Ubuntu Netbook Remix vs. Google Chrome OS [Netbooks]

This is a follow-up to my post entitled, “Linux Netbook Showdown: Ubuntu Netbook Remix vs. Jolicloud Pre-Beta,” which is one of my most popular posts. Between Ubuntu Netbook Remix (“UNR”) and Jolicloud, I opted for UNR. Now, I find myself preferring Hexxeh’s Chrome OS Flow, though my netbook can triple boot into Windows 7, UNR or Chrome OS Flow.

Before I give you the “whys” and what factors to consider, I want to caution that Chrome OS Flow supports many netbook configurations but not nearly as many as UNR. Accordingly, if you are considering Chrome OS Flow, visit Hexxeh’s site to check for compatibility. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, here are the “whys”:

I use my netbook primarily for the browser and to access web apps. Both UNR and Chrome OS Flow support essentially the exact same browser, Chrome, and browser extensions. UNR has an edge though because you can install additional Linux software. So, if you want to run TweetDeck, for example, you might prefer UNR. (By the way, TweetDeck is difficult to use on a netbook because of the low screen resolution.) Chrome OS Flow affords more real estate on your screen for the browser because there is no taskbar, just tabs along the top edge. Also, Chrome OS Flow boots on my Gateway netbook (same hardware as Acer Aspire One) in about 10 seconds and shuts down in a mere 4 seconds. It is lighter on system resources which could extend battery life. Finally, one of my major peeves with UNR is the automatic update feature. Every time I boot up UNR, I have a long menu of updates that need to be installed which take quite a bit of time and bandwidth to install. While updates can be postponed or disabled, long downloads are a necessary evil of UNR. On the other hand, Chrome OS Flow operates with far fewer files (you can install it into a mere 2 GB paritition) and dependencies. Updates take less time and they are on-demand only.

UNR has some upsides, however. You can play MP3s locally, though I switched to the cloud-based GrooveShark music player to facilitate the move to Chrome OS Flow. UNR also supports a variety of other local software, including OpenOffice.Org. So, if you need to work on your computer while outside of Wifi range (or 3G, if you have it), UNR would definitely be a better choice.

If you’re thinking of making the move to Chrome OS Flow, I recommend that you make your system multi-bootable in case you change your mind later. Chrome OS Flow’s Wiki has a good tutorial for multi-boot.

If I’m overlooking some of the pros can cons of UNR and Chrome OS Flow, then please comment below.

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