Asus Eee PC

[brauhaus]

Anyone have any experience with this computer?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YEMKGY/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I was thinking about picking one up to replace our home computer... now before anyone answers here is my "home computer", it's a SONY VIAO laptop with 30GB of memory and 512mb processor blah blah blah computer jargon and was bought brand new in 2002...

Since I've had it, i've reformatted the computer already and it's really showing it's age... I used to run a TON of programs off it, but after reformatting I lost most of them and decided not to re-install the majority of them b/c 1. I've fallen out of love with certain programs and 2. I lost the CDs to a few

Bascially the SONY gets used to surf the web and we take it on the road to check email and do small things with it, we hardly really use it b/c it's just out dated and sometimes is more trouble than it is worth...

I'm digging the Asus EEE PC b/c of the size and weight, it'll make traveling easy to tote this thing around rather than the SONY, I like the fact that it's basically for email, word processing and other small apps.

For work and basically as my daily computer I have a TOSHIBA SATELLITE that is fast, has all the programs I need and is a great all around platform, but it's a tad bulky and battery life is something that I wish this computer could utilize (dispite the power saving options it only lasts around 2 hours at the max, but the power save mode really makes performance suck and it's harder to do the simplest of tasks when in power save)....

Anyway, with USB ports and an SD card slot, i'm really digging this.

Anyone here have any experience with it?

 

[zbeeblebrox]

i don't have any hands on experience with it but i looked into it quite a lot. the only problems that i have with it are the small screen size. 7 inches. and the lack of hard drive space. it would be best to get an external usb hard drive the laptop sized ones. or a least get a large SDHC card for storage.
there is also something up with the memory expansion slot. apparently sometimes the slot doesn't exist, sometimes it does, and sometimes its replaced with more hard drive space.
other then that i love the thing. and if your not planing on playing games or anything that would require a lot of processing power then it would be very useful little device.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I recommend every person own a computer with Windows because if you are any kind of a professional anything, then at some point you will need to use windows... especially when you go looking for hardware support.

However, for a websurfing and emailing and word processing station, I highly recommend everybody jump on board with Linux. Get yourself an HP printer (which will be compatible straight out of the box) and go to town. Enjoy Linux's free software that's easy to download. Enjoy a virus-free experience without having to pay up for regular anti-virus upgrades. Enjoy a less-cluttered, leaner, OS.

For a free, simple, cheap computer that doesn't have to do anything in particular in any particular way, Linux is a viable solution at a perfect price (free). But still keep a windows machine laying around because sometimes it'll come in handy.

 

[brauhaus]

thanks guys... i'm hoping to pick one up to carry around while doing fire inspections.. it'll make for quick turn around on filing reports and i'm sure as hell not going to carry around my monster Toshiba around...

 

[Kevin Dean]

I recommend every person own a computer with Windows because if you are any kind of a professional anything, then at some point you will need to use windows... especially when you go looking for hardware support.

GNU/Linux rant!

I realize I'm in a "niche" position here, but I am a professional Free Software systems administrator and Windows is about as far from being Software Libre as it gets.

I stopped using Windows as a home computer over 5 years ago and I don't regret it at all. There's not a single thing GNU/Linux can't do UNLESS that thing is designed from the ground up to be restrictive.

You also say that Linux "lacks hardware support" but I'm not entirely sure you've used a default version of Windows. It comes with an IDE driver and a human interface driver - you want audio you need to install it yourself. You want 3D you have to install it yourself. Want to do something other than play solitaire, install it yourself.

If you use the right tool for the right job, you can use whatever operating system you want. Mac's, for instance, have "horrible" hardware support compared to Windows or GNU/Linux but few people who own Macs "trick them out" so to speak. If you own modems designed to run ONLY on Windows then you'll have a bad experience on anything but Windows - and I can't blame the operating system there.

Keeping the "right tool" thing in mind, the Asus Eee PC is designed from the ground up to work with GNU/Linux.

However, for a websurfing and emailing and word processing station, I highly recommend everybody jump on board with Linux. Get yourself an HP printer (which will be compatible straight out of the box) and go to town. Enjoy Linux's free software that's easy to download. Enjoy a virus-free experience without having to pay up for regular anti-virus upgrades. Enjoy a less-cluttered, leaner, OS.

You forgot something... The community. Only Windows fails to build a community - everyone else in the world actualyl ENJOYS using their computers.

For a free, simple, cheap computer that doesn't have to do anything in particular in any particular way, Linux is a viable solution at a perfect price (free).

It sounds as if you imply that not doing something a "particular way" is a drawback and not one of it's core strengths. GNU/Linux is software libre - software designed and developed with a user's rights and freedoms in mind. The goal is to give power to the user so they DON'T have to do things "Company X's" way. So users DON'T have to re-learn an office suite when some company decided not to sell the one they're used to. It's designed to ensure that user's music will still play in 10 years on the devices you own, or that they'll be able to burn it to a CD (legally!) to listen in the car. Designed so that you CAN use a different program if the one you've got by default doesn't work the way YOU think it should.

But still keep a windows machine laying around because sometimes it'll come in handy.

God kills kittens when you recommend Windows. Seriously though, that depends ENTIRELY on the user. I've met people who simply can't use anything but Windows because of their usages and I've met people who have no regrets at ALL of using GNU/Linux only.

I was thinking about picking one up to replace our home computer

You mention this being a "home computer" replacement and then mention it being an on-the-job system. As a bona-fide computer enthusiast I have to ask what you hope to gain. For mobility, that would be fine since it's small and light. The small disk space doesn't matter since you'll be productive ratehr than possessive - I'm assuming you'll be writing and sending documents ratehr than writing an storing. For a "home computer" which also stores (music, movies, documents, pictures, games) you can buy a hell of a lot more computer for the same money. You really have to evaluate why something would be good for your case.

Hope you are happy, whatever route you take.

 

[z987k]

nice plug for free software.

I have ubuntu 7.10 on my desktop and 6.06 on my old sony viao laptop that I'm typing from now. HAvent used windows since prior to 01'. Love it. I've not come across a thing I can't do with it yet, but I'm not in a corporate environment, rather an academic one where they tend to encourace free thinking.

 

[SwAMi75]

Anyone have any experience with this computer?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000YEMKGY/ref=noref?ie=UTF8&s=pc

I was thinking about picking one up to replace our home computer... now before anyone answers here is my "home computer", it's a SONY VIAO laptop with 30GB of memory and 512mb processor blah blah blah computer jargon and was bought brand new in 2002...

Since I've had it, i've reformatted the computer already and it's really showing it's age... I used to run a TON of programs off it, but after reformatting I lost most of them and decided not to re-install the majority of them b/c 1. I've fallen out of love with certain programs and 2. I lost the CDs to a few

Bascially the SONY gets used to surf the web and we take it on the road to check email and do small things with it, we hardly really use it b/c it's just out dated and sometimes is more trouble than it is worth...

I'm digging the Asus EEE PC b/c of the size and weight, it'll make traveling easy to tote this thing around rather than the SONY, I like the fact that it's basically for email, word processing and other small apps.

For work and basically as my daily computer I have a TOSHIBA SATELLITE that is fast, has all the programs I need and is a great all around platform, but it's a tad bulky and battery life is something that I wish this computer could utilize (dispite the power saving options it only lasts around 2 hours at the max, but the power save mode really makes performance suck and it's harder to do the simplest of tasks when in power save)....

Anyway, with USB ports and an SD card slot, i'm really digging this.

Anyone here have any experience with it?

That thing runs Linux. You do realize that no Microsoft apps will run on it, right? Not trying to be insulting, but I'd highly recommend doing your homework regarding software before plunking down the cash on one of those.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I'm all for using free software. I'm using Gutsy Gibbon as we speak. It's my only OS and I'm happy enough. However....

The fact that Gutsy Gibbon (Kubuntu) is my only OS is the reason why my digital 4 track is collecting dust. There just isn't enough demand for them to bother making Linux drivers for it.

It's also why my parents' $400 Canon all-in-one printer isn't being used. No driver support.

It's also why the iPod Nano that I won is still sitting in its box. None of these things work with my chosen version of Linux... unless of course I want to spend 3+ hours trying to figure out if maybe there's a way to make them work.

Oh well, I have a cheap RCA-brand mp3 player and it's fine for as little as I use it. And I have an HP scanner that works alright as long as you aren't trying to print anything like pictures. And I don't really play music anymore.

Other than that though, Linux is awesome! :cross:


(to be honest, I really actually need to build a windows machine for the rest of the stuff that I miss doing...)

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

That thing runs Linux. You do realize that no Microsoft apps will run on it, right? Not trying to be insulting, but I'd highly recommend doing your homework regarding software before plunking down the cash on one of those.

That's misleading. First off, most basic windows applications WILL run under Linux by using a program called "Wine" which emulates a windows environment. It works just like any other program. In fact, that's what I use to run beer smith. It will not run Windows programs, but all of the popular programs have a nearly-comparable (and free) equivalent in Linux. It also won't run Adobe programs. There is however a PDF viewer that is far superior to the Windows version and you can create PDF's with the Open Office equivalent to Word. Photoshop won't work, but the free version known as "Gimp" has 85% of what a serious amateur photographer or graphic artist would want.

It's true that Microsoft application won't work under Linux, however, for example, Open Office has the same types of software that Microsoft has and they are compatible. I have run powerpoint presentations off of Linux machines by using the free open office equivalent. I also create word processing documents and convert them into Windows Word format before emailing them off to MS Office users. Or, I can convert them to PDF's with the click of a button.

In short, whatever basic things you want to do with windows, you can do with linux. MS Office costs a few hundred bucks for the full version. Open Office is free. And they are compatible with each other. Just don't expect all the hardware to be compatible. That's really the big issue here. And also, do expect a little bit of a learning curve. Other than that, Linux is great.

(Again though, I still wish I had a Windows OS so I could do a few things with some neat hardware that I have... But if you have no cool hardware, no cool keyboard, mouse, printer, or whatever, then there is no reason whatsoever to load the bloatware known as Windows)

 

[SwAMi75]

That's misleading. First off, most basic windows applications WILL run under Linux by using a program called "Wine" which emulates a windows environment. It works just like any other program. In fact, that's what I use to run beer smith. It will not run Windows programs, but all of the popular programs have a nearly-comparable (and free) equivalent in Linux. It also won't run Adobe programs. There is however a PDF viewer that is far superior to the Windows version and you can create PDF's with the Open Office equivalent to Word. Photoshop won't work, but the free version known as "Gimp" has 85% of what a serious amateur photographer or graphic artist would want.

It's true that Microsoft application won't work under Linux, however, for example, Open Office has the same types of software that Microsoft has and they are compatible. I have run powerpoint presentations off of Linux machines by using the free open office equivalent. I also create word processing documents and convert them into Windows Word format before emailing them off to MS Office users. Or, I can convert them to PDF's with the click of a button.

In short, whatever basic things you want to do with windows, you can do with linux. MS Office costs a few hundred bucks for the full version. Open Office is free. And they are compatible with each other. Just don't expect all the hardware to be compatible. That's really the big issue here. And also, do expect a little bit of a learning curve. Other than that, Linux is great.

(Again though, I still wish I had a Windows OS so I could do a few things with some neat hardware that I have... But if you have no cool hardware, no cool keyboard, mouse, printer, or whatever, then there is no reason whatsoever to load the bloatware known as Windows)

I'm aware of all of that. From what I gather about Braehaus' post is that he's looking for a direct replacement for his home laptop, which he can also tuck under his arm and carry off to work. While you can make it work with Linux, it takes a bit of doing, does it not? The point I'm trying to get across is that unless he already has a working knowledge of Linux and is aware of the differences between it and MS operating systems, then the thing probably isn't going to work as he envisions it. But perhaps he is aware of these differences, and I'm just pissing in the wind.

 

[Klainmeister]

Hmmm, i've been running Ubuntu for about a year now and run my HP printer, ipod and all my other gadgets on it without issues. Also, you can run Windows programs through Wine, it's an emulator.

If you understand the package managers and what stuff can do, it's no biggie.

Just my .02

 

[brauhaus]

well, like i said, the home computer we use just for email, surfing and sometimes word, but for the majority of it's use it's very simple at that.

I have a laptop for work and it's not only my computer for work, but my wife and I have pictures stored on here, music (a very small collection at that) and we don't really use the "home computer" for anything exciting.

We don't watch DVDs on it, we don't have music stored on it (we had an ipod but sold it b/c we never used it), we don't have family photos on it (all stored on an external HD and on my work laptop), the only thing we use the home computer for is:

• email
• surfing the web
• very light word processing

from my understanding this little PC will be able to do all of that, plus it's added mobility will be of greater use when we travel.

plus, with this little guy, i'll be able to create documents and some other small things while on-site without having to lug around my work laptop, and with the many of memory sticks I have, storage is not really an issue.

we use my work laptop as our computer for everything, this little guy will replace the boat anchor home computer we have, but won't really be our home computer... if that makes sense.

 

[DUCCCC]

...It's also why the iPod Nano that I won is still sitting in its box. None of these things work with my chosen version of Linux... unless of course I want to spend 3+ hours trying to figure out if maybe there's a way to make them work...

Which Nano, last gen or current?


To the OP:
I think you'll be disappointed by the Eee PC if you actually intend to use it as a primary computer. Of course I'm a Mac user, so I'm supposed to be condescending about all other computers .


Matt

 

[brauhaus]

Which Nano, last gen or current?


To the OP:
I think you'll be disappointed by the Eee PC if you actually intend to use it as a primary computer. Of course I'm a Mac user, so I'm supposed to be condescending about all other computers .


Matt

well, that's what i've been trying to say all along... this is going to be used to just surf the web and mostly for me to take on the road for inspections and such.

i'm not buying this thing hoping to replace my work laptop and become our daily everyday users computer.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

well, that's what i've been trying to say all along... this is going to be used to just surf the web and mostly for me to take on the road for inspections and such.

i'm not buying this thing hoping to replace my work laptop and become our daily everyday users computer.

It will do those things, and quite a bit more, dare I say, better than XP ever did. Just make sure you're cool with the small screen size.

 

[DUCCCC]

well, that's what i've been trying to say all along... this is going to be used to just surf the web and mostly for me to take on the road for inspections and such.

i'm not buying this thing hoping to replace my work laptop and become our daily everyday users computer.

After reading some of the reviews on Amazon and Best Buy I think I want one now

It does look like it might be a pretty sweet little machine for traveling.

You might want to wait until a Merom powered model (rumored) is released. I'm not a big Celeron fan.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

With solid state storage, this thing ought to be wicked fast, too! Don't let the relatively slow processor speed deter you. As long as you're not asking it to do anything terribly complex, it'll be a great little portable machine. E-mail, web access, and simple word processing type tasks will be no problem at all.

Now I want one. Why do you guys have to keep giving me expensive ideas?

 

[DUCCCC]

My issue with the Celeron is power use. That's a hotter and more battery hungry processor than the dual cores.

 

[NitrouStang96]

The computer you linked is super-slow and is overpriced for what it is (except for the size bit). Even if you need something that small, I'd look for something different. I sold a 12" laptop twice as fast as that for under $200, and it had the USB and SD slots you want.

So, I'd look for something used and format it when you get it. I don't know what you're planning on running on it or what you plan on doing with it, but at a bare minimum I'd look for something with at least 512mb RAM (which isn't much but you might not need a full gig and 256mb is just not enough) and a 1.6GHz processor (you can get by with less, I am sure, but anything slower is painfully slow at times, especially with low amounts of RAM, and anything slower isn't going to be that much cheaper really). How much hard drive space you need is totally dependent on what you're doing, but at a bare minimum you'll want 20-30 gig.

If small size and battery life are your thing, by all means go with something like what you linked... just keep in mind that that particular one is pretty puny, and I'd hate for you to waste money on a computer that can't do what you need it to.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

My issue with the Celeron is power use. That's a hotter and more battery hungry processor than the dual cores.

Without spinning a hard drive, CD/DVD drive, or anything more complex than a fan or two, processor drain on battery life is probably not a huge concern.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

The computer you linked...
...
...waste money on a computer I'm not happy with.

I think you missed the point.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Edited just for you, special man.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

Here it is at newegg for $400. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16834220244

Reading the reviews, it appears that the surf model does not have upgradeable RAM, but apparently the one I linked to above will allow you to install 2G of RAM ($40) and an 8Gig Flashcard ($35).

Now, THOSE specs for an extra $85 makes a lot of sense. And since it has the Flash slot, the small hard drive isn't really an issue. You only need the HD for your programs. Everything else, you can save on a very large flash card. I believe the 16G flash cards are out now....

 

[NitrouStang96]

I'm going to add this:

The Sony Vaio you have right now is almost certainly faster than that little PC you linked.

Your Sony:
??? MHz/GHz processor speed (let us know how fast it is)
512 MB RAM
30 GB Hard drive

That PC you linked:
800 MHz (8 years ago this was enough)
512 MB RAM (same as your Vaio)
4 GB Hard drive (I don't know how ANY family could possibly use this)

You won't be able to save anything on it at all - Windows itself will take up the whole hard drive.

It's just not a sufficient "family" computer.

 

[Sir Humpsalot]

I'm going to add this:

The Sony Vaio you have right now is almost certainly faster than that little PC you linked.

Your Sony:
??? MHz/GHz processor speed (let us know how fast it is)
512 MB RAM
30 GB Hard drive

That PC you linked:
800 MHz (8 years ago this was enough)
512 MB RAM (same as your Vaio)
4 GB Hard drive (I don't know how ANY family could possibly use this)

You won't be able to save anything on it at all - Windows itself will take up the whole hard drive.

You have a good point. Maybe the answer is to keep the Sony and just install Linux on it. It will run much faster without the bloatware known as windows. For the OP's proposed uses, windows really is far too cumbersome of an OS.

Anyway, if he wants smaller and lighter, than the EEE is a good option. Honestly, 512M is still enough memory for a modest Linux machine. For windows, it's nearly worthless, but for Linux it's alright. And, besides the Surf models, it looks like the others are upgradeable.

Need more storage? Just buy a flash card. $35 for 8 gigs. Or buy an external hard drive. Honestly, if the things you create or download are important to you, you shouldn't have them on a laptop anyway. There's a risk of theft, or viruses, or human error. I'd much rather have that stuff securely tucked away on an external HD or a FlashCard.

So, who cares about the small HD? It's a laptop. Things you save or create have no business being permanently saved to it anyway. You just need enough hard drive space to hold whatever you've downloaded until next time you get home. Now, unless you're a hardcore porn surfer, 8-12 gigs on a FlashCard ought to be more than enough.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

You won't be able to save anything on it at all - Windows itself will take up the whole hard drive.

It's just not a sufficient "family" computer.

Yup, you did miss the point.

Not trying to be hard on you, but you have to read the full thread. He wants something more portable than a full-sized/full-featured laptop that he can use for e-mail, web access, and simple word processing-type apps. It'll work just fine for that sort of thing.

Windows would indeed take up the whole drive, but it runs a compact version of Linux, and it's compatible with all sorts of storage media.

I do agree that it's probably not a great replacement for a home desktop machine, but for a simple, highly portable machine for simple processing, it seems to be about perfect.

 

[z987k]

Nitrous that 800mhz processor will whip that sony's ass in pulling up applications, browsing the web and everything he is wanting to do with it. Why? The 4GB Hard drive is solid state.

If I had $400 dollars lying around that's what i'd buy... well if I didn't want a new bike and a new pair of skis.
My roommate bought one. When they came out and it's a sweet little PC. I have a sony viao running ubuntu 6.06 with these specs:
1ghz
512ram
20gb HDD

That Eee PC is 10x faster.

 

[z987k]

Windows would indeed take up the whole drive, but it runs a compact version of Linux, and it's compatible with all sorts of storage media.

Actually it's the full blown 7.10. Linux doesn't need a 10G drive to install on and have more features out of the box.

 

[brauhaus]

again, not using this as a home computer, sorry for wording it that way... i'm looking to replace the slowny with something small, fast and nothing complex.

email, surf, word... nothing else...

as far as storage, I have many flash drives and an external HD at my disposal

my work laptop is the workhorse and slave for all files, music, etc, etc. I don't need another laptop with insane specs.

the sony I have is outdated and i believe it's fried a little, even after the reformat it's still slow and sometimes has the same issues as before... i'd be interesting to wipe it clean and put linux on it, but i doubt that will help conserve battery life and such.

i'm open to all input tho, there is some good food for thought.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Actually it's the full blown 7.10. Linux doesn't need a 10G drive to install on and have more features out of the box.

My bad.

I was thinking that Xandros (referenced as the distribution used on the Eeee in some articles) was a compact distribution. It's just another RedHat flavor.

But you mention 7.10 - did your roommate's machine come with Ubuntu?

Either way, Linux isn't the bloated monster of an OS that Windows is.

 

[Klainmeister]

I'll throw in my .02 once again on this thread. I've used the Eee Laptop quite a bit over the month of two. One of my buddies bought one. It is fast and does everything you'd need for a small ultra-portable laptop. If you are looking for interweb surfing and email, then yeah, it'll work fine. It is compatible with nearly everything if you know how to dl the proper packages and so forth.

The screen is a bit small, but hell, i love the little thing because it does exactly what it should, basic computing and communication. This is coming from someone who loves the utility purposes of a computer over aesthetics and all that other jazz. Example, i try to find the simplest cell phone possible, i hate all the fancy stuff.

So from my experience do i recommend it? Yes, i love linux and love how small and simple the device is. It's cheap too, i might be getting one fairly soon also.

Anyways, just my take on things.

 

[z987k]

My bad.

I was thinking that Xandros (referenced as the distribution used on the Eeee in some articles) was a compact distribution. It's just another RedHat flavor.

But you mention 7.10 - did your roommate's machine come with Ubuntu?

Either way, Linux isn't the bloated monster of an OS that Windows is.

Just talked to the roommate, he said it did come with Xandros, but he put ubuntu on it. Sorry, I just figured it came like that since all I knew at the time was it came with a linux distro.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

Ok, the horse is dead and beat for the most part...but if you want one of these...

The price is $389 for the 4GB non-Surf version at www.zipzoomfly.com.

If you're willing to accept non-upgradeable memory and no webcam, you can get the 4GB Surf version for $329 at the same site.

EDIT:
If you don't mind voiding the warranty, you can upgrade the Surf model's memory:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9048848@N05/sets/72157603434112782/detail/

Makes that $329 pricetag pretty attractive, eh?

 

[Yanos]

I've always liked these guy's reviews: http://www.notebookreview.com/default.asp?newsID=4055

Not that I have been interested in a EEE...

 

[NitrouStang96]

I was thinking about picking one up to replace our home computer...

This is what I was replying to. Forgive me for only skimming the replies and trying to help with the original question, Yuri.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

This is what I was replying to. Forgive me for only skimming the replies and trying to help with the original question, Yuri.

I was a little harsh. No worries.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Still I have to wonder how well a guy who says this

30GB of memory and 512mb processor

will get along with linux... I doubt he's ever even heard of linux.

 

[brauhaus]

Still I have to wonder how well a guy who says thiswill get along with linux... I doubt he's ever even heard of linux.

well excuse me for not being computer savy... and i do know what linux is, i'm not a complete moot.... thanks for jumping to conclusions. i wonder what other vast assumptions we will make about me...

i don't use this sony everyday and in fact, this is the first time i've managed to actually sit down with it and use it.... so sorry if i don't have the specs memorized, i'll be sure to note that and keep on me at all times.

here are the specs:

OS Name Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Version 5.1.2600 Service Pack 2 Build 2600
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name RAPSCALLION
System Manufacturer Sony Corporation
System Model PCG-R505EL(UC)
System Type X86-based PC
Processor x86 Family 6 Model 11 Stepping 1 GenuineIntel ~1126 Mhz
BIOS Version/Date Phoenix Technologies LTD R0216C1, 4/12/2002
SMBIOS Version 2.31
Windows Directory C:\WINDOWS
System Directory C:\WINDOWS\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Locale United States
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "5.1.2600.2180 (xpsp_sp2_rtm.040803-2158)"
Time Zone Atlantic Standard Time
Total Physical Memory 256.00 MB
Available Physical Memory 86.72 MB
Total Virtual Memory 2.00 GB
Available Virtual Memory 1.96 GB
Page File Space 624.87 MB
Page File C:\pagefile.sys

anyway, i'm not going to explain anything further, i hate asking computer questions b/c there is always that one person who has to flex their computer knowledge and why they are the best and honestly all I'm doing is buying a neat little computer to use on the road and while traveling across this wonderful nation of ours...

we're keeping the sony and just going to let it sit here and use it when we need to... for some reason having 3 laptops is going to seem retarded, but hey, i guess i am, or at least what people assume i am.

sorry for being downright pissy but i'm in no mood.

 

[NitrouStang96]

Damn dude, sorry. I wasn't making fun of you - I've never even used linux.

 

[Kevin Dean]

Having read BraeHaus's posts, I actually think that the Eee PC might work well.

I have to wonder how well a guy who says this will get along with linux... I doubt he's ever even heard of linux.

I won't berate you for the directing at someone asking for help, but I will rebutt the implication that you have to know "a lot" about computers to run GNU/Linux. I AM a GNU/Linux elitest in the finest of the Debian traditions.

Computers are like cars, an analogy I'm sure you'll grasp. Most people don't give two craps about their car until they stick the key in and it doesn't start. Other people enjoy the process of dissecting every part, touching it themselves and tuning to get the last ounce of performance. There's a bond between "man and machine" once you've "done it yourself" - a bond a lot of people simply don't grasp.

And yet, millions of people drive.

Tivo runs GNU/Linux. Most routers run GNU/Linux, some DVD players... It's all about packaging. There are some "hard core" distros for hackers to tweak to their hearts content and then you get "simple" distros designed to "Just Work". Ubuntu is actually somewhere in the middle which would probably all BraeHaus ever needs. The Xandros on that PC is certainly one of the "simpler" distros there is and it designed for office users, not gamers and not hackers.

[...] Xandros [...] It's just another RedHat flavor.

Not to be picky here but Xandros is Debian based. They lock their systems down so tightly that it doesn't really matter much anyway though. Xandros also got bullied into the "patent" deal with Microsoft only in a more crucial way than Novell.