Netbooks. Functional, Fun, and Better with Linux.

The latest  rage in portable computing are netbooks.  These are small, lightweight laptops with screens no bigger than 10 inches across, a maximum resolution of 1024 x 600, and weighing in at just over two pounds.  Asus has the most complete line of netbooks.  Their netbooks come in a variety of sizes and offer both Windows and Linux operating systems.  The Asus EEE PCs feature moderate to large capacity hard drives, Intel's latest Atom processor, 1-2 gigs of memory, and give you about 6-8 hours of battery life.In short, a portable, highly mobile computer that you can use all workday without every having to recharge while you're on the go!

I recommend the Asus EEE 1000 running Linux. It comes with a shockproof 40 gigabyte SSD (a flash hard drive), a terrific Xandros Linux distribution (which can be tweaked to give you the full desktop look and feel) and no Windows headaches.
 

 
As I mentioned, the Linux OS is very user friendly and features a picture menu that gets you to all your tasks quickly and easily. But, if you're like me and prefer a full Linux desktop, the EEE PC has a forum where users can go to get the simple instructions for "opening" the ful Linux desktop. the users there are also quite helpful in offering various tips and tricks to help streamline your EEE PC. 

YouTube.com  is full of reviews of all the Asus EEE PC netbooks as well as other brands.  You can see a video review of the Asus 1000 here.

Another contender in the netbook arena is the Acer AspireOne.  From the reviews I've read, the overall build of this netbook is outstanding.  It also comes with a very easy to use Linux distribution called Linpus Linux. And this Linux distro also has a tweak whereby you can open it up to reveal the full desktop. You can explore more at the forum dedicated to this netbook.

Remember, netbooks are designed more for accessing web content and not so much creating it.  Although, if you run Linux, you'll still have access to thousands of free software programs.  Another big plus over Windows!

I've discovered (and through the recommendation of my nephew Mike) the best place to buy a netbook (or other electronic/computer device) is at newegg.com.  They have great prices, great customer service and ship your item promptly and with great care.

So, if you decide to a netbook, my advice is you'll enjoy it more and have a safer, more secure computing and web surfing experience if you run Linux.

The Best Gift This Christmas! Linux!

It's so true. The Christmas gifts we remember the most and look upon fondly (and use the most) throughout the years are the gifts that someone either made or invested a good deal of thought into creating.  All too often we run off to the mall or big box store, grab something off the shelf, wrap it up, and give it to someone on our list.  And the gift usually gets tossed to the side.

This year, may I suggest a gift that will pay big dividends for you and the recipient in the years to come?  Give Linux for Christmas!  When you give Linux, you accomplish two things.  First, you learn how to download and burn an ISO file to a CD/DVD.

Secondly, you're giving a gift that will free the recipient of all Windows headaches and problems FOREVER! And lastly, anyone receiving Linux will now be engaged with the Operating System and its community.  In other words, when you run Linux, you get on a learning curve that will actually hep you understand and run your computer BETTER!  Linux will run and be quite easy to use from the get go.  And as you continue to use Linux, you'll actually get under the hood to tweak the system and learn some of the ins and outs.  And this is a good thing.

The Linux distro I'm recommending right now is Linux Mint. Linux Mint is an incredibly complete and stable OS!   Once you install it to your system, you'll be sufing the internet, playing DVDs and MP3 files, editing photis in Gimp,  writing documents in Office, etc.  Linux Mint does everyting Winodws does but at a better price. FREE! and Linux Mint has a wonderfully helpful community.

So, grab a stack of blank CDs (or DVDs), download the Linux Mint ISO, burn it to disk, wrap, and give a gift this Christmas that will keep giving in the years to come!

I'm back and blogging, baby!

Well, I was away from this blog for some time launching my own cartoon syndicate to distribute my comics. DBR Media, unfortunately, went out of business and I had to scramble to get my comic work out to newspapers. So, I formed GeorgeToon, Inc. and www.georgetoon.com and went to work distributing my comics.

It's been a real adventure and I'm making steady progress. but, I'm also considering creating a daily (or weekly) blog featuring all my comic features.

I'd be interested in hearing from visitors of this blog. Would you like to see my comics online in a blog? Would you like to read about my work routine? Please leave a comment and let me know.