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Re: [LUG] Debian on an Acer Aspire One ...

 

On Sun, 1 Feb 2009 22:34:54 +0000 (GMT)
Gordon Henderson <gordon+dcglug@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I've just installed Debian Lenny on wifeys AAO...

I've just been testing the installation of Emdebian Grip 1.0 (based on
Debian 5.0 "Lenny") onto my Acer Aspire1. 600Mb with iceweasel, XFCE,
sylpheed, drivel, grisbi and other bits.

http://www.emdebian.org/grip/index.html
http://www.emdebian.org/grip/index.html#preseeding
http://lists.debian.org/debian-embedded/2009/02/msg00007.html

> I have to say, it wasn't the easiest thing in the world to do - certianly 
> *not* something I'd ever expect her to be able to do in a million years - 
> even though she has installed XP on a box in the past...

Why? Do you mean the bits in the wiki about all the enhancements and
wireless config etc.?

The Emdebian test install gets from boot to working XFCE GUI in a
single, smooth, process without fuss. Yes, the wireless is a problem
but it's non-free so what can you expect? Xorg can do with a tweak to
stop the default fonts shouting at the user all the time but it doesn't
need any appreciable work to install Lenny on an Acer Aspire1.

> I actually suspect part of what made it harder for me was never having 
> used a "modern" window manager. (I use fvwm - been using it for the past 
> 16 years) Working out how to lock applications to the task bar (wossat 
> then?) was tricky 

Why? What do you mean by 'task bar' anyway? I've never used one on
GNU/Linux. If you want icons in the panel for easy access, use
metacity. XFCE keeps that kind of thing quite clean and uncluttered,
compared to metacity/GNOME where anyone can fill the entire panel with
icons. (I've had to clean out my own more than once on my other
systems.)

> - initially, and installing the right wi-fi stuff. I 
> ended up compiling a custom kernel for it too

Why? Even Emdebian uses a stock Debian kernel on the Acer Aspire1. The
wifi stuff doesn't need kernel changes, just building a module from
source due to non-free problems. There is some talk of a genuine free
module in the .28 kernel or possibly later.

> and removing 100's of 
> packages that really aren't needed

Come on, be specific. Which packages, what is the final size of your
installation?

>, and while it boots in under a minute, 
> it's way longer than the original 15 seconds that Linpus Lite booted in..

Umm, Linpus Lite never did boot that fast, it just pretended it booted
that fast because of that dumb single-user interface.

-- 


Neil Williams
=============
http://www.data-freedom.org/
http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/
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