HP's Ubuntu Netbook interface now available
The HP MIE Ubuntu interface is intended to shield users from having to interact with Linux.
(Credit: Hewlett-Packard)There are a lot of Netbooks on the market that are more or less the same, save for some cosmetic details. One of the Netbooks that manages to stand out from the pack is the HP Mini 1000 MIE, which sports a custom interface that sits on top of the Ubuntu Linux operating system.
HP now plans to make that interface available to the public, according to Download Squad. Netbook prices can be cut way down when they don't have Windows installed, which is why HP offers a Linux option. The MIE interface is intended to shield users from having to interact with Linux, according to HP. It's a dashboard-like system that has buttons for music, photos, videos, IM, and Web search.
It looks like the MIE download will work with other HP Netbooks, but it's unclear whether that will also include non-HP Netbooks.
Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur. E-mail Erica. 
Does some has the HP Mini 1000 MIE Netbook since a while, and use it a few hr. a week? How does it feel?
How is working with it? Overall experience for the purpose this Netbook is designed for!
Please don't compare it too much against paid OS'es!
- by meoblast001 February 7, 2009 4:02 PM PST
- Why would they want to "shield" user's from an operating system as easy to use as Windows?
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- by photog_7 April 8, 2009 7:12 AM PDT
- OK. I'll take the bait. Maybe because it isn't? If it was, maybe people would use it. Unfortunately, Windows, with all its problems, is easier for most people to use than Linux. Even Ubuntu Linux. The reason? Everyone knows someone who is Windows-saavy, but hardly anyone knows someone who is Linux-saavy. I use Linux, Windows Server, and Mac OS X Server on my various servers at work. After installing and working with various versions of Linux on servers and desktops, I can see why Linux has never taken off. It's not as easy to install and use as the other two OS's (mind you I didn't say it's not as GOOD). Linux is a fine OS for servers, but it doesn't run popular desktop software. It doesn't run the "real" Office; it doesn't run Adobe products like PhotoShop, and probably never will. If Adobe ever decided to port their entire product line to Linux, I think it would be such a boost that Linux would actually take off. But they haven't, and they probably never will. Don't get me started about the quality of the Gimp and Open Office vs. the "real" PhotoShop and Microsoft Office. Yes, some businesses use Linux. But it's hard for all but the least-demanding users. It's kind of like living with free TV versus having satellite TV. Yes you can probably do it, but few are willing to give up the high-priced, premium products. Mac OS X and Windows 7 are the premium products when you compare them to any version of Linux. Sorry, but true. So that's why HP is trying to make Ubuntu look slick and easy to use. They know that Windows users and Mac users won't like the standard Ubuntu.
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