Once we’re up and running, we’ll make a few changes to Ubuntu to make it more netbook-friendly. We’ll disable visual effects by going to System->Preference->Appearance, and selecting None from the “Visual Effects” tab.

Next, we’ll turn off virtual desktops by right-clicking on the virtual desktops area in the bottom right-hand corner, selecting properties, and turning the number of desktops down to one.

Now Ubuntu should be running smoothly, but you may notice some problems. Some netbooks have hardware difficulties that need to be worked out before you can use all features of your device in Ubuntu. Eee PCs can work around these problems with aforementioned Eeebuntu distro, and can check this page for additional information. Aspire One users can find workarounds at this site. Other brands don't have as well-documented issues, so you're probably in the clear. If you do run into any problems, a Google search will probably help you find your answer.

Installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix

Once you’ve ironed out any system-specific kinks, we can get to work installing the Netbook Remix, a set of packages for Ubuntu designed to optimize the operating system for the Intel Atom processor and to increase usability on the small netbook screen.

First, we’ll need to add some package repositories to Ubuntu. Click System->Administration->Software Sources. Now, check the box next to “Community-maintained Open Source software (universe)” Next, go to the “Third-Party Software” tab, and click the button marked “Add..” Enter the following:
deb http://ppa.launchpad.net/netbook-remix-team/ubuntu intrepid main
Then click “Add…” again, and enter this:
deb-src http://ppa.launchpad.net/netbook-remix-team/ubuntu intrepid main
Close the window and, when prompted, choose to allow Ubuntu to refresh its list of packages.

What we’ve just done is add new repositories to Ubuntu’s list. A repository is a server that hosts packages for users to download and use. These repositories contain the packages we’ll need for the Netbook Remix, so now we’re ready to install it on Ubuntu.

The easiest way to do this is through the command line. Open a terminal window by clicking Applications->Accessories->Terminal. In the terminal, enter the following:
sudo apt-get install go-home-applet human-netbook-theme maximus netbook-launcher window-picker-applet

Because you, as an informed computer user, probably want to know what exactly it is that you’re doing on your system, let’s take a closer look at that command in the last paragraph. Sudo tells the system to execute the following command as though it were coming from the superuser—the root account with all system privileges. In Ubuntu, you cannot directly login as the superuser; sudo must be used to perform any action that requires root privileges, and is therefore a very common command. Apt-get is the program being executed here. “APT” is short for “Advanced Packaging Tool,” a package retrieval interface, and apt-get is a program which implements that APT interface to retrieve and install packages. “Packages” are (more or less) just programs which include information which allows the package manager to easily install, update and uninstall them. Install is an argument to apt-get which specifies that we want to download and install some number of packages, the names of which come after install. Thus, we’ve simply told the computer to look online, find the specified packages, and install them.

Now that the packages are installed on the system, we’ll need to tell Ubuntu to launch two of those programs on startup. To do this, simply click on System->Preferences->Sessions, then Add. A box will pop up; in the middle field enter /usr/bin/netbook-launcher and enter something descriptive in the name field, like “Netbook-Launcher.” Repeat the process, this time entering usr/bin/maximus in the middle field.

Now, if you log out and back into the system, you should be looking at the Netbook Remix home screen. Pretty snazzy, right? But we’re not done yet. On a small screen like a netbook’s, having a bar at both the top and bottom of the screen takes up a little too much space. We can free up some real estate by getting rid of the bottom panel by right-clicking it and selecting Delete This Panel.

“But how will I see my minimized windows?” we hear you saying. Well, the netbook remix packages we downloaded include ways to shift that functionality up to the top bar. Right click on it and select Add to Panel… You’ll see a list of widgets that you can add to the top panel, as well as the option to make your own launcher button for any app on the system. You can pick whatever you like out of the list, but the Window Picker is definitely worth checking out, as it gives you taskbar-like functionality on the top of your screen. The Go Home applet is also handy, as it allows you to instantly view the Ubuntu Netbook Remix homescreen whenever you want.