What are the problems?
Well it wouldn't be an operating system without problems, however we are pleased to report that even in this Pre Beta stage, Jolicloud is showing a level of software maturity that other larger companies should be worried about.  I noticed in the 24 hours I have been testing it that sometimes when switching application menus, the displayed applications can become a bit confused.  Also I feel a little restricted by the Apps available as its not easy to install my own repository as it is in other linux variants.   For instance, I wanted to install Tweetdeck and had to look for a how to online, however this was relatively easy and Jolicloud users are a friendly bunch.   I also cant get the mic to work as it should in Skype.   This prompted me to create a Jolicloud forum as a place for Jolicloud users to get together and chat as I noticed that many are using Facebook as a meeting place and its not really designed for this.   There have also been 3 further software updates in the 24 hours i have been testing, this shows that things are changing all the time and I am very excited to see where this little OS is going. 

Things I would like to see

Jolicloud is very unique, it has a great combination of social networking features, and its doing a great job of combining cloud computing with native apps and blurring the line somewhat.  However I do feel that this always connected experience could be improved with some kind of notification system architecture, so I am notified if someone sends me an email, or updates their Facebook.  Maybe it already has these features and I haven't found them yet but thats certainly a topic for the forum.  I also miss Growler from OSX as this gave some great notification support.

 

Could Jolicloud replace my current OS full time?

When i first installed Jolicloud, I did so on a temporary basis, however the more I have played with it, the more interested I have become.  I can honestly see myself being very productive on this OS,  I have downloaded open office and all of my favourite apps from My Jolicloud.  Overall, i’m extremely impressed, enough so to spread the word and use it full time as my main OS for my netbook.   I love the fresh look of the operating system and its inability to get a virus.  Its fast, slick and I recommend anyone using Windows XP on their netbook to seriously give this a try.  Its so easy to install and dual boot your machine without loosing windows, you would be mad not to test it out.   Battery life is almost identical to my previous OS.

For word processing duties, Open office is a great Microsoft Office replacement and as you can see, its both familiar looking and looks great on Jolicloud.   Did I mention its free??  On a final note I was also very impressed that even with all of my Apps installed, i’ve only used up 2.8GB of my hard drive. 

If you would like to ask any questions,  come an join the Forum.  Any Joliclouders out there, the questions are already starting and you are the best people for answering them .  I hope to see you all there.

Mark