Mail tfurrows [at] sdf.org
Great news for those wondering about the current status of Linux on the Lenovo S21e "netbook"! I was able to boot Ubuntu 16.10 from a USB 3.0 "nub", and install directly to the internal SSD without a hitch.
I created the bootable USB using Ubuntu's "usb-creator-gtk" command. It found the ISO file in my downloads folder and saw my USB drives. Booting the Lenovo S21e to linux was a simple matter of shutting down (no special shutdown was necessary), inserting the USB on the left side (the SS side, blue port) and pressing "F12" a few times after powering back up.
Internet did not work while booted from the USB, but it worked perfectly after install. Install went smooth, with no special gotchas; just install and reboot. Hopefully the knowledge that this works is helpful to someone out there that is hoping for something better than Windows for their S21e.
As you know, the S21e doesn't have much disk space. In Windows 8, I had <8gigs available to me, with very little software installed. After the Ubuntu 16.10 install, which includes an Office Suite and other things, I had 22gigs available, a huge improvement.
| Wifi | Broadcom BCM43142 b/g/n | WORKING out of the box, no config |
| Mouse | i2c-SYNA2B27 | WORKING out of the box, no config |
| Camera | Lenovo EasyCamera (13d3:5741) | WORKING out of the box, no config |
| Video | Atom Processor Z36xxx/Z37xxx Series Graphics | WORKING out of the box, tested Minecraft at lowest settings, works great! |
| Function keys | WORKING out of the box, no config, tested volume and brightness |
