Jolicloud

Jolicloud is a linux variant which is very easy to install. It installs directly from Windows. After about an hour to download on a broadband connection, the installation creates a disk partition and a boot manager. The boot manager asks what operating system to start, either Jolicloud or Windows. This is a good way to keep Windows and try out Linux. Jolicloud has run well on this old Dell desktop and it looks great on a flat screen tv in the living room. Remember the user name and password that was set up in Windows. Also, remember the seperate Jolicloud online account details. After signing in completely, the home desktop has Chromium, a Chrome browser variant. Additionally, the screen contains to popular websites such as Facebook and Gmail. From an easy app directory, additional programs can be installed. However, most apps are only links for websites. Open Office is available to replace Microsoft Office. The first problem I had was the audio was muted. This was difficult to figure out but after changing the audio setting to Pulse Audio and also clicking on the audio button on the bottom. This is a design flaw, the darkened button does not look like the system is on mute. The second persistent problem I have not been able to fix is the nvidia graphics driver is not detected. This might be fixed with the new Jolicloud 1.1 update. Hulu Desktop is a good full program I hope works well after the graphics driver is supported. Overall, this is a good OS with great potential. It is very basic at this point, but gets most basic internet functions done well.