Introduction
Download and Installation
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Boot Time
The desktop
Internet
Flash/Java
Music
Installing Applications
You can see from the image above that there are different sets of applications including audio, development, icons, themes, images, education etc.
There are also links for different categories of application such as internet tools, games, office etc.
When you click on a link it provides you with the option to install or download the application.
I had issues with both the “Install” and “Download” links. Sometimes there were broken links and other times the Install would just open Chromium without doing anything. The download link would download a .bod file but I was unsure how to load that as double clicking did nothing. After a quick search on Google I found the answer to the problem which was to make the .bod file executable. With the executable flag set it is then possible to double click and install the package.
UPDATE: Jeff Hoogland has notified me in the comments below this post that the install link works if you use the default browser that was installed with Bodhi which is Midori. I felt that this information is important enough to move up into the main article.
At this point I found another little quirk which was to do with the file manager.
As you can see from the image above the file manager goes off the edge of the screen on my netbook and there is no way of resizing it to fit the screen (as far as I know).
UPDATE: In the comments below Jeff Hoogland has stated that the file manager issue is to do with E17 dialogs being optimised for screen resolutions at least 768 pixels high. My netbook only has a height of 600 pixels. Again I think this information is important enough to put into the main article.
Run everything
The top shelf has a menu on it which is easy to navigate with an applications sub menu that obviously contains applications, a navigate sub menu which enable you to view navigate the file and folder structure.
Then you come to a menu option which says “Run Everything”. Now my instant thought was “Surely not”. Surely there is not a menu option that runs every single application installed on the computer. I was right to think that because “Run Everything” doesn’t run everything at all.
When you click “Run Everything” a small application appears that lets you search through the applications, windows and settings for the whole operating system. Simply start typing the name of the application you wish to find and it will appear in the window and you can launch it.
To load “Run Everything” you don’t just have to choose it from the menu. You can also load it by pressing “Alt” and “Escape”.
On a netbook this function is invaluable. The small dock bar at the bottom only has applications that I use regularly on it. The top shelf is usually hidden behind other applications that are open. To open an application that isn’t on the bottom dock I have to minimise the open applications until the top shelf appears and then navigate through the menu. However by using “Run Everything” I can just use a simple key press and start typing the name of the application I require. For me this is what stands Bodhi out from other Linux distributions on a netbook.
Using a netbook is all about maximising the screen’s real estate and so the less clutter you have the better. Therefore having shelves that hide and an application that can be called upon using a key combination to launch applications is perfect.
Desktop Themes
Summary
Other Linux Distribution Reviews
- Linux Mint 13 – With a hint of Cinnamon
- Linux Mint 13 – Everybody’s best mate
- Ubuntu – All other versions of Linux aspire to be this successful
- Peppermint 3 – The mint with no holes
- MacPup – How do you like this Apple?
- Puppy Arcade – Good idea but needs an update
- Android on a netbook
- Zorin 6 – The best operating system I have ever used
- Scrappy doo – Lucid has puppy powers
- Puppy Slacko’s no slouch
- Bewary the puppy
I love Bodhi because of its super light install but the first things I add is LXDE
Hi Gary
i use Bodhi for about a year now and i love it. Ur right there are some little quirks but most of them are easy to solve if you know a little bit about linux or if ur willing to learn. We have an awesome community on irc.freenode.net #bodhilinux if u have questions ask there 😀
I personally love bodhi because its so fast, its elegant and u can personalise everything, the everything starter is fantastic and the community is very helpfull
I think it is an ok system for beginners u can do everything by gui and u get help. It does a lot by itselve so u dont have to do everything manually
Just give it a try 😀
D4rth B4n3
The documentation ion the AppCenter explicitly addresses your complaints about the AppCenter. The AppCenter uses AptURL which is currently only supported in the included Midori browser and Firefox. Try using the Install links in Midori and you will get the behavior you're expecting. .bod usage is also addressed in the documentation. You need to make the file executable, then execute it.
As for dialogs off the screen, you can hold Alt and then left click and drag the window to get where you can resize it at a corner. Ideally this should not be necessary, but this is a way you can do it.
Thanks for the tips Tristam.
Gary, what profile was that you loaded? I burned the latest Bodhi the other day, but for the life of me, the network applet doesn't show up at all in the "Desktop" profile, making it impossible to connect to the wireless.
Fred in St. Louis
I used the netbook/laptop profile. See Tristam's message below for details how to get the network manager. However I have to say that it appeared straight away for me without having to go to the preferences menu.
Fred,
There was some trouble getting network manager appearing right in Bodhi 2. The Network Connections option in Menu->Applications->Preferences will get you where you can connect to your wireless.
–Tristam
Thanks for the review… I have an old Toshiba NB205 netbook I "inherited" a while back from a friend after he trashed his Windows with a virus, then immediately went out and just bought a new netbook. I tried a few distros on it. Ubuntu, Kubuntu and OpenSuse ran OK, but were sluggish on it. Crunchbang was quick but I didn't really care for XFCE. Then I tried Bodhi and have been running it happily for about 6-7 months. You're right – it is really great for netbooks, even old ones. I downloaded 2.10 a couple nights ago and will upgrade soon.
And, thanks, Tristam, for the hint in your comment about resizing dialog windows 🙂
I think E17 is a fantastic DE and Bodhi makes it very simple to get up and running. The forums are great and compliment the Debian/Ubuntu community well.
E17 has taken a long time to be stable enough for me to use everyday. I have been running with E17 for over a year now and am very happy.
Thanks for the write up! As Tristam mentioned both your complaints about the AppCenter are noted on the AppCenter main page – don't try to use a screw driver as a hammer.
As for the window size issue – as with most applications the E17 dialogs are optimized are for 768 vertical resolution – whoever opted for netbooks to have a 600 tall resolution had a sick sense of humor.
Finally the error message on Rhythm box – I'll go ahead and drop a bug report to their people – if E17 is displaying that message it means that the application is closing with something other than an "exit 0" meaning it should have encountered an error of some sort.
Cheers!
Thanks for the comments Jeff. As your points are key to the article as a whole I have moved them into the main post.
I like Bodhi becasue it is light and fast, yet also looks very good.
There is a ton of great artwork on the Art Wiki.
I use it as my main computer now, I make presentations on a daily basis and
want something that is going to look nice.
Well I too have Bodhi installed on my ASUS Netbook4G. It came with Windows XP installed and it was a nightmare. There's only a 4G HD and (until next week's delivery of my 2Gmodule) 512M of RAM! Needless to say with Windows on it you could turn it on, see the many error and update messages. The drive was 97% full and everything needed to be updated/upgraded. There were few useful programs installed and it had become a paperweight. A friend gave it to me when she got a Nook…she figured I could do something with it. WAS SHE EVER RIGHT!!
I have been an Enlightened Linux User since almost the beginning of Enlightened desktops and I am brand loyal. I've tried every other WM and DE and Shell around and always return to E so Bodhi was a natural choice.
I too the time to carefully choose packages, themes, icons, wallpapers and configurations. I have EVERYTHING I wanted on it. Cheese, Opera, Mutt, Thunar, Conky…etc…just to give you an idea. I am running a VERY gorgeous E17 desktop that is fantastic for this tiny little screen … and wait for it…all that and I've only used 74% of my HD!
I have but one more package to intall (dropbox) and now that I realize I can sync folders of my choosing I AM TRULY A MOBILE WARRIOR NOW! Thanks Linux World- Enlightened Linux Users Rock!
It is scary how much rubbish Windows puts on a machine. I have one laptop that runs Windows for work purposes and I turned off automatic updates as I like to choose when to update (I hate the message that says your machine will reboot in 10 minutes). Windows still shows this message despite automatic updates being turned off. Windows = No control.
this http://www.everydaylinuxuser.com site is so beautiful.this site depend on bodhi information.I have been running Bodhi Linux on my Acer Aspire One Netbook for most of this year but today I finally decided to upgrade to the latest version.
Gosgog:
Hi I was using an earlier version of Bodhi a while back and its quirks got to me, However I recently (4 days ago from my CD), have it set up the way I want and am very impressed, its lite & fast & boots in about 15 seconds.