INBOX: Netbooks are growing in popularity and have emerged as a threat to normal laptops

THERE WAS a time when the only way to really be mobile with a computer was with a laptop. Then came what were termed sub-notebooks – smaller laptops which still packed a lot of power.

But with the rise of the internet, much of the computing power we need has moved to the web, hence the emergence of the netbooks – a cut-down, small laptop with as simple an operating system as possible.

The other reason netbooks became popular was simple. Linux, a free operating system for computers, was cheaper to put on to these devices than Windows, for which hefty licences have to be paid to Microsoft by the manufacturer. With a free operating system and free software available for simple tasks like web browsing, e-mail and word processing, netbooks began to take off a couple of years ago. The result has been a threat even to the normal laptop market.

But Linux is not normally a familiar operating system to those who are used to the bells and whistles of Windows Vista or Mac OS. Instead, Linux-run netbooks run more like appliances and are therefore not really traditional personal computers in that they are less personally customisable.

The customisation element is supposed to be what you do on the web via the netbook, which is essentially a simple window on to that world. Of course, that doesn’t stop people messing around with them to make them as personal as possible. And Linux makes that possible.

The Linux operating system is essentially like an onion. The kernel lies at the centre, running the basics of the system. The next layer is a text-based interface where the system can be tweaked using text commands. The last layer is the user interface – what you actually see and use day to day.

Typical netbooks like the Asus Eee PC 900, the MSI Wind and the Acer Aspire One (AA1) might all look slightly different in the appearance of their operating system but they are essentially running identical Linux underneath. That’s the magic of the free Linux OS – you can have different versions, or “distributions” as they are known.

Most netbooks come with a pre-packaged version of Linux which is pretty simple. You can do all the normal things, but frankly the best advice I can give you is to sign up to online applications like Google Gmail and Google Docs for e-mail and word processing because they will probably have more power in their web applications that you will have on the netbook you’re using.

Also check out Zoho.com for a range of “Web-apps” which work very similar to desktop ones.

But since, by definition, netbooks are very limited in what they can do, you can try to upgrade your machine to a version of Linux called Ubuntu which will run more like a real, customisable PC.

Be warned that you will probably be voiding any warranty on the computer if you do this! It’s not possible to run through a full “how to” here, but just by Googling “linux netbook user guide” you will find lots of step-by-step guides to putting Ubuntu on your netbook. Have fun!