OSNews: http://www.osnews.com/story/21367/Acer_Revo_Ubuntu_Nettop_GBP_149_Windows_Model_GBP_249 Exploring the Future of Computing en-us Copyright 2001-2009, David Adams adam+nospam@osnews.com Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:51:22 GMT http://www.osnews.com/images/osnews.gif OSNews.com http://www.osnews.com SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360409 http://osnews.com/thread?360409 Wonder if the initial SSD model will have the same lousy disk as the Aspire One I was foolish enough to buy. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:16:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (lopisaur) Comments £149 ! http://osnews.com/thread?360411 http://osnews.com/thread?360411 £149 is an amazing price, although it would be even sweeter if Acer included the 160GB HD on the linux model as standard.

Also ditto about Ubuntu, I finally replaced Linpus on my Aspire One a couple of months back, updating packages was becoming a nightmare...

Those specs are still amazing for the price though! :-)

Maybe this will be a shot in the arm for Acer, who like other netbook/top manafacturers aren't doing "great" at the moment...

Alex. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:24:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DBAlex) Comments Comment by merkoth http://osnews.com/thread?360412 http://osnews.com/thread?360412 So, in order for we Linux users to get proper hardware a few thousand customers need to get screwed? What a capital idea, old chap!

And yet they wonder why the netbook segment is dominated by Windows-powered machines... Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:25:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (merkoth) Comments RE: £149 ! http://osnews.com/thread?360415 http://osnews.com/thread?360415
Maybe this will be a shot in the arm for Acer, who like other netbook/top manafacturers aren't doing "great" at the moment...


...?

Acer is doing phenomenal. What do you mean? Fri, 24 Apr 2009 21:33:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments RE: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360418 http://osnews.com/thread?360418 I don't get it. Why do the SSD thing at all? If it's the same one as is in the Aspire One, it's not even worth keeping, and at 8gb? No point to that. And what's with the lower amount of ram in the Linux model? The fact that it comes with Ubuntu is nice, but I don't see how this really changes the Linux vs Windows hardware slant. The Windows model still has better specs... and what's to say Acer will, when the Linux SSD models are sold out, actually release a Linux model with an hdd like they say they will? It wouldn't be the first time an OEM backed out on something like this, let's face it.
Not that I buy anything made by Acer anymore, except a cheap monitor for a basic setup on occasion. I stopped trusting their machines long ago, they've had the worst failure rate I've personally ever seen, worse even than Dell. Granted, that's personal experience, but I've wasted enough of my money on Acer machines. Still, it's irritating that they persist on making their Linux models lower spec. One might wonder why that is... Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:02:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (darknexus) Comments MythTV / XBMC http://osnews.com/thread?360419 http://osnews.com/thread?360419 I almost bought another xbox (original) the other day for $50 because if mine every dies I wouldn't know what to do without XBMC out on my TV. This thing looks like it'd be a great replacement...also for MythTV. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:04:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (FunkyELF) Comments RE: MythTV / XBMC http://osnews.com/thread?360421 http://osnews.com/thread?360421
I almost bought another xbox (original) the other day for $50 because if mine every dies I wouldn't know what to do without XBMC out on my TV. This thing looks like it'd be a great replacement...also for MythTV.


You do know XBMC runs on any Windows, Linux, or Mac box, right? I use it on my media centre PC. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:28:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments RE[2]: MythTV / XBMC http://osnews.com/thread?360423 http://osnews.com/thread?360423 You can even run it on the Apple TV, if having it on a very small device is important. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 22:47:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (darknexus) Comments RE[2]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360426 http://osnews.com/thread?360426
I don't get it. Why do the SSD thing at all?

Bad engineering decision?

And what's with the lower amount of ram in the Linux model?


Linux also seem to cut the price by 100 pounds. The win32 folks sure pay premium for their DIMMs... Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:38:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (vivainio) Comments RE[2]: �£149 ! http://osnews.com/thread?360427 http://osnews.com/thread?360427 @Thom_Holwerda:
http://www.osnews.com/story/21351/Report_Acer_Asus_MSI_Missing_Netb...

?

I don't think I explained what I mean properly, what I meant was, it will help netbook/top sales in general. Acer itself is doing fine. Fri, 24 Apr 2009 23:42:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DBAlex) Comments RE[2]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360434 http://osnews.com/thread?360434 I've bought a WinXP only netbook (Samsung NC10) and I've setup on it the Fedora 10. It really shine on that particular machine (Ubuntu 9.04 also but have some small issues with Intel video drivers as they were heavily refactored). With the same applications (OpenOffice, Firefox and Skype) with 1G RAM works nice, really nicer than on Windows (still I have to admit that Windows have a background McAfee antivirus). So for persons that are sensible at price, adding let's say 50 GBP to it to have an extra G of RAM will remove it's competitiveness.

Also, where is this RAM critical? Doing Photoshop? Think that Linux with KDE 4 fits in 350M of RAM. You will still remain with 700 M for applications! And on Linux because the applications are not so much bloated (as there are not all dlls for all backward versions), is really enough!

My single concern is to work flawless the new netbook on Linux and to be tested on it. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (ciplogic) Comments RE[3]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360439 http://osnews.com/thread?360439 I know Linux runs fine in 1 gb of ram, but that wasn't the point. My point was that they should not spec each machine differently, aside from the os. It provides an unfair advantage to one os over the other and, depending on how difficult it is to upgrade the ram, some might buy the Windows model just for that. Acer isn't always known for making upgrades easy, anyone ever have to upgrade the ram in an Aspire One? It makes the Intel Mac Mini's ram upgrade procedure look extremely simple by comparison.
The difference in specs is what I'm taking issue with, not that Linux runs fine in 1g of ram and wouldn't necessarily need anymore. Considering how cheap RAM is though, why not put 2gb in both of them? More RAM never hurts in any situation.
Still, the RAM isn't nearly as big of a let down as that crappy SSD... Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:58:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (darknexus) Comments Comment by madmalkav http://osnews.com/thread?360440 http://osnews.com/thread?360440 Not even a basic remote on the 149 version? Then I hope it have Bluetooth, probably the wiithingy remote will use BT and at least we can look for a cheap BT remote or use our phones or PDAs.Edited 2009-04-25 00:59 UTC Sat, 25 Apr 2009 00:59:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (madmalkav) Comments RE[4]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360441 http://osnews.com/thread?360441 If people will pay 100 more just for the additional RAM, they better expend 150 more and get two machines. Let's make our homes distributed computing farms!

Yeah, the SSD drive is the real showstopper. I hope the Linux SSD unit sells OK or they probably will say it was Linux fault and take that option down. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:08:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (madmalkav) Comments RE[5]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360444 http://osnews.com/thread?360444 Thing is, if the SSD Linux unit sells out and Acer does follow through on their promise to release one with an hdd, that means that those who bought the Linux SSD models did, in a sense, get screwed over. I wonder if it will use a Mini-PCIE SSD or a sata one? If they use sata, at least it could be replaced with an hdd or a better ssd, if they use Mini-PCIE the only option would be to replace the provided SSD with another SSD. A good SSD, of decent size, would cost more than the unit by at least half.
Perhaps they had a surplus of those 8gb SSDs laying around, and decided they needed to shove them in some product, whether it is well-suited for it or not. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 01:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (darknexus) Comments They always do this! http://osnews.com/thread?360460 http://osnews.com/thread?360460 Forgive me for whining, but this brings to mind a recent original article on OSNews about why Linux on netbooks/nettops wasn't selling. My response at the time was because the Linux machine was typically (fake edit: not always, but typically) using a strange non-"mainstream" Linux version probably not well-tailored to the device, and often had far inferior hardware: No bluetooth, no draft-N wireless, half the RAM, smaller battery, tiny SSD... and the price reduction just wasn't worth it.

Yes, I'm looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I don't like how Linux is being treated as a second-class citizen. Of course Linux isn't going to do well, when Linux enthusiasts have to buy the Windows version to get the better hardware.

Couldn't they just sell the same exact hardware with two different software sets? And if ASUS can support their veritable cornucopia of Eees, they could certainly sell cheap and expensive hardware versions with Linux and Windows loaded; that's only four variations.

Anyway, this isn't entirely directed at Acer, who have made some good choices here: they put a well-supported popular version of Linux on their nettop, they gave it the same nVidia 8400 graphics card, and they've committed to making equally spec'd nettops in the future. Hopefully someone will fall for this and go for these nettops so the good Linux models can be shipped. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 04:03:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DigitalAxis) Comments RE[4]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360468 http://osnews.com/thread?360468 More RAM mostly means more power consumption and thus a shorter battery life.

That's also why I don't fully understand why the author of this article is so happy about the battery-friendly SSD being replaced by a power-hungry HDD. Ok, I agree 8GB is too little, but I'm very happy with the 20GB SSD in my Eee PC 901 Linux; I you do not install a bloated operating system and a bloated office suite, you will have plenty of free disk space on a 20GB SSD, definitely enough for a netbook. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 05:09:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (matej) Comments RE[5]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360483 http://osnews.com/thread?360483 Battery life is not an issue for a net top, and the amount of power some extra ram adds is really negligible when compared to most of the other components in the system.
Yes, a 20 gb SSD is plenty big enough for a netbook. We're not complaining about the 8gb SSD in these things because of the space, although for any kind of desktop--even a nettop--that is a rather small amount. The SSDs in the AA1 netbooks are horrendously slow, unlike those in most of the SSD-based eee pcs. If it's the same 8gb SSD in these nettops, these things are going to seriously crawl when it comes to disk writes, think worse than a 1.8 inch 4200 rpm mechanical hd. They're not exactly blazing fast when reading either. In contrast, the primary SSD in the eee pc is quite good, although the secondary SSD--for models that do have two--runs at a similarly slow speed as the AA1's. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:07:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (darknexus) Comments RE: They always do this! http://osnews.com/thread?360489 http://osnews.com/thread?360489 MS will allow Windows and Linux to compete equally once there is enough Windows-only applications optimized for netbooks, so their market share can be preserved. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:14:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (asgard) Comments 8GB is enough http://osnews.com/thread?360490 http://osnews.com/thread?360490 Most PCs in my house have huge, empty hard drives because everything apart from the OS is stored on my file server. For me, 8GB is plenty. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:19:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (aahjnnot) Comments If you need a HDD, simply add it? http://osnews.com/thread?360492 http://osnews.com/thread?360492 I very much hope the models shipping without HDD at least include the space and connector to fit one in after sales. This way you could add a bigger SSD as well, they are available at reasonable sizes already. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 08:41:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Traumflug) Comments Which Linux really? http://osnews.com/thread?360498 http://osnews.com/thread?360498 There is no reference to Unbuntu anywhere, only Linux. It may be a proprietary version, or Fedora.... Sat, 25 Apr 2009 09:55:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (lego) Comments Comment by ichi http://osnews.com/thread?360517 http://osnews.com/thread?360517
there's good news for Linux fans


Really? Where?

We must deplete their stock of inferior spec units to (maybe) get access to the same hardware as Windows units. How is that good news?

We are just being told to get ripped so other people can get a fair deal in the future. And then again, if SSD Linux units don't sell (which wouldn't be that strange considering the hardware you get) they have the excuse to completely ditch that OS in future offerings.

So again, where are the good news?

I'm really looking forward buying a revo, but this kind of stuff pisses me off to no end.

I would understand Linux boxes shipping without some other piece of hardware because of driver issues or whatever, but we are talking about a HD here. Sat, 25 Apr 2009 14:31:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (ichi) Comments RE: Which Linux really? http://osnews.com/thread?360539 http://osnews.com/thread?360539 Read the article linked to in the blurb. And I quote:

Acer's Nvidia Ion-based micro desktop PC, Revo, will go on sale in the UK on 5 May, with Ubuntu Linux among the available operating systems.
Sat, 25 Apr 2009 19:24:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (DigitalAxis) Comments RE[5]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360545 http://osnews.com/thread?360545 The ram must be a pretty marginal cost.. Look at the pricing on 2GB dimms these days, for them to remove the 1GB (or 2x 512?) and put a single 2gb module in would increase the price by maybe GBP15-20 or so? Why not offer an intermediate model which has linux, more ram and the bigger HD? Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:17:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (bert64) Comments RE[2]: Which Linux really? http://osnews.com/thread?360547 http://osnews.com/thread?360547 The headline... Sat, 25 Apr 2009 23:15:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (Thom_Holwerda) Comments RE[2]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360601 http://osnews.com/thread?360601
I don't get it. Why do the SSD thing at all?


Because every laptop I've had has had at least one hard drive die? Because I like being able to move my netbook around without worrying about the delicate hardware in a hard drive? Because 8GB is plenty for something that is not my primary machine?

Also, SSDs can have excellent performance, as I'm sure you've heard. The smaller SSD in my eee is very nice, without the horrid write performance seen in the Aspires.

If Acer attaches their SSD via SATA so that, in the event it blows, it can be replaced by a nice OCZ Vertex or Intel SSD that would really be ideal. Sun, 26 Apr 2009 22:46:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (MamiyaOtaru) Comments RE[3]: SSD http://osnews.com/thread?360607 http://osnews.com/thread?360607 I meant, why do the SSD thing on a desktop? It's not like you're going to becarting the nettop around and, as has already been pointed out here, the SSDs Acer has used so far are not exactly top of the line units. And no matter which way you look at it, they're still ripping off their Linux customers with lower hardware specs. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 02:21:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (darknexus) Comments RE: 8GB is enough http://osnews.com/thread?360633 http://osnews.com/thread?360633 Same here. I have a small form-factor computer with a smaller capacity internal drive. The files are routed to an external storage device.

The equipment is whisper quiet and the internal temperatures run much cooler using this logic.

Most Windows boxes, the ones I repair for people, run hot and have fans that sound like a military aircraft taking off. Mon, 27 Apr 2009 11:51:00 GMT donotreply@osnews.com (troy.w.banther) Comments