • 'Lightest' software for netbook use?
  • IHN
    Full Member

    Okay, so I’ve just taken delivery of my little Samsung NB30. The ida is to use it as a stripped down surf’n’mail machine whilst I’m travelling, but I also want to be able to manage my Ipod etc from it.

    [edit] oops, posted before I’d finished

    So, obviously these things aren’t exactly super quick processor wise, so which software is lightest for browsing/syncing etc. Firefox seems to be getting pretty bloated, and as for iTunes, that seems huge these days.

    thesurfbus
    Free Member

    My Netbook uses full fat software and it runs fine for surfing and e-mail.

    funkynick
    Full Member

    Chrome for browsing if you don’t want Firefox, although its not that bloated, plus you can run handy little plugins.

    iTunes could be trickier… are you wanting to migrate an existing iTunes setup to it? If so, you might be stuck with it…

    If it was me, I’d just stick Lubuntu on it and go from there.

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    TheBrick
    Free Member

    I use fluxbox on my computers noticeably faster on low powered machines.

    IA
    Full Member

    Had no issues with itunes on my old netbook.

    Chrome is fastest browser-wise I found.

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    Nlite.?

    TooTall
    Free Member

    I like Firefox because some of the add ons speed things up – and I have ‘little firefox’ that scales it down for the smaller screen. OpenOffice is good for Office stuff. Avira Anti Virus is low on resources but good. Sourceforge.net has a packaged load of software that will run from a USB stick, so you don’t even need to install it on the netbook.

    slackman99
    Free Member

    Opera is the fastest browser i’ve used, but not idea how ‘bloated’ it is

    CharlieMungus
    Free Member

    start with ubuntu…

    epo-aholic
    Free Member

    £30 gets you a 2gb ram upgrade, easy to fit and makes a big difference!

    mogrim
    Full Member

    OpenOffice is good for Office stuff.

    No it’s not, it’s awful!

    restless
    Free Member

    i use firefox. what does bloated mean? 😳

    CharlieMungus
    Free Member

    OpenOffice is good for Office stuff.

    No it’s not, it’s awful!

    Actually, it’s really good.

    spacemonkey
    Full Member

    OpenOffice is good for Office stuff.

    No it’s not, it’s awful!
    Actually, it’s really good.

    No, it really is quite shit.

    sas
    Free Member

    OpenOffice is good for Office stuff.

    No it’s not, it’s awful!
    Actually, it’s really good.

    No, it really is quite shit.

    So is Microsoft Office, therefore they’re equivalent.

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    I generally find people who have already paid for Microsoft Office (or their work pays for it) think that OpenOffice is crap 😉
    For a completely free suite of apps that works with pretty much every format imaginable it’s brilliant – plus it’s developed and supported by Oracle and Sun.
    It’s the single reason why Microsoft have had to reduce the price of Office.
    Oh yeah….. and you can get a version of OO that needs no installer and runs off a USB stick so it’s pretty much perfect for a netbook.

    Obviously I could be wrong regarding all the above, but it’s doubtful.

    I’ve just installed a stripped down version of XP (full install then removed the rubbish) onto a little Asus Eee 701 and it boots in 20 seconds which is actually the same as I was getting with Xubuntu and Puppee version sof Linux. I do like the idea of linux but find it hard to get my head around it.

    thomthumb
    Free Member

    OpenOffice is good for Office stuff.

    No it’s not, it’s awful!
    Actually, it’s really good.

    No, it really is quite shit

    No, I like it – it’s good.

    how long does this go on for ? 😉

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    http://m.zdnet.com/blog/ou/performance-analysis-of-openoffice-and-ms-office/120

    Executive Summary: OpenOffice is a memory and resource hog and not well suited to netbooks.

    disco_stu
    Free Member

    Foobar2000 is a lightweight music player, it will sync with an iPod and an existing iTunes library although you may need to download some additional plugins to do this.

    TheBrick
    Free Member

    MS office and open office are only for doing simple documents on, and hence both have equal functionality. If you are trying to do something big or complicated you should not be using MS office or open office. They are both crap for anything more than an ‘A’ level science report.

    ScottChegg
    Free Member

    £30 gets you a 2gb ram upgrade, easy to fit and makes a big difference

    Not always. A few Netbooks can’t handle more than 1gb, whether it’s the board or the version of the OS that’s installed. Check before you buy.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Upgrade to XP and MS Office 93.

    CharlieMungus
    Free Member

    If you are trying to do something big or complicated you should not be using MS office or open office. They are both crap for anything more than an ‘A’ level science report.

    Now I’m intrigued. Office (either flavour) is designed for a purpose, I’m wondering what application you use which needs office like facilities, but more and what you use.

    woody2000
    Full Member

    Floola for iPod stuff – http://www.floola.com/home/

    Doesn’t even need installing, it’s just an executable

    GrahamS
    Full Member

    They are both crap for anything more than an ‘A’ level science report.

    I assume you mean a proper publishing solution.

    In my experience MS Office is pretty happy up to a couple of hundred pages (with diagrams, tables, footnotes, cross-refs etc). After that, depending on the doc, it can get a little flakey (though I’m not sure if the latest editions struggle as much).

    Fair enough for a word processor I think. It’s not designed for writing the next Encyclopedia Brittanica on.

    Olly
    Free Member

    Ubuntu Evangelist here.

    Get the netbook version of ubuntu on it in place of windows.
    its the shizzle.

    ive got ubuntu on my regular laptop, which ground to an XP halt about 3 years ago. it was literally just too slow to handle all the flash and wizzidry on webpages for example.

    i whacked ubuntu on it, and its still plenty fast enough for me 🙂

    ALSO, all the software is free.

    as for light weight programming.

    I found Chrome unstable, but “Chromium” much much better.
    not sure why
    and no sure which originated from which.

    both are much less demanding than IE or FF.

    you MAY want to check ipod compatibility before taking the plunge if you do go for linux though.

    im sure SOMEONE has done a patch to make it fit, but ive not experience of it, as i dont have an ipod, so cant comment on how good it will be, or if it will conflict with regular itunes.

    Olly
    Free Member

    it may be worth noting, that the browser opera, runs ALL pages through a proxy server, which reformats the pages to suit you machine.
    works brilliantly on my mobile, so i reckon it would be good on a netbook.

    all the “work” is done on the server, you essentially load a secondary version of the page.

    soma_rich
    Free Member

    Will any other app sync with your IPod. I thought you had to use Itunes?

    Google docs is the lightest office equivalent.

    dan1980
    Free Member

    BigJohn – Member

    Upgrade to XP and MS Office 93.

    Why? Windows 7 runs at least as well as XP, and in some situations slightly better.

    I’m running win 7 starter and the full Office 2005 on mine, and it’s absolutly fine.

    The biggest thing I had problems with was a virus checker. Running Mcafee made the netbook run like a half dead slug on dope. Changing to Sophos improved things dramatically.

    IHN
    Full Member

    Interesting stuff, cheers all.

    I need to stick with Windows due to some of the software I have. I have Windows 7 Starter installed and after reading this:

    I’ve just installed a stripped down version of XP (full install then removed the rubbish)

    I’m wondering which bits of ‘rubbish’ I can remove?

    Waderider
    Free Member

    Changing to Sophos improved things dramatically.

    Try using Microsoft Security Essentials. Not a resource hog, plus free and good.

    Open Office runs fine for me doing degree level work on an Eeepc 1000H (when I’m not at a desktop).

    I suggest Ubuntu also. Mainly because I think Windows 7 is a pile of poo, especially in starter edition, although I’m aware lots of people think otherwise.

    dr_death
    Free Member

    OS X anyone…..

    Gonna update my Dell Mini 9 to 10.6.6 this weekend (just for something to do), it’s been running 10.5 for yonks now and is lovely. Much smaller footprint than windoze, iWork instead of office, iTunes and Firefox.

    Apple FTW

    Edit: Oh yeah, and no antivirus required

    edhornby
    Full Member

    ubuntu user here – I have an ipod nano and run it straight from banshee (the music player that comes as standard) no probs

    what do you have that needs windows? is it work stuff?

    zokes
    Free Member

    If you are trying to do something big or complicated you should not be using MS office or open office. They are both crap for anything more than an ‘A’ level science report.

    Best tell my employers, possibly the biggest science organisation in the world, then…

    FWIW, my little eeePC copes fine doing stats in SPSS, drawing graphs in SigmaPlot, dataprocessing in Excel and writing the thing in word with email and web open, and playing music. You just occasionally ahve to be patient and realise that it isn’t a quad-core monster, but that it will run for 10 hours without being near a mains. And it’s a lot easier to use on a plane too!

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