Posted on 06/02/2009 2:10:24 AM PDT by Halfmanhalfamazing
Back when the whole netbook thing started, Asus was king of the hill with a focus on netbooks with Linux pre-installed. Since they were kind of popular, it didn't take Microsoft long to start working together with Asus to 'port' Windows XP to the Asus line of netbooks, and with that, to other netbooks as well. The result was that Linux netbooks are now harder to find for many people. While Dell committed itself to Linux on netbooks, Asus has decided to just skip the first date and jump right into bed with Microsoft.
(Excerpt) Read more at osnews.com ...
bttt
Buggy Whip Industry PING!!!!
My point is that you're not “married” to any of these OS’s when you purchase the netbook. In the case of Lenovo, there was no support for the Suse Linux that the system came with. There wasn't even a driver support page at Lenovo so it is obvious that a user is on his/her own, so why not experiment?
In the end, the netbook worked fine with all the Linux versions I threw at it, and it works quite well with
Windows 7. This thing is NOT a Linux netbook, or a Windows netbook. It is a netbook that can run most any of the mainstream versions thrown at it. IMHO, I think it is dimwitted of any manufacturer to hawk these things as having some sort of proprietary affiliation with the OS suppliers. The machine itself has no allegiance to either Linux or Windows. It is a very “bi” machine.
For people like us that is true. For the vast majority MS's marketing will convince them otherwise. It's about marketing not technology for about 90% of people.
The disappointing thing about this “relationship” between MS and Asus is the MS tax. Ya gotta pay for Microsoft software. That was one of the appealing things early on with the netbooks that one got as much computer as possible with as little dollars spent, therefore Linux OS.
I was also disappointed when I started looking at them that one had to pay the MS tax to get the better HD. I finally pulled the trigger when the refurbished Linux versions were down to $150, but I have the 4gig SSD, I’m not sure how much Windows 7 I can fit on that.
i’m in the market for a net book.
asus?
Some netbook manufacturers are just starting to put the Android OS (Linux based) on Netbooks. You will see more and more netbooks coming out with Android in the coming months.
"Nice little company ya got here. Shame if anything was to happen to it. Maybe you could use some help understanding how this business works..."Do you really imagine that suddenly turning tail and trashing Linux was an independent decision on the part of Asus? Color me skeptical.
Asus and Microsoft have started a join advertising campaign promoting netbooks with Windows. It basically comes to Asus and Microsoft saying that netbooks are better with Windows - that is, better than netbooks with Linux. "Windows helps you easily get online and connect to your devices and services - without dealing with an unfamiliar environment or major compatiblity issues." Mind that the emphasis is theirs, not ours...There's no reason why they couldn't continue to push netbooks without an OS, or with Linux preinstalled. Except that somebody strong-armed them...
TELL THE MAN! < |:)~
Our Acer Aspire with Linux has been wonderful and far, far, FAR more trouble-free than any Microslop OS ever.
Our Asus is a dandy machine. It's the 8.9". GET A 10" or you'll wisha you woulda. It's a keyboard thing. I just got back from shopping and while waiting for my wife to find clothing, I wandered off to check out the keyboards on the 10" netbooks. An Acer and a Dell. Both are FAR superior to the keyboard on mine.
I liked the look and feel of the Dell to my Asus and over the Acer as well. But the computer magazine I get favored the HP machines. I tend to agree.
If you can get your hands on one to try out, go with that. I'm cool with LInux or Windoze, either or, but you may prefer the familiarity of Windows. If you can try'em out before you buy, do so.
That’s a big win for Android.
I’ve had my Dell Mini9 w/XP & SSD for 6 months - absolutely love it as my travel PC! Far smaller & lighter than my old Notebook and larger, more ergonomic than smartphones.
Same speech I give just about everyone...
Cheap: Asus 900 series laptop, buy it from eBay, you shouldn’t have to pay more than $150 for something with 4gb ssd and 512mb ram. As soon as you get it, use an external DVD drive (if you don’t have one, buy one, very handy, but keep it cheap - no need to spend more than $40) and install Eeebuntu Base edition. Use the applications -> add/remove and install firefox, Abiword, Totem player, pidgin, and skype if you use it. Updates and the like will take about 2 hours to install, and then you’ve got a solid portable netbook that’ll last you for a long time.
What it won’t do: This install isn’t great for youtube, but works fine for Hulu. It won’t play your games you got sitting around, but it will play flash based games. It won’t be super fast. It has a small keyboard.
Optional accessories for home would be a wireless keyboard/mouse - the Microsoft 1000 wireless desktop works wonderfully with it. An external monitor also works with it, but anything above 1024x768 does seem to stress it a bit more than desired.
Alternatives: The HP’s mininote keyboard is much bigger, and some favor it, but it is still mushy. If I’m doing any serious writing, I use an external keyboard, but for chatting, I can deal with this one. The 904 or 1000 series from Asus has the 1.6ghz Atom processor, and can give dramatically longer battery life - Not sure it’s worth the extra couple hundred - I’ve got spare batteries for mine from Hong Kong and simply swap if I’m long away from the plug.
Tips: use googledocs as your wordprocessor/spreadsheet/etc - your documents aren’t on your computer, impossible to lose. You /can/ upgrade the memory, very easily, just really not needed unless you really start exploring Linux and are doing multiple projects at once. You /can/ upgrade the SSD - I just use SDHC 8gb chips for extra storage - I’ve picked up 10 packs of them for less than a hundred dollars.
Don’ts: Just don’t do Windows XP - it’s not worth the time and trouble to maintain the install, even with a larger SSD and more memory. If you Hackintosh it, you’ll have to upgrade the memory to 2gb ($20-$40), the SSD to 16gb ($100), and replace the internal wifi (another $40 off of eBay). If you /do/ do this, you’ll have a system about the same speed/power as the old Macbooks - much peppier on the 1.6ghz atom. If you /must/ have Windows, use Windows 7 RC, a free download for now from Microsoft. Be aware - if you upgrade the ram and memory, Windows drivers /can/ corrupt video memory when you unplug it, and you may have unreliable bootups (just hold the power button until it turns off and retry)
There are literally hundreds of developers working on operating systems, support for the hardware, new ideas and packages for these netbooks. Asking a question on eeeuser.com’s forums can usually net a response from the developer of the package you’re using within hours, and sometimes, if it’s a bug, a fix emailed to you in less than a day. They are fun hobbyist machines, and if you explore Linux enough, you’ll find some fantastic tools out there.
Sure, my daughter loves her Windows desktop, but her netbook is always with her. She’s a heavy watcher of youtube, so I installed EeeFluxFlux on hers, as the non-Ubuntu variant is a lot faster for using flash video in browser.
Oh, and remember: You’re investing $150, maybe $200 with an optional wireless keyboard/mouse and sdhc card - it is disposable. And finally - DO NOT GET THE KEYBOARD WET. It’ll fry in a blink, and liquids will drip down onto the motherboard and fry the machine if it’s more than a few drips. (keyboard replacement is a couple tabs, and waiting for a replacement one off of eBay for $20.)
Ok, just decided to install RC1 from Microsoft’s website - you can download Windows 7 RC1 (32bit) and get a free demo licence key for the Ultimate version.
Installed it straight onto the SSD - now mind, the one I’m using has 32GB of storage, and 2gb of ram - but with the XP install, the video would crash every time I unplugged the sucker, and couldn’t find a solution. (Eeebuntu worked fine, but this person wants Windows...)
It works great. A couple minor tweaks, but even with Aero installed, it’s more responsive than with Windows XP installed. Give a thumbs up to Windows finally on a netbook (though it’s still a hugely bloated OS, I’ll still recommend Eeebuntu to those who want to get a $150 netbook.)
thank you!
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