After many hours of work, Brad Linder and Adam McDaniel worked out a way to create a LiveUSB version of HP's Mi Edition OS. For those not familiar with that term, LiveUSB is similar to LiveCD, which allows you to run a Linux distro on your computer without having to install it or make any changes to your hard drive. Thus you have the benefit of trying out the OS (and working out any hardware kinks) before committing to an installation. LiveUSBs function in the same way, but some have the extra ability to write changes you make to the OS (such as adding programs and installing drivers) to the key, making it a portable operating system. Unlike most Linux distros (including Ubuntu, the Linux behind Mi), the installation process will overwrite everything on your hard drive instead of giving you the option to install alongside your current OS for a dual boot. Anyone who wanted to try it had to commit (or, at least, make a full backup and go through the trouble of restoring later). Brad and Adam were finally able to make a LiveUSB version of HP Mi OS so you can try it on any netbook and posted the instructions here. Beware, this process does require a pretty high level of tech savviness. Having to work in Terminal is enough to scare a lot of people off. But if you're intrepid enough, we'd love to hear how HP Mi runs on your netbook. In fact, we expect to see a lot of posts, videos, and hardware hacks over the next few weeks.
