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Ask HN: Best Linux Netbook?

6 points by francoisdevlin ↗ HN
Hey folks, I'm looking for recommendations on a "netbook" that I can use to get some work done while spending 2hrs a day on a commuter train. Here's a rough idea of what I'm looking for, in order of importance

* Comfortable to use vim for an hour+. Something with enough screen real estate so that I can use NERDTree * Wifi * SSD drive (or upgradeable) * Enough horsepower to use the gmail web interface, no problem.

Also, and recommendations for a lightweight distribution to use would be great too.

Thanks!

8 comments

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cylinder714
The reviews I've seen for the Lenovo ThinkPad X120e have been pretty good. Better-than-Atom performance and high build quality are the highlights. It's not in the same ballpark as a Core-based machine, but PC World's reviewer wrote, "Given the choice between characterizing the X120e as an underpowered ultraportable or as a wonderful netbook, I'm going with the latter." Here's the review: http://bit.ly/flRyih

If you can swing the price, the X220 splits the difference between netbooks and regular notebooks, and uses Core (i3-i5-i7) processors.

a_a_r_o_n
Lightweight distribution: I'm liking Lubuntu (official Ubuntu with LXDE desktop).
dulakian
I have had an acer d150 netbook for over a year now. I initially picked it because the keyboard was the best one I could find on a netbook. It has been awesome, and I won't go back to a laptop ever again. I run ubuntu 10.04, and everything worked out of the box. I actually use gnome2, so not that lightweight, but with a single panel and the docbarX app, it's still very nice. Even after a year of heavy use I am still getting 5+ hours of battery from the 6 cell battery.

The screen is just a tad small at 10.1" but the battery life on the slightly bigger, more powerful 11"+ screen netbook/ultrabook is significantly less than what I am able to get.

When I replace this netbook later in the year I will be trying to stay with the acer brand. I will probably move to a 9 cell battery and an ssd to extend the battery to 8+ hours...

Acer seems to consistently have the biggest keyboards in the netbook class. As a fellow vim user I know just how important the keyboard is to the usability, and I think that really should be one of the main factors you use in choosing your netbook. I went to the store and tried out various netbook keyboards to see which was best. I have coded 4+ hours on this netbook with no issues on many occasions.

SamReidHughes
I have only typed on Acers in Fry's. You should take a look at the X120e or its successors if you're thinking of a replacement. It has the best keyboard of netbooks and at worst the second-best of laptops in general. It's arguably as good as standard Thinkpad keyboards (except for the small arrow keys).
arb99
macbook air would fit your needs. not exactly a netbook but still pretty tiny
lmm
I have a Vye S18 that I was very happy with at the time, but have hardly touched since I got an asus transformer. It's beautiful, powerful and the battery life is worth far more than you would imagine. Might be more expensive than you're looking for though.
pkamb
ThinkPad X60 or X61 (non-tablet) off craigslist.

Why? Trackpoint, great keyboard, 4:3 screen.

SamReidHughes
The obvious answer is Lenovo X120e. The only other worthy competitor right now is the HP dm1z. Go on any forum with a netbook megathread and you'll receive that as the answer. Yes, it has wifi. Don't worry about lightweight distributions, it can handle Ubuntu or the gmail web interface just fine. So pick whichever Linux distribution you prefer. Netbooks are not that slow any more. Yes, you can install an SSD on it (or get it configured with one). (You can also install an auxiliary SSD in the mSATA slot.) Ignore complaints you read online about the trackpad, it works wonderfully under Linux, that is (or was) a Windows driver problem.