Ubuntu Netbook Remix
Encyclopedia
Ubuntu Netbook Edition, known as Ubuntu Netbook Remix prior to the release of Ubuntu 10.04, was a version of the Ubuntu Linux distribution
that had been optimized to enable it to work better on netbook
s and other devices with small screens or with the Intel Atom
CPU
.
UNE was available starting with Ubuntu release 8.04 ("Hardy Heron"). UNE was also an optional preinstalled operating system
(OS) on some netbooks such as Dell Inspiron Mini
10v and the Toshiba
NB100, and also ran on popular models such as the Acer Aspire One and the Asus Eee PC
.
Canonical
, the developers of Ubuntu, are collaborating with Moblin project to ensure optimization for lower hardware requirements and longer battery life.
Beginning with version 10.10, Ubuntu Netbook Edition used the Unity desktop as its desktop interface. The classic netbook interface was available in Ubuntu's software repositories as an option.
Because Ubuntu's desktop edition has moved to the same Unity interface as the netbook edition, starting with Ubuntu 11.04, the netbook edition has been merged into the desktop edition.
Ubuntu Netbook Edition is built specifically for the hardware profile of the Inspiron Mini
9, and is also available for the Inspiron Mini
12. It includes a custom built interface and launcher as well as non-free codecs such as MPEG-4
and MP3
. It began shipping on September 22, 2008.
EasyPeasy is considered to be among the first UNE-based distributions, with a focus on the usage of proprietary software
like Skype
by default and also integrating a set of different standard applications and drivers.
Ubuntu Netbook Edition installed and ran correctly on the original Celeron M 900 MHz Asus Eee PC, but performance and graphical displays were hindered in comparison to Atom
-based netbooks.
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
that had been optimized to enable it to work better on netbook
Netbook
Netbooks are a category of small, lightweight, legacy-free, and inexpensive laptop computers.At their inception in late 2007 as smaller notebooks optimized for low weight and low cost — netbooks omitted certain features , featured smaller screens and keyboards, and offered reduced computing...
s and other devices with small screens or with the Intel Atom
Intel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
CPU
Central processing unit
The central processing unit is the portion of a computer system that carries out the instructions of a computer program, to perform the basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations of the system. The CPU plays a role somewhat analogous to the brain in the computer. The term has been in...
.
UNE was available starting with Ubuntu release 8.04 ("Hardy Heron"). UNE was also an optional preinstalled operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
(OS) on some netbooks such as Dell Inspiron Mini
Dell Inspiron Mini Series
The Dell Inspiron Mini Series was a line of subnotebook/netbook computers designed by Dell. The series was introduced in September 2008 amidst the growing popularity of low-cost netbook computers introduced by competitors, and now consists of the Inspiron Mini 10; with the numbers representing the...
10v and the Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
NB100, and also ran on popular models such as the Acer Aspire One and the Asus Eee PC
ASUS Eee PC
The Asus Eee PC is a subnotebook/netbook computer line from ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated, and a part of the Asus Eee product family. At the time of its introduction in late 2007, it was noted for its combination of a light weight, Linux operating system, solid-state drive , and relatively low cost...
.
Canonical
Canonical Ltd.
Canonical Ltd. is a private company founded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu Linux and related projects. Canonical is registered in London and employs staff around the world...
, the developers of Ubuntu, are collaborating with Moblin project to ensure optimization for lower hardware requirements and longer battery life.
Beginning with version 10.10, Ubuntu Netbook Edition used the Unity desktop as its desktop interface. The classic netbook interface was available in Ubuntu's software repositories as an option.
Because Ubuntu's desktop edition has moved to the same Unity interface as the netbook edition, starting with Ubuntu 11.04, the netbook edition has been merged into the desktop edition.
Installation
UNE could be installed in several ways:- by first installing the regular Ubuntu package, then adding the UNE repository and installing the relevant packages. Starting with Ubuntu 10.04, the packages are available on main repositories.
- by downloading UNE directly from the Ubuntu server, as either a .iso or .img file and writing the file to a USB stick (using Ubuntu Live USB Creator or UNetbootin) or CD.
- an option to install via the Wubi installer is available for the 10.04 "Lucid Lynx" release.
Unity
Starting with UNE 10.10, the interface was switched to Unity. Due to the desktop version of Ubuntu also being changed to the Unity interface, the netbook edition was rolled into the general Ubuntu distribution starting with Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal and the netbook edition was discontinued as a separate distribution.Variants
DellDell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
Ubuntu Netbook Edition is built specifically for the hardware profile of the Inspiron Mini
Dell Inspiron Mini Series
The Dell Inspiron Mini Series was a line of subnotebook/netbook computers designed by Dell. The series was introduced in September 2008 amidst the growing popularity of low-cost netbook computers introduced by competitors, and now consists of the Inspiron Mini 10; with the numbers representing the...
9, and is also available for the Inspiron Mini
Dell Inspiron Mini Series
The Dell Inspiron Mini Series was a line of subnotebook/netbook computers designed by Dell. The series was introduced in September 2008 amidst the growing popularity of low-cost netbook computers introduced by competitors, and now consists of the Inspiron Mini 10; with the numbers representing the...
12. It includes a custom built interface and launcher as well as non-free codecs such as MPEG-4
MPEG-4
MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
and MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
. It began shipping on September 22, 2008.
EasyPeasy is considered to be among the first UNE-based distributions, with a focus on the usage of proprietary software
Proprietary software
Proprietary software is computer software licensed under exclusive legal right of the copyright holder. The licensee is given the right to use the software under certain conditions, while restricted from other uses, such as modification, further distribution, or reverse engineering.Complementary...
like Skype
Skype
Skype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
by default and also integrating a set of different standard applications and drivers.
Specifications
Minimum System Requirements| Processor | RAM | Storage |
|---|---|---|
| 1.6 GHz Intel Atom processor | 512 MB RAM | 4 GB Flash disk (SSD Solid-state drive A solid-state drive , sometimes called a solid-state disk or electronic disk, is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data with the intention of providing access in the same manner of a traditional block i/o hard disk drive... ) or hard disk |
Ubuntu Netbook Edition installed and ran correctly on the original Celeron M 900 MHz Asus Eee PC, but performance and graphical displays were hindered in comparison to Atom
Intel Atom
Intel Atom is the brand name for a line of ultra-low-voltage x86 and x86-64 CPUs from Intel, designed in 45 nm CMOS and used mainly in netbooks, nettops, embedded application ranging from health care to advanced robotics and Mobile Internet devices...
-based netbooks.
Standard
- Web browser - FirefoxMozilla FirefoxMozilla Firefox is a free and open source web browser descended from the Mozilla Application Suite and managed by Mozilla Corporation. , Firefox is the second most widely used browser, with approximately 25% of worldwide usage share of web browsers...
- E-mail client - Evolution
- Instant messenger - EmpathyEmpathy (software)Empathy is an instant messaging client which supports text, voice, video, file transfers, and inter-application communication over various IM protocols....
- Media player - RhythmboxRhythmboxRhythmbox is an audio player that plays and helps organize digital music. Originally inspired by Apple's iTunes, it is free software, designed to work well under the GNOME Desktop using the GStreamer media framework. However, Rhythmbox functions on desktop environments other than GNOME.-Music...
- Photo viewer - ShotwellShotwell (software)Shotwell is an image organizer designed to provide personal photo management for the GNOME desktop environment. It has replaced F-Spot as the standard image tool for several GNOME-based Linux distributions, including Fedora in version 13 and Ubuntu in its 10.10 Maverick Meerkat...
- Office suite - OpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.orgOpenOffice.org, commonly known as OOo or OpenOffice, is an open-source application suite whose main components are for word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, and databases. OpenOffice is available for a number of different computer operating systems, is distributed as free software...
Optional
- Adobe ReaderAdobe AcrobatAdobe Acrobat is a family of application software developed by Adobe Systems to view, create, manipulate, print and manage files in Portable Document Format . All members of the family, except Adobe Reader , are commercial software, while the latter is available as freeware and can be downloaded...
- Java Virtual MachineJava Virtual MachineA Java virtual machine is a virtual machine capable of executing Java bytecode. It is the code execution component of the Java software platform. Sun Microsystems stated that there are over 4.5 billion JVM-enabled devices.-Overview:...
- SkypeSkypeSkype is a software application that allows users to make voice and video calls and chat over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system...
- Banshee
Codecs for OEMs
- MPEG-4MPEG-4MPEG-4 is a method of defining compression of audio and visual digital data. It was introduced in late 1998 and designated a standard for a group of audio and video coding formats and related technology agreed upon by the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group under the formal standard ISO/IEC...
(H.263H.263H.263 is a video compression standard originally designed as a low-bitrate compressed format for videoconferencing. It was developed by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group in a project ending in 1995/1996 as one member of the H.26x family of video coding standards in the domain of the ITU-T.H.263...
) - MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
- AACAdvanced Audio CodingAdvanced Audio Coding is a standardized, lossy compression and encoding scheme for digital audio. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves better sound quality than MP3 at similar bit rates....
- Windows MediaWindows MediaWindows Media is a multimedia framework for media creation and distribution for Microsoft Windows. It consists of a software development kit with several application programming interfaces and a number of prebuilt technologies, and is the replacement of NetShow technologies.The Windows Media SDK...
Other
- ThunderbirdMozilla ThunderbirdMozilla Thunderbird is a free, open source, cross-platform e-mail and news client developed by the Mozilla Foundation. The project strategy is modeled after Mozilla Firefox, a project aimed at creating a web browser...
- SongbirdSongbird (software)Songbird is a free and open source software audio player and web browser, with a stated mission "to incubate Songbird, the first Web player, to catalyze and champion a diverse, open Media Web."...
- BBC iPlayerBBC iPlayerBBC iPlayer, commonly shortened to iPlayer, is an internet television and radio service, developed by the BBC to extend its former RealPlayer-based and other streamed video clip content to include whole TV shows....
(needs to install Adobe Air to run) - GIMPGIMPGIMP is a free software raster graphics editor. It is primarily employed as an image retouching and editing tool and is freely available in versions tailored for most popular operating systems including Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac OS X, and Linux.In addition to detailed image retouching and...
Devices
Ubuntu Netbook Edition was officially shipped with the following netbooks:- Sylvania G Netbook Meso
- Toshiba NB100
- System76 Starling Netbook
- Dell Mini10v, Mini10, Latitude 2100 & Latitude 2110
- Advent 4211C
- Samsung N110 (This product is no longer available)
- ZaReason Terra HD netbook and other ZaReason laptop models
See also
- Comparison of netbook-oriented Linux distributionsComparison of netbook-oriented Linux distributionsNetbooks are small laptops, with screen sizes between approximately 7 and 12 inches and low power consumption. They use either an SSD or a hard disk for storage, have up to 2 gigabytes of RAM , lack an optical disk drive, and usually have USB, Ethernet, WiFi and often Bluetooth connectivity...
- Joli OS
- EasyPeasy
- EeebuntuEeebuntuAurora is an operating system for netbooks. The current version is based on Ubuntu, though newer versions will be based on Debian Unstable...
- Leeenux LinuxLeeenux LinuxLeeenux Linux is an operating system for netbooks, with a focus on the ASUS Eee PC with 7" screen. It is based on Ubuntu.-Features:* Lightweight compared to other distributions using Ubuntu Netbook Remix* No proprietary software....
External links
- Official product page (CanonicalCanonical Ltd.Canonical Ltd. is a private company founded by South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth to market commercial support and related services for Ubuntu Linux and related projects. Canonical is registered in London and employs staff around the world...
) - UNE packages (LaunchpadLaunchpad (website)Launchpad is a web application and website that allow users to develop and maintain software, particularly free software. Launchpad is developed and maintained by Canonical Ltd....
) - UNE Ubuntu Wiki
- UNE netbook support
- Canonical Announces Availability of Ubuntu 9.04 Netbook Remix
- Ubuntu Netbook Remix: a detailed explanation (Free Software MagazineFree Software MagazineFree Software Magazine is a website which produces a mostly free-content e-zine about free software....
)