Microsoft-tainted distributions at position of disadvantage

A certain misconception that can easily be perpetuated is that SUSE will stride ahead of its counterparts owing to the pact with Microsoft. Fortunately, that's not the case. We recently highlighted a review that demonstrated the problem with SLED on low-cost laptops. It's no match for some of its competition and the following new review makes no exception.

Not so Eee-sy

In the UK, HP offers the Mini Note 2133 with the choice of Linux, in the form of Novell SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10.1, or Windows Vista Business. Both the SKUs have the same core specification, but the Windows Vista version adds a 6-cell battery and makes up for Microsoft's licensing costs with a €£50 price hike.

Our test unit came with Novell's Suse Linux 10 pre-installed, but unlike Asus, HP has made zero attempt to customise the installation to make it more accessible to beginners. If you've never used Linux before, that may make for a daunting first few hours with the 2133.