Until you are drive out into the country and there is no internet. Then it becomes the most useless computer you've ever owned, since all the useful programs on it are web based.
Plus I don't like the idea that personal or business work is on some server somewhere in cyber space where it is vulnerable to being stolen.
Uh, what? I have programs on mine. Office programs, games.....
I think you’re confused as to what these actually do. Current netbooks are basically just small, basic computers that are otherwise like any other computers. They run Windows, any office software you’d run on any other computer, have hard drives with as much capacity as many regular laptops, etc. They don’t have huge screens or optical drives, the keyboards tend to be compressed a bit (some more than others—some are pretty much full size) and you can’t get a high-end graphics card in a netbook, but other than that, they’re fully featured.
I don’t have any work or apps up in cyberspace. Have XP as the OS, and my two sacrifices are not all web pages showing all you’d want in a single screen and having Works rather than Office—so having to convert docs between them. But it’s a heck of a lot smaller and lighter to carry with me and a bargain.
Think you're confusing a netbook with something else.
The new netbooks are small screened, usually 8"-10" and have wifi, ethernet, usb and either an SSD or legacy drive.
I, too use mine with a Delorme GPS system in my Jeep and it's awesome. There are few other programs I need on it as other than occasional surfing on the couch I have my regular laptop or desktop.
Best part is one with a 16GB SSD and extra gig of ram for $25 put my netbook at about $300.