Jolicloud

[Guest Anna_Banana]

You probably haven't heard of it yet (I know I hadn't until very recently), but there is a new Open Source operating system out that I think is shaping up to be quite the contender to Windows/Mac. It's Linux-based and made by Mozilla and it's called Jolicloud:

http://www.jolicloud.com/

Jolicloud is primarily designed for netbooks because of its relatively small footprint and ease-of-use, but you can install it on any computer. Right now I'm running it on my four year old laptop and I'm enjoying it quite nicely. The OS lay out looks a lot like you were staring at an iPhone or some other similar smartphone. Everything is organized into easily viewable categories: Favorites, Accessories, Graphics, Internet, Office, Sound/Video, etc. Clicking on the Internet category, for instance, will show you a list of applications such as Facebook, Twitter, Firefox, Pidgin, Thunderbird, and more. Everything is easy-to-use, you just click once and the application loads without a hitch. It has a very Windows 7 like feel to it without the cost.

If you need more applications, Mozilla provides a centralized App Directory (again, just like the iPhone) from where you can download and install straight to the various categories on the OS. Or, if you prefer not to install anything to your computer, apps that utilize the "cloud" can be used instead. These include things like Google Apps which provide all of your Office software similar to Word, Power Point, and Excel, but without being installed or saved to your computer. This saves space and can be loaded from anywhere, not just your computer.

The one feature that sold me was the one-click Performance selector. At the right-hand corner of your screen, you can choose to underclock your CPU to save on power or maximize speed for better performance. I'm choosing to underclock myself because my laptop sucks the power right out of my battery.

All in all, if you want an OS that is sleek, stream-lined, and easy-to-use for anybody (even computer illiterate people), check out Jolicloud.

.Anna

[Guest Donna Jean]

Anna.....

Thanks for the review, Honey.....

I love Mozilla Firefox and run it on all my computers. But, I haven't heard of this O/S yet...The link is interesting...

It's something that I'll certainly look into!

Thanks again!

HUGGS!

Donna Jean

[Guest insanitylives]

Hm.. maybe I can "borrow" one of the old computers my mom found [find one that turns on, lol] and just download this instead of saving for a netbook

...Ah who am I kidding, I still want something I can put in my backpack.

Can you download stuff and have it still work [plug ins, games, iTunes, office, that stuff]. If i'm missing the obvous feel free to yell at me

[Guest Anna_Banana]

Hm.. maybe I can "borrow" one of the old computers my mom found [find one that turns on, lol] and just download this instead of saving for a netbook

...Ah who am I kidding, I still want something I can put in my backpack.

Can you download stuff and have it still work [plug ins, games, iTunes, office, that stuff]. If i'm missing the obvous feel free to yell at me

Probably the best thing about Jolicloud is how it handles drivers and plug-ins. The second after you install the OS, it automatically detects your hardware and installs the appropriate driver. For instance, on my desktop machine it noted the GeForce 7600GT graphics card and automagically acquired the correct Nvidia driver. When I was testing the software at school, my friend was trying to configure a Verizon Wireless 3G broadband adapter. If you've ever used one, you'll know the pains of having to install Verizon's connection manager and waiting for the thing to configure itself. With Jolicloud, you just plug in your broadband adapter and it automatically detects everything necessary for it to run in 10 seconds. No menus or screens that you have to say "OK" to or "Next." It just works. He immediately embraced Jolicloud and gave up on trying to deal with the bulky connection manager. There is also no need to configure Flash or any similar plug-in. Typically, like with most Linux distributions, you have to manually install Flash so that FireFox can use it. Well Mozilla has noted this concern and made it a default, out-of-the-box deal. It works the second you view a site using it.

Jolicloud's Apps Directory has quite a few choices for office software. If you don't want to install the software on your computer (maybe cause you have very little space or maybe because you want it accessible from everywhere), you can use the Google Apps suite. Or if you want something that is actually on your computer, you can choose from the Open Office suite or use an individual program like Abi Word.

As for iTunes, if you really must have it (thought I truthfully don't know why people use it), it is possible, but you have to emulate it with Wine. There are plenty of better alternatives in the Apps Directory which include: VLC and Songbird, as well as music streamers like Pandora, Last.FM, and LaLa. Though it isn't located in the Apps Directory, you can download other music players like Music Box, Banshee, and Amarok by using either the "apt-get install" command or going to the vendor website of the program in question.

Games can be iffy depending upon what you mean. Jolicloud's Apps Directory offers quite a few freeware games, such as: Space Invaders, Quake Live, Evony, and Magi-Nation. Now if you mean things like World of Warcraft, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Dragon Age Origins, etc., then you might find yourself hard-pressed. Unfortunately, most games are designed for a Windows environment with a select few on Mac. The Apps Directory has a piece of emulation software known as "Wine" which emulates a Windows environment, but isn't perfect.

.Anna

[Guest Anna_Banana]

In a related note, Ubuntu/Kubuntu 10.01 has been out for about a week or so. Definitely the most visually appealing release yet: http://www.ubuntu.com/

Some things of note:

-New brain training game

-All-in-one instant messenger with Empathy

-Built-in BitTorrent

-Preloaded with Open Office

-Lots of widgets (Kubuntu)

-Pitivi Video Editor

~Anna