Ubuntu is a bit heavy for it, but as htorque said it will run. Perhaps use Unity 2D instead of 3D for better performance though. Xubuntu is a great, easy alternative however, it's lightweight, fast and nice looking as well.
I tested both Ubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit with Unity-2D and Xubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit on a 2010 Lenovo s10e netbook featuring a single-core Intel Atom N270 at 1.6GHz with 1.5GB of RAM.
Ubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit
Ubuntu 12.04 32-bit with Unity-2D was tried out first. This set-up was certainly workable on this machine. Nonetheless, there was always about 10 to 12% CPU activity when running only htop. After working a while with this desktop you start to notice it is subtly sluggish, up to the point of provoking a headache.
Xubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit
This is why I decided to try also Xubuntu 12.04 32-bit. I also upgraded XFCE to 4.10 from a PPA. The result is an extremely snappy desktop. Only 3 to 5% CPU activity when idling on htop and CPU fan use is noticeably less. All this results in a full four hours of off the grid computing on this ageing 6-cell 10.8V 4.36Ah battery. In spite of my fears, all screen elements and menus are fully visible on this small 1024 by 576 pixel screen. Xubuntu is definitely the right choice for Atom-based netbooks.
Here is how I eventually organised my Xubuntu desktop. Note how only 167MB RAM is being used after logging in.
Yes, it will run, but it won't be fast (slow CPU, little RAM, slow HDD). I'd probably also try the lightweight Xubuntu and Lubuntu.
Ubuntu is a bit heavy for it, but as htorque said it will run. Perhaps use Unity 2D instead of 3D for better performance though. Xubuntu is a great, easy alternative however, it's lightweight, fast and nice looking as well.
I have an Intel atom 1.8G with 4G RAM and xubuntu 64 bitruns flawlessly. It would be a wise choice.
Intel Atom
I tested both Ubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit with Unity-2D and Xubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit on a 2010 Lenovo s10e netbook featuring a single-core Intel Atom N270 at 1.6GHz with 1.5GB of RAM.
Ubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit
Ubuntu 12.04 32-bit with Unity-2D was tried out first. This set-up was certainly workable on this machine. Nonetheless, there was always about 10 to 12% CPU activity when running only
htop. After working a while with this desktop you start to notice it is subtly sluggish, up to the point of provoking a headache.Xubuntu LTS 12.04 32-bit
This is why I decided to try also Xubuntu 12.04 32-bit. I also upgraded XFCE to 4.10 from a PPA. The result is an extremely snappy desktop. Only 3 to 5% CPU activity when idling on
htopand CPU fan use is noticeably less. All this results in a full four hours of off the grid computing on this ageing 6-cell 10.8V 4.36Ah battery. In spite of my fears, all screen elements and menus are fully visible on this small 1024 by 576 pixel screen. Xubuntu is definitely the right choice for Atom-based netbooks.Here is how I eventually organised my Xubuntu desktop. Note how only 167MB RAM is being used after logging in.