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Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex on the EeeBox

November 5, 2008 – 8:20 am

Ubuntu 8.10 Intrepid Ibex has been released last week, and we would like to share some impressions after a few days of use.

Hardware support

Ubuntu 8.10 supports most of the EeeBox’s hardware out of the box. There were only an issue with the Wifi adapter. We have covered in the installation guide how to fix that problem.
It recognized well my Samsung 22″ monitor and runs at a 1680×1050 resolution.
People with disabilities will find a screen reader and magnifier, as well as support for braille keyboards.

I have created a video to show how Ubuntu performs on the EeeBox.
You can notice some effects, and that the multimedia keys of my logitech wireless keyboard are working.

Multimedia

When you insert a memory card from your digital camera in the EeeBox, Ubuntu will detect it and suggest F-Spot, a great picture viewing and management software.

You can attach a tag to your pictures while importing them, which is a great way to organize your photos. Bloggers will surely appreciate.

Some countries have laws requiring to pay for media playback licenses. Ubuntu doesn’t have the right to play an MP3 or a divx out of the box, since it cannot pay for your license, but it will allow an easy installation of the necessary plug-ins (GStreamer).

Security

Encrypting and signing files has been implemented very well into Ubuntu. A right click on any file will give the option to Encrypt or Sign. The Encryption and keyrings manager will open then. You can create an RSA key with a length up to 4096bit, or an SSH key for a secured communication with a server.

Signing a document will generate a .sig file. In the following example, I have signed the archive wireless.zip. Opening wireless.zip.sig verified if the archive was 100% like the original.

By signing a text or a picture you can verify if the tiniest modification has been applied to your original document.

Overall impressions

Ubuntu intrepid Ibex succeeded in creating a very pleasant user experience with little details. To name one, if you hover mouse over an MP3 file in the file browser, the song will start playing. Quite useful if you are compiling a playlist from a large audio collection.
Ubuntu runs fast on the EeeBox, packs great multimedia and security features. The EeeBox would have been a much better offer with Ubuntu as the main operating system.