Jolicloud is about to enter into Pre-Beta and we are dropping the invitations. We consider the product and its installation stable and simple enough for a broader release.
At Jolicloud, we believe people should be able to switch operating system on their netbooks. Like the adoption of Firefox made the web 2.0 possible, enabling users to switch OS will accelerate the growth and benefits of open cloud computing.
The most compatible netbook OS
Jolicloud is now compatible with almost every netbook. With our recent announcement on the GMA500 support, we think we did quite a good job in enabling 98% of netbooks with out-of-the-box compatibility (only some netbooks running VIA C7M or using the old AMD GEODE are still a bit slow or do not have optimal graphic support. We don’t loose hope of seeing these models gaining faster and better support in the future).
We are very excited by this coming release and I’d like to walk you through some of the new features that will be part of it. Don’t forget that later in the year our Beta will also have more announcements of its own including our new launcher.
So what is in this Pre-Beta release?
Jolicloud Express: our new Windows installer
With Jolicloud Express, our dream of turning any Windows netbook into an open Jolicloud machine becomes a reality.
Our Windows installer makes the process as easy as installing a new browser: All you have to do is to download the Jolicloud Express program on your Windows netbook, launch it and follow a couple of simple instructions. That’s it!
A gorgeous Jolicloud installer for Windows XP and Windows 7
As most netbooks use Windows, we thought that was the best way to go. Of course we will keep the old way of installation so if your netbook is using Linux or if you have multiple OS on it, you can still install using the ISO or an IMG and a USB key.
Note that Jolicloud Express installs Jolicloud alongside Windows, keeping your Windows data absolutely safe. At any time if you want to remove Jolicloud, you can do it by accessing the add/remove program in Windows. The installer will soon be available in the download section of our website. Our team is finalizing and polishing a very slick final version with our new interface design.
Jolicloud Express has the easiest installation ever!
A New UI
Our focus has always been to remove the complexity of traditional operating systems to let you enjoy a fast and fun experience. In the coming months you will also discover our new UI and design. We already redesigned a lot of icons and we will push an updated theme that brings more consistency to a lot of the UI elements. Our new improved theme is currently being tested and will be rolled out as an update.
Our new login screen
An up-to-date kernel version that introduces our optimized Atom framework
When you are using Jolicloud, you may not know that you are using the most advanced Linux kernel (2.6.32) and the most optimized framework for Intel Atom processors. This framework will enable strong improvements in boot speed and video management. 175 patches and updates have been included so when you download this new version you don’t have go through the upgrade process.
Our team is committed to bringing the latest improvements to your netbook. To share more with you on this, we just started a new blog: building.jolicloud.com. If you are into technology you can pay a visit and learn more about our technological improvements and challenges.
Thanks for being part of our Alpha program!
I would like to share a bit about our Alpha program: We are thrilled to announce that over 60,000 invitation codes have been sent!
You guys are awesome! Thanks to the thousands of feedback messages and user reports, we have built what we consider to be the most stable, out-of-the-box and advanced Linux-based platform for netbooks.
We want to retain this special relationship with you. This is why all the Joliclouders who have registered with and used Jolicloud during the Alpha program will gain a special status in their profile: ‘founding members’. This status will let you enjoy advance testing and exclusive features! Jolicloud was made for you and you made Jolicloud.
Netbook Twitter control, our new HTML5 launcher and more to come soon
We are now working on the Beta and a lot of fun announcements will be made during LeWeb conference in Paris on December 9th. We will also be at CES in Las Vegas in January, where we hope to release the Beta. It will introduce our new HTML5 user interface, which will replace Ubuntu Netbook Remix and we hope will blow your mind.
We will also introduce a cool feature that enables account to control each of your Jolicloud machines via Twitter. Yes you heard us, you are going to be able to follow and control your machine’s via twitter.
Our new boot screen
The Pre-Beta is currently being pre-tested by some of our users on netbooks that we don’t have. We will let you know as soon as it is ready! If you have the alpha version, the only thing you will need to do is to upgrade your system.
The convergence of the cloud, mobile connectivity and affordable netbooks is powering a computer revolution that everyone can be part of. Together let’s build jolicloud and make it one of the driving forces in this revolution.
Hey guys keep up the great work! BTW I love the HP mini for the icon on the new user interface! LOL. I’ve been running regular UNR 9.10 lately but I’m excited to come back to jolicloud and check out all the changes!