The usage of Netbooks is growing so is their fan following because of the low weight, easy to access and features allowing you to access all your data anywhere anytime. Hence its important for you to to initially decide what kind of OS would you install on your device before installing any of those recommended by your friends. In this article we will be suggesting you the best OS which you can install on your portable Netbook systems and enjoy the highest performance even while you are running the netbook on batteries.
To get started first of all you will have to keep in mind that there are many different options available for you ranging from free to paid, while if the budget is no issue for you then go ahead reading this article. The best available options for you are :
- Windows 7
- Jolicloud Linux-based
- Ubuntu
- OS X
- Linux Mint
First of all the the Linux Mint, Jolicloud and Ubuntu are all based on Linux distributions and are available for free of cost, while the Windows 7 would cost you around $150 for a Home Premium License and the Mac OS X would cost $24. Here are some more details on each of these Operating Systems.
Windows 7
This is the most costly operating system when you are comparing all of these options for your Netbook. The price starts at $150 onwards and increases based on the features. Microsoft has launched this version of the OS in such a way that it performs well on any type of computer, while for the Netbooks its giving out a great performance along with the highest battery life. Since the Netbooks are mainly used while traveling its very important to focus on the battery life and Windows 7 makes sure that you get the maximum out of it. Along with this most of the USB Data Cards or latest gadgets, devices come with drivers readily available for Windows but not for other OS, hence its suggested to for this option if you consider connecting the computer with other devices and sync the data. You can also Install Windows 7 using USB Pen Drive or using a bootable USB.
Jolicloud Linux Based
Jolicloud is a Linux based OS which is light but a OS which not everyone would like because of the dark theme which comes up on the homepage. The OS does not really look like a real Operating System and would look more like a Applications Installer running on your device, where in you can find different shortcuts categorized under useful options. The best part is that you can install it as a Dual Boot to your Windows OS and also install it through a USB Pen Drive. You can easily organize all the applications and the shortcuts on your Netbook. Since this is based on Linux there are chances that you wont be able to sync it with other devices easily because of the lack of drivers support.
Mac OS X
MAC OS X is a very powerful Operating System available but its not going to be easily installed on your Netbook because Apple does not allow you to install their OS on any Non-Apple device. You can still Install Mac OS X Snow Leopard on a Windows PC but that’s the hackintosh way and this is going to without Apple support and also voids their agreement. Hence, you should be expecting most of the hardware like the webcam, wifi or bluetooth to not function and since there is no support you cannot easily fix this stuff. Overall a Big No-No when you plan to install the OS X on your computer.
Linux Mint
This is the most simple Linux Distribution which is stripped from most of the applications and made sure that its lightweight and ready to be installed on your device. In order to offer you a great functionality and performance for your computer. The Mint version is available for most of the standard netbooks and in Live CD or OEM installation disks format. You can install any of the different available 30000 applications for this OS through the applications manager which also includes USB and Windows installers.
Ubuntu
Ubuntu is the best alternative to the paid softwares but when it comes to customizing or making changes to your computer you need to have good amount of knowledge related to linux, because the GUI looks dull and bit confusing. You can always order free Ubuntu CD’s and try out the OS but its not recommended because its hard to setup the dual boot mode and also again hard to remove the Operating System because the partition once created would not be easily deleted. Also as mentioned above this is again not supported by major product manufacturers who mainly distribute softwares for windows and not for linux.
Conclusion
If you have no issues with spending money, then its better to go for Windows 7 because its the best OS in terms of performance, usability, user experiance, GUI, features and support. If money is a major criteria then Jolicloud would be the second best recommendation because of the support and easy to install features along with the App installations function which allows you to easily install different softwares easily. Along with this the interface is quite good and easy to understand for anyone.
If you feel that there is some other suggestion for a OS which we have left, you can post them using the following comments section.
Jatin says
You forgot to compare Google os, its top among the linux, i have recently installd in my comp. After i read post here thanks
Amit Bhawani says
yep you are referring to the Google Chrome OS – https://www.amitbhawani.com/blog/install-google-chrome-os/ but its not completely supported hence we could not compare it above. Also you cannot install it directly without Windows Operating System.
Chris mattews says
Can I use jolicloud, Windows 7 and Windows XP all three operating systems in triple booting? Is it easy to setup?
Ajith Prasad Edassery says
One of the key success parameters for mobility is the battery life. However, it’s not too much dependent on the O/S but majorly hardware itself. E.g. Intel Atom based mini books gives 4-5 hrs of continuous regardless of the O/S.
(Of course, you were talking about performance of O/S but thought of commenting as you also touched upon battery life)
narumanchianji says
the desktop picture of ubuntu you have shown here is different from ubuntu10.1 desktop. what is that version you have shown, in case we can get the same desktop in ver 10.1, please indicate how to get it.i have installed ubuntu10.1 in dualboot with winxp and found ubuntu10.1 was providing all drivers required for display, lancard and bsnl evdo. you may have to just add the evdo under mobile wireless and that is all.
Amit Bhawani says
What we use is the Reliance Netconnect and for that there was no easy installation for the Ubuntu which is the reason we referred that its hard to sync with third party devices.
TechEmpty says
I my opinion dont use Win7.I bought HP Mini Netbook 1 week back.I i installed 4 times win7 but Wifi not connected.Now i installed Win Xp its wrng 100% fine wid gud battery backup.Any one experienced this,i.e.,proble wid Win7…
narumanchianji says
ubuntu is not differentiating one mobile wireless from other. pl go to mobile wireless, add the reliance and save then if necessary enable mobile wireless in networking.
EZWebHosting Review says
Whatever the performance may be and how hard the configurations are, getting the Mac OS into netbooks would be a real hard one. It always sets best with larger screens.
turjoy says
can i use jolicloud on 1 Gb ram and i GHz processor intel core 2 duo