Thursday, July 30, 2009

Test Jolicloud with VirtualBox if you do not have a netbook.


If you don't have a netbook and want anyway to test Jolicloud on your x86 hardware you can also try a Virtual Machine by which your PC will act as another one.

How ? Well, follow the instruction that Harold, a Jolicloud user, has posted in a comment on the
Jolicloud Blog:

"To install Joli Cloud into a Virtual Machine with Virtual Box.

1. Run the command to create a bootable VDI image (without quotes):
“VBoxManage convertfromraw jolicloud-robby-alpha2-live.img jolicloud-robby-alpha2-live.vdi”

2. Run the command to create a new empty VDI image where to install the image with 4GB space:
“VBoxManage createhd -filename jolicloud-robby.vdi -size 4000″
Note: you can use -register option at the end of this command or register this VDI file from the VirtualBox later.

3. Create a new VM using the jolicloud-robby-alpha2-live.vdi (use the existing vdi option)

4. Attach the jolicloud-robby.vdi as a Primary Slave

5. Start the VM (boot)

6. Install

Then Enjoy…"

To do that, you need of course an Invitation from Jolicloud but also to install VirtualBox created by Sun Microsystems, Inc., a general-purpose full virtualizer for x86 hardware.

Presently, VirtualBox runs on Windows, Linux, Macintosh and OpenSolaris hosts and supports a large number of guest operating systems including but not limited to Windows (NT 4.0, 2000, XP, Server 2003, Vista, Windows 7), DOS/Windows 3.x, Linux (2.4 and 2.6), Solaris and OpenSolaris, and OpenBSD and now ... Jolicloud.

You should also check the GetSatisfaction page on the subject.

Another user, James Q. Stansfield, has a more complete list of instruction to use Jolicloud and VirtualBox here. His comment is: "Really tho, VirtualBox, while nice is painfully slow."

Disclosure: I have not tested it , I have a netbook ;-)

UPDATE: here is a twit by _sandro confirmg that:

i'm running it on a Dell XPS m1730. Speed is good (like a virtual ubuntu). Everything important seems to be recognized.

(FRANCAIS)

Pour mes lecteurs francophones, vous pouvez suivre les explications que donne @Exkwahando dans son papier: "Cloudcomputons ! Jolicloud sous VirtualBox" .Merci à lui, qui m'a mis la puce à l'oreille ;-)


Monday, July 27, 2009

Jolicloud OS works on a normal Dell laptop


New Jolicloud user, Jorge Luis Vargas Portilla, from Bogotà (Colombia) has installed Jolicloud on a normal laptop even if, at the moment, JOLICLOUD IS NOT OPTIMIZED for LAPTOPS.

I was intrigued and I emailed Jorge Luis and here is what he wrote to me (published with his autorization ;-) and with his own screen captures:

"Well I dont have a netbook, so I had to try Jolicloud on my laptop: a Dell Inspiron 640m.

I have now a triple Boot, Windows XP , Ubuntu 9.04 and Jolicloud.

Some things work better (in Jolicloud) than in Ubuntu, in example the battery last more and some apps run smooth but other things works pretty slowly, like the home screen it lags horribly when you click or point any icon.

And the video streaming doesnt work properly all the time.

To do the install, I selected the Dell Mini 10v option.

Well the screen vision its better than Ubuntu, the max resolution in Ubuntu is like 1280x800, but looks like 1024x800, but here the resolution is completely 1280x800, and you have more space to work.

3 things I didnt like in Jolicloud at the moment:

  1. the home screen looks exactly the same to Ubuntu ReMix,
  2. you can'y launch apps directly from myJolicloud screen, you have to go to the home screen and open them from there, and
  3. when you have an app open like facebook of twitter you can't just open a new window, you have to use that actual window to open links. I'm the kind of guy that keeps like 15 tabs open at the same time and sometimes all are facebook or digg, so that's kinda annoying.
But I really like the concept, even when it need a lot of work. And the best of all you can install any app you can on Ubuntu, you still having a terminal and even when they try to make it transparent to the final user you can configure anything you like with a couple console lines.

So that is the first impressions of a Jolicloud OS on a normal 14.1-inch laptop.

From the captures, that Jorge Luis sent and that I publish here, you can see that there is a lot of space left. Especially in the upper capture, Jolicloud has been setted on just 6 lines of text and that leaves a lot os space under it.

The 3 things that Jorge Luis does not like in Jolicloud (so am I) are the actual features of the OS even for normal netbooks like my Dell mini but I hope they will improve.

I was very much interested to know if and how a laptop worked with the Jolicloud OS even in its alpha stage. Well, it works !


So thanks Jorge Luis for your contribution !





Friday, July 24, 2009

Why Jolicloud is not optimized for a normal laptop or PC


A lot of people, including myelf, have thought of using Jolicloud the new easysimple OS not on a netbook but on an "old" PC or laptop.

Tariq Krim, CEO and founder of Jolicloud, has answerd to this on the Special Getsatisfaction page by saying that: since we have optimized the kernel for netbooks and smaller screen-size, we support only netbook usage of Jolicloud.

So if you want to try anyway to install Jolicloud on a normal laptop you should keep in mind , says Tariq, that :
As any linux you can make it run anywhere on a computer and a virtualization app like virtualbox. In general you would replace our optimized kernel by the generic kernel and figure out the configuration of the graphics drivers.

So some work in perspective but that could be useful in future to be able to sync applis on different PC not just netbooks.

A user reports that his Dell Inspiron 640m Laptop is working fine with Jolicloud.


If you need a Jolicloud Invitation read this

New message from Jolicloud in case you have not already an Invitation:

"If you are not invited yet, please use this link to http://bit.ly/7qmoz instead.
And get your invitation here http://bit.ly/CfqvC"

Link 1 will give you the 600 MiB Install download and link 2 will let you ask an Invitation code.

Hundreds of new users arriving on Jolicloud

The Alpha B release of Jolicloud, the easysimple OS for Netbooks, is now available to hundreds of new users every day.

If you are one of them, you should read the new How to Install Jolicloud page that has been rewritten and corrected.

Monday, July 20, 2009

1000 new invitations per day from Jolicloud, NOW

UPDATED!

Tariq Krim, CEO and founder of Jolicoud has just announced on Twitter that they ARE sending out 1000 new invitations per day to test Jolicloud, the easysimple OS for netbooks:

"We are now launching 1000 invitation per day. Invitation are sent by registration order."

Thursday, July 9, 2009

First VC round for Jolicloud: $4,2 M

So, while I am on holydays, Tariq Krim and Jolicloud has just secured their first round of venture capital found.
The Investors are : Niklas Zennström, founder of Skype and Kazaa and an early tester of Jolicloud ;-) and Gilles Samoun

The Jolicloud Blog has announced that:
Jolicloud (www.jolicloud.com), the Internet operating system for netbooks, announced today the completion of a $4.2M Series A funding round led by Atomico Ventures, in conjunction with Mangrove Capital Partners. The financing will enable the startup to accelerate the development of the product (currently in private alpha), launch its developer program, and expand its global network of partners.

About Atomico Ventures
www.atomicoventures.com

Atomico Ventures is focused on supporting European early stage consumer facing technology companies. Founded by Niklas Zennström and Janus Friis, co-founders of multiple successful internet companies, including Skype, Joost, Joltid and Kazaa, Atomico invests in passionate entrepreneurs with disruptive business ideas who want to build tomorrow’s global winners. Atomico has over 20 companies in its portfolio, including Seesmic, Fon, Jawbone, Netlog and Woo Me.

About Mangrove Capital Partners
www.mangrove-vc.com

Mangrove Capital Partners is committed to turn entrepreneurial visions into realities as a means to drive capital appreciation for investors. Our hands-on philosophy in all areas of business and technological development is the cornerstone of our investment strategy and positions us as a true partner for growth. Mangrove Capital Partners has invested in, among others, the following companies: Skype, Zink, Seatwave, Nimbuzz, Brands4Friends and WooMe.