EEE ships with Linux. Any comments on it?
 

If you have the EEE, would you comment on it?

From another post:

Thank you for your comment. Would you tell me more about what you like about it? I am new to Linux, and I read about it being shipped with Linux.
1) Has it worked well for you?

2) It hardly has any harddrive storage space. How can you do anything with it? I took a look at how much space it took to have Linux on a PC and it was a "lot" of GB. It would not even fit on that EEE. How much space does the Linux system take on it? You only have 4GB.

3) The screen is so small. Can you actually read text on it? Is it clear enough that you can read a page of text? Are you impressed with the screen resolution, or is it just something that you think gets by?

4) What stores carry it so that I can see it? I read that some people bought it and did not like it and were stuck with it because there was a no return policy. What did you pay for it?

5) When is the 9" screen version coming out, and how much will it cost?

newtovanilla:

0. you are best to reply to tredegar's post in the actual thread. Otherwise, how will he know you have replied?

1. there are now a great deal of comments about this micro-laptop. Why not read through them and decide for yourself?

2. EeePC is not intended to be a full PC of any kind. It has enough memory to run an internet appliance. However, it has usb ports - so you can use an external drive. Read the wiki - there are howtos concerning full linux distros running on the thing.

Note: I run a full Ubuntu distro off a 1GiB keydrive. So 4GiB is more than enough.

3. The screen is bigger than a PDA screen. It's big enough for it's purpose. And the Eee has a VGA output so it can use a regular monitor.

4. The price varies by the store and the country (usually 2-300euros). It is usually sold by discount electronic gadget stores - where you may pick up a PSP for eg. So you need to go look. Google for online ads in your area.

The return policy depends on the store and the jurisdiction. eg. In NZ, Dick Smith Electronics have a 30-day return policy, no questions asked. Also, NZ has strong consumer protection laws. So ask the store about theirs.

5. Why don't you ask Asus. Google Eee 900... it's due this month for 400 euros.

LOL: I just told him he should have started a new thread instead of "Hijacking" another one ( http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...r-prob-632423/ ). I give up ;)

<looks>
I see what you mean.

You're quite right - the post needed a new thread. But it would have been better to refine the questions with research first. All the info is online.

BTW: Have you seen the mini-desktops?
Linutop, eg, has no drive of any kind but runs XUbuntu off a 1GiG stick. There are others with OptDs and so on. Some people I know use the Eee like that: as a light desktop. If it will netboot, it can be a wireless thin client: use your main machine anywhere in wireless range.

Just checked the "Linutop" - Neat, but it's not an eee ;)
Yes, I have a vncserver running on my main machine, and can easily connect to my "proper" desktop from my eee. It's a very versatile and useful piece of kit, definately not a "toy" - I think Asus misjudged the market in the early days.

Thank you for the comments. They are helpful for me to get a better idea about EEE. As has been so typical, I have been trying to figure out Linux stuff for hours on end.

"I think Asus misjudged the market in the early days."

I had an Asus motherboard before, and it worked fine without problems. Asus was doing well at that time with their motherboards.

"I run a full Ubuntu distro off a 1GiB keydrive. So 4GiB is more than enough."

You are able to do a full install with less than 1GB? That is neat. When I looked at the size of a Linux install, I had way way more than 1GB just in the main partition /. Are you running it compressed or what file system? Is the 1GB a typical install?

For that type of application, it would mean that you are not saving much data to disk. You don't have that much room left on your pen drive if you have a full Linux installation in it. I think that I would want to have more storage space than that. The idea that you can take your pen drive with you is neat, but it will only boot on a BIOS that can boot from USB. Many older BIOS will not boot from USB.

"Linutop," that seems like a neat computer with Linux.

"All the info is online." No it is not. I did not find when they will have the EEE 9" available. You seemed to know though. Google can find some things quickly, but other things it is like looking for a needle in a haystack the size of the canada. I actually spent several hours reading about it. That is why I asked the questions! I want to get some opinions from members about those particular questions.

"Why not read through them and decide for yourself?" That is a grand idea. I did read on the web, but not so much on the posts. I only found one post on the EEE about someone who could not get it to work and was having some driver problem. I thought that the other stuff on the web was just good ol asus marketing. Not that their motherboards were bad.

I read about Linux, and the EEE came up as being shipped with Linux. That is so unusual. Whenever I have gone to the computer store, I only see W$ndows machines. Maybe one or two "Lindows" machines. No Linux machines. They say that 1/3 of the EEE are being sold as Linux machines. They have already sold a million of them. I took a look at the asus usa web. I found nothing about where it was designed or who is making money from it. At some $300 a machine, that is $300 million already. Just one percent of that, would be like 1 million dollars! Not that my math is any good.

I was referring to their initial marketing of the EEE, not their MoBos which are, deservedly, well respected. I bought my first three EEE's at "Toys-R-Us", because that was the first place I found that had them in stock (UK, Nov/Dec 2007). No I did not need three, but friends, when I phoned them from the shop - "It's in stock in front of me - want one?", wanted one NOW.

I disagree: It is. Use the SEARCH facility on the eee forums / wiki - links are quoted in post #1 of this thread, or even your favourite search engine. The information is there, if you can be bothered to look for it.

The "issues" about "drivers" and "WiFi connection pending" seem to be due to the users having too many wireless networks registered (and it takes time for the eee to try them all), and they are impatient [Solution: Delete the connections you are no longer interested in], or they have forgotten their WPA passphrase or mis-entered it. It has reliably connected to all wireless networks I am allowed access to.

Asus designed, manufactured, and marketed it, they are making money from it. I am happy, they are (presumably) happy. Good for them.

No, that would be $3 million. But I won't say that as I'd like to be your next "financial advisor". Please contact me privately for this free service which may or may not save you several million dollars.
Hee Hee: Early retirement <DEL><DEL><DEL><DEL><DEL><DEL><DEL><DEL><DEL>
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<DEL>

Asus created the Eee for the kiddie market - and were totally surprised to discover an adult market for the thing. The whole industry seem to be stunned - yet free software folk have been telling them for years... the vast majority of IT consumers do not need or want the huge, super-powered systems which the vendors are thrusting upon them.

Pendrive Linux
... 1GiB is common, though 2GiB is more useful. However, Damn Small Linux fits in 5i2MiB and there are smaller.

And, yes, they achieve this through a compressed filesystem.

You are also correct about the limitations. Similarly, a SATA HDD installed OS is limited to HW which can boot off SATA - many older machines cannot do this. Live CDs need a CD-ROM drive etc. There will always be this issue.

However, computers made in the last 2-3 years are usually capable of booting from a USB perifery like a zip-drive. The pendrive installs try to imitate one of these so older machines can boot.

Machines with a USB port but no usb-boot capability, can be made to boot off it anyway with floppy-based tools.

Product release information is usually a trade secret until, practically, the day. I just googled for "asus eee nine inch" and found a raft of press releases. (Aside: "eee nine inch" gets you penis enlargement ads...)

There was also a wikipedia article giving official release dates. So it's hardly news.

Separating the marketing from the genuine copy is tricky - a bit like magazine reviews for Vista. However, the wiki site linked to has a great deal of information, and it has a forum. There are also many bloggers talking about it. All I can conclude is that you haven't tried.

"Lindows" is Linux. But it's old - as part of a settlement the new versions are called "Linspire". You really need to use google a bit more.

Well... no, you wouldn't expect to would you? Can you think of any other commodity hardware where this information is available from the manufacturers website?

Just guess that the Eee follows the assembly/manufacture+wholesaler+retailer model of any other tech. You know - Asian sweat-shops and all. It's a no-brainer really.

If you want details, it will help to be a shareholder.

@tredegar - check your math: 1000000 machines at $300 per machine is $300000000. 1% of that is $3000000, true. But only 1/3 of the machines ship linux. So that is $1000000 in linux returns. (Though it is not totally clear that this is the meaning intended.)

There's overhead and taxes of course.

It's fairly simple to upgrade the RAM/storage on it, if that's what you want.
http://www.jakeludington.com/hadware...under_100.html

This guy has done some pretty fantastic stuff with it:
http://beta.ivancover.com/wiki/index...ernal_Upgrades

Thank you for all of your comments. I just got a Macintosh G5 from a friend for free. It is so cool!

"I disagree: It is. Use the SEARCH facility on the eee forums / wiki - links are quoted in post #1 of this thread,"

I did not know about those forums and wiki for EEE. Thank you for those links so that I can learn more about it. I think that I may be able to get mom and dad to get me one for art school. I can take notes in class and be on the web too.