[kingu]

Yup, you can plug in an external monitor, an external DVD drive, an external mouse and an external keyboard - but it defeats the purpose of the netbook. If you're aiming to replace a desktop with something that's less complicated, less power hungry, and attach all those devices to, I highly recommend the MSI Wind desktop - about the size of a hard bound book, you can stick a DVD drive into it, as well as a notebook hard drive, and plenty of memory.

These 'minidesktops' are coming up strong on the market, Asus has one that attaches to the back of an LCD screen with a couple screws.

The problem with using a netbook in the configuration with external monitor is heat, to be honest. Better to get something that's built towards that use. And indeed, I've one on order right now exactly for this purpose, with plans on donating my wife's existing desktop as soon as I get it setup.

[bfree]

I have both a desktop and laptop, and bought an Acer netbook with the 6 cell battery and XP. I love it. It’s great for travel and the internet. It’s easy, light weight and convenient to use. I don’t look at it as a real replacement for my laptop, but it sure is fun and easy to use without carrying any weight. I’ve had no problems accessing the internet, checking email or nominal computer use. The keyboard is small though.