Jolicloud OS For Netbooks Hits The Big 1.0 Version

Written by John Thompson on July 19, 2010 · Filed under Software 

There are a lot of netbooks on the market for summer 2010, with manufacturers continuing to cash in on the netbook craze that’s been going around for the past few years. After owning a few netbooks myself, I’ve found my experiences to be mixed. The deciding factor here hasn’t been the hardware, but the software.

When laptops first started shipping, they would tend to come with lightweight, custom Linux distributions installed as standard, and Microsoft didn’t even get a look in. Typically though, Microsoft cut some deals with the manufacturers and managed to make Windows XP Home Edition the de facto standard for these machines, leaving Tux out in the cold.

Just because Linux has taken a back seat in the netbook market doesn’t mean that distributions do not continue to innovate, however. Ubuntu has a netbook version dedicated for that use, and other operating systems have been making an appearance, such as Jolicloud.

As I found out during my week with Linux, a major advantage of the platform is Linux customisation. Vendors can create all sorts of distributions dedicated for various purposes rather than use Windows, and that’s exactly what the people behind Jolicloud want. It’s been around for a while already, in various stages of development. When it came out of early Alpha versions, it emerged as a strong contender for the best netbook OS available, merging the cloud with local applications and services.

Now, Jolicloud has found its way out of Beta, and the developers have been rolling out version 1.0 since it was announced just over a week ago. Users familiar with previous versions of the popular netbook distribution will notice various changes since the Beta version, with new technologies being implemented and the user interface being refined.

New Launcher Built In HTML5

One of the major changes you’ll find in version 1.0 is a new launcher, which is focused on simplicity and usability. When you want to install an application, you can do so with just one click. You can also customise the Jolicloud launcher however you want to, organising your apps to make everything work for you. In addition to this, you no longer have to manually update the applications that you already have, as this is taken care of for you by the operating system.

Apps and Social Streams

There are now over 700 applications to choose from when using Jolicloud, and the vast majority of these available are web apps, meaning you’re always connected to the cloud in many of the applications that you run. The social aspect of Jolicloud is ever present here too, with a stream taken from all of your friends who use Jolicloud, showing you what applications they’ve installed, so you don’t miss any great additions to the App Center.

The social stream doesn’t just contain information from your friends either; it also houses all the information by Jolicloud and third party apps to users. The stream of information here is similar to how Boxee delivers recommendations from friends, so there are no privacy issues, just a stream of information.

Where Can I Get It?

If you want to see what all the fuss surrounding Jolicloud is about for yourself, you can download an ISO image of the operating system for free.

Source: Jolicloud Blog