Presto – It’s Not Chrome OS But It’s Here Now
Posted on 09 July 2009, at 9:15 am, by Dan Cohen
The tech world was buzzing (twittering???) today with the news that Google is actively working on an operating system based upon their Chrome browser. It was exciting news that help explain the sudden removal of the “beta” tag from many of Google’s offerings such as Gmail. The announcement is anything but a surprise. Not only had there been rumors on numerous occasions regarding Google’s move into the OS world but it’s clear that Google has been actively extending its reach, or shall we say — empire and this is certainly a logical move toward total domination of our online lives.
Initially I wasn’t all that interested in the announcement. After all, this operating system as headed primarily for netbooks and the small device that I’m hoping for will not be called a netbook and will run OSx or OSx iPhone.
Then I got to thinking — just a few days ago I spent an afternoon exclusively using my HP 2140 netbook. I have the diminutive computer tricked out about as far as it can go with 2 GB of RAM and a 32 GB SSD drive. Still, I found browsing on it a challenge and I was happy to get back to using my iPhone for basic mobile computing. I started wondering if the experience using Chrome OS would be any better. Only one problem — it will be many months before we even see an early release of the new operating system. So we have to be patient, right?
Not so fast. There is an option around and while it certainly isn’t going to be as exciting as Google’s Chrome OS it’s worth a look. It is called Presto and I’ve been using it on my HP 2140 today. Let’s take a look.
Presto only installs and runs on a machine that already has Microsoft Windows XP or Vista. Its claim to fame is that it allows you to start a computer that is completely off, and be up and working in mere seconds. As their marketing describes it –
Why wait? Get Presto — start e-mailing, surfing, chatting and editing documents, seconds after you turn on your PC. Shut down instantly.
With Presto you can even start up your computer in seconds or shut down instantly, like magic. Send e-mail, chat, Skype, listen to music, surf the Internet or download apps — before Windows XP or Vista even boots. Browse the web securely using Firefox, chat using instant messaging, make free Skype to Skype calls, listen to music and watch videos, view and edit documents created in Microsoft office, download games and other apps from the Presto application store.
Downloading and installing Presto occurs from with in the Windows environment. I downloaded the application of about 500 MB and installed it with ease.
It installed just any other application installs in XP and when I was done it simply invited me to reboot my computer. This time, however, when the computer began to boot I was given the choice to either boot into Windows XP or into Presto. (A nice configuration that occurs automatically is that if you don’t indicate that you want to boot into Presto within a few seconds it automatically boots XP.
Since part of the claim to fame for Presto is that it boots far more quickly than XP and decided to do a little test. Here’s a quick video showing first booting into XP and then booting into Presto. The results speak for themselves.
As far as using Presto — it’s not a bad experience. It allows you to configure the launch bar and includes the ability to automatically hide it regardless of where you place it on your screen. This is a huge benefit on a 10 inch screen. In addition, since Presto is basically a Linux-based OS layer, there are a good number of free applications that can be downloaded. I loaded a decent IM client, Skype, and OpenOffice. There’s no question that browsing in Presto is a quicker process. In other words, for much of the work that one would do on a netbook Presto is an excellent option and a $20 it’s likely a worthwhile investment for anyone running XP or Vista on the netbook. It’s probably not the best option if you’re going to be doing a lot more work than that but then again, net books aren’t intended to be workhorse computers in the first place.
Presto gives a 14 day trial. Â A license key is just $19.95 per machine with a discount if you purchase a number of copies.
The major downside for me is that one of the main uses I have for the netbook, and the reason I have kept it this long, is to run Dragon NaturallySpeaking 10 on a light, portable device. (It still beats MacSpeech Dictate by a mile!) Obviously, that requires booting into XP. The nice thing about having Presto on the HP 2140 is that I now have a choice. If I want to do some light browsing, I can boot into Presto. If I want to check my e-mail, I can boot into Presto. If I want to quickly check my RSS feed… Presto. And  want to dictate something with excellent accuracy thanks to Dragon NaturallySpeaking version 10 (w I can boot into the XP side of things.
Then again, if I’m looking to do light browsing, check my e-mail, or catch up on my RSS feeds, I’ll probably just use my iPhone.
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July 9th, 2009 at 9:49 am
It just isn’t basically a Linux based OS layer…it IS a Linux OS. It uses X windows. It uses GTK. It uses several other popular Linux programs and launchers. In fact, it’s from the folks who gave us Xandros Linux….which was the FIRST netbook OS as it was on the original Eee PC. That is why I refuse to pay $20 for a license. I’d PAY 20 to projects that will make a difference (individual software projects, Ubuntu….so on) to help them. This Presto stuff won’t amount to much and is doable with Ubuntu and other Linux’s. In fact, you can use wubi to install Ubuntu on top of Windows and it shows up as a program in the Add/Remove Programs list.
July 9th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Interesting application – I would echo the comments from Joel re: paying for a Linux application.
I just went from Win 7 to Ubuntu Netbook Remix on my HP Mini 1030. 2gb ram and a 16g SSD – from power on to usable OS in 41 seconds.
For light browsing, etc Ubuntu works very well – now, it won’t give you the Naturally speaking option but…
July 9th, 2009 at 9:35 pm
There is another option, I’ve also been playing with on one of my machines. Essentially – I’ve put together a list of applications that are in the “cloud” – Google docs, spreadsheet, remember the milk, Mint, etc. For each of these, I’ve created an application shortcut to the URL in Chrome.
Application shortcuts are a very nice feature – that haven’t gotten a lot of pub – but it’s a great way to open and work in a web application – with a feel for it as a true application. I believe there is an add-in for Firefox that gives you the same functionality – not sure what it’s called.
While startup and shutdown times are one measure – I do also value the performance of applications as I work – and the ability to work all day in functional enterprise worthy apps, storing everything online so there is no risk of data loss – is a pretty nice option.
Obviously, some web apps work better than others – and you are limiting yourself to only working where you can go online (although Gears is getting better and better)
Still – its a fun experiment – to restrict yourself to working all day w/ just apps in the cloud…
July 9th, 2009 at 9:40 pm
For people who know and are comfortable with Linux like the two of you I would agree but for the rest of us the price is relatively small to get something that is well packaged, brings with it some customer support and is easy to use.
Plain and simple, this isn’t marketed for someone like Joel. Me, I was more than willing to spend $20 to get something simple, fast and supported to use one the HP2140 and don’t have any interest in the time and fuss it would take to do what he suggests.
July 10th, 2009 at 11:45 am
Yeah, I’m with Dan on this. Twenty bucks for a dead-simple install like this is money well spent for non-Linux folks.
That, to me, is the reason Linux has not made any real foothold in use: you have to spend time and effort on research just to find where to get it and then how to install it. A one-click is quite the value add, and the 10-minute trial (that never expires) makes it risk free.
I found this review while in the midst of my own search for a Linux install, and it’s ended that search: why waste time on a problem that is already solved. This reminds me of the conversations I have with car nuts. I am writing this in a coffee shop while some high school kid changes my oil at the shop a few doors down. I can and have changed my own oil. I understand the differences in synthetic and natural, various weights, brands, etc. But I don’t care. I want to get in my car and drive, not worry about the inner workings of the crankcase. That’s why Mac OS succeeds so well: it takes everything that no one wants to do out of the picture. WIndows is stuck halfway between. It’s making decisions you don’t want half the time, while rewarding those who spend the time tweaking with faster operation and the Geek Cred to charge for their services tweaking the machines of those who don’t want to spend the time.
I ran the Presto installer on an old Thinkpad they were dumping at work. The standard Windows load, even after I’ve killed off the cruft that IBM puts on, makes it a slow, irritating machine to use. I consistently have to go in and “Use WIndows to choose my wireless network” and then pick it from the list, because some time in the past, I used an IBM tool to edit it, and can’t get control back. Presto, after entering the password once, connects every time. There were no driver issues for any hardware, the trackpoint works better than under Windows, and the whole machine is faster, with no background hard disk activity. In my research for Linux (which had only gone 2-3 days, nothing deep, I’ll admit), I was reading about drivers, networking, and choosing the right distro for my hardware. I’m not making this up. I’m a Mac guy, but support both platforms, and didn’t want to spend time learning everything about Linux. I just wanted to see if this little x40 was good enough to keep as a text editor/web machine.
My time, whether it’s changing the oil in my car or installing a faster, better OS on a computer, is worth far more than $20. The money is not for a license, it’s for the convenience.
Congrats to Presto for realizing this and monetizing the solution. All you other Linux folks out there: put together a package like this, and those seeking an alternative to Windows will beat a path to your door. Or you can just say “This is doable with Linux, so not worth the money.”
Twenty dollars is 4 cups of coffee – not much for most folks who don’t want to learn the ins and outs of an OS. There are three guys (realtors, I believe) in a corner table fighting with their laptops and the wireless right now. I could walk over and make $20 just solving their connectivity issue, if I really wanted to. Multiply that by, say, the 50 folks in your circle of friends, and you’re talking a nice little hobby income. This is the same thing that has propelled the iPhone App store: automate something that is “doable” but takes time or is just twiddly, charge a low-ball figure, and sell a boatload of copies. Rinse and repeat. There are quite a few folks out there making serious money on 99¢ apps that do easy things.
July 13th, 2009 at 1:48 pm
One thing you guys who say Linux isn’t easy to download and boot like this presto….FOR FREE….you need to look at Unetbootin. With Unetbootin, you don’t even have to download the ISO before hand. You download Unetbootin (which has a Windows version) and put a blank thumb drive in. Choose the distro you want and it downloads it and makes a bootable USB drive.
I have to say I do NOT agree with Xandros. Presto is no different then a live distro or a WUBI install. You guys seriously need to look at:
http://wubi-installer.org/
as well as:
http://unetbootin.sourceforge.net/
Using Ubuntu is NO different than using Presto. Anyone who says it is really needs to look more at those two tools above.
Using and trying Linux has NEVER been easier than it is now. You don’t have to know a thing about the command line. You don’t have to pay Xandros for the right to use what is already free and open source software.
Also, installing Linux is WAY easier than Windows even. With Windows, you have to download drivers and that’s just to get your hardware working. I feel safe in saying that most Netbooks work fine with Linux 99 percent of the time. The other good thing is after you install Ubuntu or Fedora or whatever distro you want, not only do you have a OS installe,d but you have a office suit, a browser and many more pieces of software that Microsoft ships separately. With Ubuntu, I feel my son, with little instruction from me, can install Ubuntu with no problems. He’s also only 10 years and not as super geeky as his dad.
I do NOT buy it anymore when people say Linux is too hard for Joe Six Pack. It doesn’t hold water with me any more.
Smitty: You need to check out the Linux Reality Podcast. Chess Griffin has a AWESOME set of newbie podcasts. He’s done producing shows, but most of what he has in his show still is relevant. Also, check out:
http://www.ubuntu.com
Ubuntu is, by far, the easiest distro to get things going. The best thing to do is IGNORE all of the site stelling you about picking the right this or that. Download the latest Ubuntu ISO or use unetbootin to make a live thumb drive. Boot the thumb drive and see what works. If everything does, then install and you should be golden.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:29 pm
OK, I have spent the past hour trying to make these links work. I realize that most of it is just that this slow little WIndows box only has 512 MB RAM, but I tried several of the above suggestions and was not able to download anything that would run or help me. Here’s a quick report – the bride is home and bicycles are calling our names:
The Ubuntu site looked promising, but then there were the decisions that had to be made: Desktop, “Netbook Remix” or server? I want a notebook version, but don’t have an Atom processor. And this little unit doesn’t have a CD drive (without hauling out the docking station). And clicking on any of the download buttons resulted in getting a huge list of “where to download, what rev. to download, what kind of computer is this for” type questions.
I finally did get Wubi to download, but it would not run. I deleted and re-downloaded the executable from within WIndows (twice) and from within Presto. No go. I tried it with and without a USB drive inserted. Nothing.
My suggestion:
• Find someone ignorant of Linux.
• Sit beside them with a notebook and pencil and let them operate the mouse/keyboard.
• Ask them to click the links above and install Ubuntu.
• Write down everything they do, and every question they ask you.
• Do not answer any questions until they threaten to walk away.
• Only answer the really hard ones, but write down all your answers in detail.
Now, with your notes, write a program that will solve the problems you have recorded on the pages of notes. Sell it for $20 per machine.
Or get Presto.
The more I try other solutions, the more impressed I am with this product. They have, quite literally, Macintoshed Linux. And from someone who has been a Mac owner and user since 1987, that’s high praise.
July 16th, 2009 at 6:50 pm
Smitty- thanks for taking the time and trouble to work through this. The final point you make is, to my mind, the salient one… when spending money on something the “thing” is only part of the equation. The time and effort it might save is a very real part of something’s “value”.