Samsung is showing a modified N130 netbook this week running Moblin Linux. There are no plans to bring a Samsung-branded Linux netbook to the US market this year, but the Korean company could launch it somewhere else… or not at all.

The Moblin user interface was incredibly snappy and felt way more responsive than Windows on a netbook. In fact, it felt more responsive than Windows XP or 7 on pretty much any laptop I’ve tried. The menus popped up pretty much instantly, the animated transition effects were snappy, and overall, Moblin just looks like fun to use.

Of course, as with any Linux distribution, the challenge is that most people that are used to Windows or OS X will find that a Moblin netbook won’t run all of the apps they’re used to. If all you want is a web browser and an almost phone-like interface for checking your email, updated Twitter and Facebook, watching videos, and listening to music, the Samsung N127 would be an awesome device. If you want to run iTunes, Microsoft Office, or Adobe Photoshop, not so much.

Update: You can also check out my hands-on video to see how Moblin really flies on this netbook.

More photos after the break.

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13 replies on “Samsung showcases N127 netbook with Moblin Linux”

  1. You should stop implying people are stupid. If they are too dumb to use a computer, then they shouldnt use it in the first place. It’s like driving a car, if they dont wanna learn, they shouldnt drive. Let the losers being losers and teach to whoever wanna learn. Also a lot of modern Linux-based OS’s are a lot simpler to use than windows IMO.

    1. There are a lot of people driving who are too dumb to drive to. It doesn’t stop them. Unfortunately.

      I think what despisethesun is saying makes sense. A lot of modern Linux-based OS’s are easier than Windows but many users don’t know that and even if they did they are too used to Windows. They barely understand it, much less anything new.

  2. 90% of Netbook users have a more powerful primary PC or Notebook at home.

    90% of all netbook users just surf the Internet, Check e-mails, use Microsoft Office oras in this case, OpenOffice for Linux.

    So, definitely Linux Moblin would suffice.

    1. Linux would suffice, but the problem is it’s different. Not hugely different from a day-to-day usage standpoint, but different. I’ve had to deal with enough clueless users to know that most PC users operate a computer on muscle memory. They were shown how to do what they wanted to do once (or possibly a few times, depending on how little they wanted to learn) and they do the same handful of tasks exactly the same way no matter what. You’d be surprised at the number of people I come across who enter URLs into Google rather than just in the address bar, for example. For these people, Linux is a huge obstacle, not because it’s difficult to use, but because they never actually learned how to use Windows to begin with. These people shit bricks when they’re presented with Vista or 7, ffs, and they only re-train themselves when they’re dragged kicking and screaming into doing so.

      I say this as a Linux evangelist. These people are okay if they have someone around to help them learn to do the same basics so they can do them the same way all the time, but without guys like me around to help, they fall apart because they never actually learned how to operate a computer past a step-by-step level. I see people who use a computer EVERY DAY who hit these kinds of roadblocks when a Windows or program update changes something in even the most minor way. Moblin will do what they need to do, do it well, and be dead simple, but these users will still never understand it. I’m not trying to be an elitist here, but that’s the sad truth.

      1. Sadly, you are correct. It’s hard for many people to relearn something they barely know to begin with.

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