The Register is reporting today that Michael Dell doesn’t think you’ll like your little netbook.
“If you take a user who’s used to a 14- or 15-inch notebook and you say ‘Here’s a 10-inch netbook,’ they’re gonna say ‘Hey, this is so fantastic. It’s so cute. It’s so light. I love it,’” Dell told Silicon Valley’s tech-obsessed Churchill Club during an appearance Tuesday night. “But about 36 hours later, they’re saying ‘The screen’s gonna have to go. Give me my 15-inch screen back.’”
What operating system to run on a netbook in 2023?
There are numerous modern OS options available for running on a netbook’s outdated hardware, including 32-bit processors. Linux distros like Arch Linux, Raspbian OS, Linux Mint, and Kali Linux can run well on low-end or obsolete hardware. ChromeOS Flex, designed to give old laptops a new life, is a good option if you can upgrade to 2GB or 4GB RAM.
For 512MB or 1GB models, you will have to use extremely light operating systems and graphical environments. This may be OpenBSD, Debian, or Arch with fvwm or IceWM. Be sure to learn all you can with the command-line.
You may find some trouble with certain Intel-based graphics chipsets, like the Intel GMA 3150, on Linux. This is just a rebranded mobile chip that has completely close-sourced drivers.
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