[LINK] Fwd: Today on Catch - Asus EEE PC 701 Netbook only $259.90

[Marghanita da Cruz]

Brendan Scott wrote:
> Pilcher, Fred wrote:
>> Jan wrote:
>>
>>> in case anyone was considereing.
>>> http://www.catchoftheday.com.au/index.php
>> I travelled around the UK and Europe with one of those and it was
>> flawless. I had it turned on, charging on a high-ish benchtop at a
>> mate's place, tripped over the power cord and sent it flying down onto
>> and across his tiled floor. It never skipped a beat. It sold me on Asus
>> gear and I replaced the 701 with a 901. Their recent desertion if Linux
>> has cruelled the brand for me though.
> 
> The 701 is a tad too small (also Linux developers seem to code arbitrary restrictions into screens, assuming more real estate than is present - OOo and it's context sensitive toolbars are a particularly egregious example) - although I travelled around Europe with one in my pocket (yes, pocket) and found it very convenient. 
>  
> I recently got a chance to pick up (literally, not as-in-purchase) a 1000H.  Screen and keyboard size-wise they're great, but I think they're probably a tad too heavy (guess at 1.5x the 701). 
> 
> Asus have got what they wanted with Linux Eee (ie astounding leverage over Microsoft), and are now trying to upsize it into a Windows notebook (and one in which Windows is actually commoditised as a complement to the hardware).  That they've now deserted Linux is not good for Linux.  However, they've proven the market and others (dell, hp etc) are now entering it - albeit at gratuitously high configuration/price points.  Hopefully they'll all be eaten out from below when ARM equipped versions hit the market later this year. 
> 
<snip>

Doesn't appear that ASUS has abandoned linux. GNU Linux seems to be available 
for a number of later models (the tradeoff is between hardware and OS ie 
additional hardware or MSwindows). The problem is that after the 701, linux 
models aren't generally available in Australia.
<http://event.asus.com/eeepc/comparison/eeepc_comparison.htm>

I doubt the linux community's obsession with installing their own distro helped 
but it seems to have resulted in eeebuntu

Marghanita
-- 
Marghanita da Cruz
http://www.ramin.com.au/linux
Phone: (+61)0414 869202