Antergos

 by +Max Wachtel 

Antergos is an arch-based distro that aims to be user-friendly. It is fairly new and the installer that I am using is the testing version which has come a long way. They recommend using either the suse usb maker or dd (I went with dd). My computer, a HP/Compaq 6510b laptop, booted into Gnome with the wireless working which is needed because the installer downloads fresh. The sound works and this laptop has touch controls for sound and wireless which are working. The installer (cnchi) came up automagically.

                                   I chose the graphical installer

                          Then cnchi checks internet and disk space

                                            and set the language

                                                  and location

                                              now set keyboard

                                         next, choose Desktop

                        and then you choose what software you want

                  next, you choose where you want to insall Antergos.

                                                then click GO!

      the install took about 15 min, then rebooted into my new system

                         the package mgr for Antergos is pacmanXG

                                   and there is a lot it can do

     but it is based on arch so you can do it all with the command line

Over the past few weeks I've tried the gnome version of ubuntu, fedora, openSUSE and debian and none of them was as responsive as Antergos. I must say though, I don't mind using the terminal but having a graphical interface makes looking for programs eaiser. Between the offical arch repo and the arch user repo, I found all the programs I use in other distros. As I've always heard good things about arch but taking the better part of a day just to get to a usable desktop is a bit much for me. Antergos gives me what I want without the hassle! And if you get stuck, they have a very frendly and helpful forum.

On the inside it comes with chromium, music/video players and as I chose to include proprietary software, all media played without fuss. I like Clementine for audio and VLC for video and using pacmanXG is fast and easier than some of the 'others' that seem to take forever to finish. LibreOffice software is included but I removed it and installed Kingsoft along with abiword and gnumeric. I use Google Chrome instead of chromium and getting it, Dropbox and SpiderOak installed was fast and they were up and running in no time. I have a small home network and the arch wiki was very helpful in getting samba going.

All in all, I am very impressed with this distro and will be sharing it with all my friends. It's ease of installation is a big plus in my book and using arch as a base, they have a large selection of software for their users.  -- Max

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The Linux Inside Stigma

by Dietrich Schmitz

It's remarkable how Google doesn't mention the word Linux anywhere in their marketing of the Google Chromebook.

I mean, it's running the Linux Kernel, so shouldn't it be Google Linux instead of ChromeOS?

Why did Google carefully avoid references to Linux?

It's all a very carefully crafted, well executed plan of elegant branding and image making.

They have shown themselves to be very adept and facile at understanding buyer mindsets and recognize there is a viable 'mass market' which has a huge potential to buy.

The profile of this user is that of someone who really doesn't care anything about the technical underpinnings of a device.  They are not sophisticated technophiles by any means.  They have a set number of things which they wish to do--recreational surfing, banking, email, an occasional letter, not complicated.  They have financial constraints and can't spend a lot on said device (more than $500 for the average Laptop).

Access to the Internet is becoming a right and the cost of computers has traditionally put them out of reach by many.

The timing of the Acer C7 Chromebook could not have been better.  Overall sales during the 2012 Holidays were robust and Amazon's best selling Laptop was the Samsung Chromebook.   With this device priced at $200, it puts the Internet and computing within reach of the masses.  It levels the playing field.

The Chromebook is attractive for many reasons.  It's inexpensive, it has instant on (ok, 8 seconds), it has free applications built in, integration with Google Drive, it is very secure (Pwnium 2013 showed that), and easy to use.  Moreover, it is hard to break.  It is fair to say that the Chromebook has become a veritable Internet Appliance.

All of these attributes combine to make this a quite attractive option when shopping for a computer.  It is also quite attractive to OEMs who see that selling Chromebooks will require little post-sale support and returns will be low.  Turn on, use.  It does it well.

Google didn't mention Linux because they know it will scare buyers away.

That's unfortunate, but true.  And we need to come to terms with that fact and work towards improving the 'Linux Inside' brand image.

Yes, it seems clear we have a branding image issue here which we at Linux Advocates hope to elevate and improve with time and your help.


-- Dietrich

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