Re: So, you wanted a cheap notebook?

Can the Eee run standard linux or windows executables with out recompiling?

The one I have does.

Why would I want that on a personal device. Dont you have better things to do with your life?

My point is, that if you are not a computer geek, what use does the EeePC really have?

Yes. It is just a tiny PC.

In summary: You don't have any use for an Eee. Other people do. There is no point of contact between these two viewpoints, so there is no perceptible reason for conflict and hence no purpose to your argument.

It's a small, light, low cost, portable media player / web browser / email client.

You can work with Excel spreadsheets and Word documents. There are many free linux applications preinstalled, including OpenOffice. You can download others. Also it can run Windows and standard Windows applications.

Yes, but unlike specialized devices that do those things, it's fundamentally a general purpose computer. If you don't like the default for anything you can change it, either by installing different programs or by modifying the installed programs. And you don't even need a cross-compile environment if you want to do that (I do tend to use an external drive when compiling, though that's not strictly necessary)

Most of the time mine is just a web client. Occasionally I use it to play videos. Even more occasionally, I go in and modify mplayer to add extra features.

Or to put it another way, it's the first laptop that was worth spending personal funds on. It's all the computer I really need 90% of the time, and it's small enough that I have it with me 90% of the time.

The degree to which this is an issue really depends on your usage pattern.

Myself, when away from home I tend to turn the thing on for 15-20 minutes max of checking things online.

If I'm going to be using it for hours, I'm somewhere comfortable already, so I plug it in.

If I were a frequent flier, had regular long train trips that weren't on a city subway, etc then I might be using it for longer periods on battery, and the battery endurance might be an issue.

The original Linux-based Asus Eee runs standard linux executables fine, no compiling required. Not that compiling is all that difficult in Linux.

The newer Windows-XP-based Asus Eee runs standard Windows executables, just like any other XP box.

Runs all standard Linux/Windows apps, screen big enough to get work done, keyboard big enough for touch typing, much smaller than other Laptops, solid state storage (no hard disk to get damaged by rough handling), fits on a standard airline tray with the seat in front fully reclined, allows me to plug into a a USB keyboard/mouse, large screen monitor and Eee power adaptor at home and at work, powerful enough to run all standard business applications and most engineering applications (I still use a high-powered desktop for 3D CAD). Costs $299.99 to $499.99, depending on what model you buy.

I can't get any serious work done in that time frame. Such as creating a

On today's 103% booked out flights getting a seat with a power outlet is like winning the lottery. Doesn't happen, usually.

Well, that's exactly what I and many others want to use a laptop for. A

AFAIR IT'S 4549 at Costco. Where can you buy one for $299?

Apples and oranges. I have a laptop for that kind of stuff but still carry a Newton MP2000 with me on a daily basis. Small enough to be pocketable and still big enough to be useful. The extended battery life (30 hours) makes it truly portable in that you can use it heavily all week on a single set of AAs, which are no trouble to replace if you do happen to run low.

ASUS Eee 700 2G Surf 7" VGA 512MB 2GB -- $299

Or you could go for the high end model:

ASUS Eee 900 8.9" SVGA 1GB 20GB -- $549.99

...and dual boot to Windows XP with MS Office for $$$$$$$ more...

On May 23, 1:05 pm, Joerg

That's the extreme low end model "2b surf", with 2gb flash disk, no webcam, no neoprene sleeve, soldered ram, and the smaller 4400 mAh battery. Personally, I'd by that only as an application specific machine (need a terminal somewhere), or as a base for hardware hacks.

The original primary offering, still $399 as far as I know, was 4Gb, worthless webcam, 5400 mAh battery, and carry sleeve. If the 4400 mAh battery is acceptable, the 4G surf will save $50 at the loss of the terrible camera. Both are thought to have socketed ram, though some

I think the new ones, 12-20 gb depending on if you choose windows or linux, and reportedly with a better camera, are in the $550 range.

Ok, thanks. But AFAICT it's Linux-only and that won't work for me.

Costco has the Win-Version for that price. But probably not in the stores, it's in their online offers.

Some reviews also mentioned a really paltry battery runtime. That would not be cool.

Every webcam I have seen so far was IMHO close to worthless. Nothing new. My master's project in the mid-80's was a CCD camera (from scratch, including a separate VME bus interface). Sure, there were such cameras already but for some reason they were the pits. Same kind of CCD chip ... When I saw the app note from the imager chip mfg I chucked that within the hour. Horrible.

Yeah, and there you can do better with a Dell laptop. Just not quite that small (yet).

I was in BJ's today and saw the 2G Surf for $274.99.