Recently, there have been complaints that ASUS may have violated the spirit of the GPL by not releasing some source code for certain parts of the default Eee PC Xandros installation. As a result, it is difficult to gain certain Eee PC specific functionality when using alternative Linux distributions.

ASUS has now posted more source code, specificially for the ASUS_ACPI module, to help remedy the situation.

On the EeeUser forum, user quagga reports that the module works fine under Ubuntu. Specifically, hotkeys function properly once the module is loaded.

Now, about those wireless drivers…

It looks like several retailers are now offering the first batches of black colored ASUS Eee PC 4G’s. The finish is a matte black, and it looks really great! For pictures, check out this thread on the forums.

If you head on over to the Bestsellers list under Amazon’s Computers and Hardware section, you’ll notice that the ASUS Eee PC 4G is currently #1 on the list!

Many websites (engadget, gizmodo) have been reporting over the last several days that there will be an upcoming ASUS Eee PC 8G model with a 10″ screen. The rumors seemed to start with a news post found here on a German website. I contacted ASUS to find out if the rumors were valid and this was the response:

 We will have 8G with the same form factor and 7” screen size as the Eee PC 4G now.

There are no plans for 10” at the moment.

Eee PC 8G expected MSRP is $499.99 USD.

According to this article on DigiTimes, ASUS is planning on introducing a low cost desktop version of the Eee PC sometime in 2008. Furthermore, they will begin selling Eee PC’s running Windows XP rather than the Xandros Linux variant this December.

Watch this video for the proper pronunciation of both Asus and Eee PC. Have you been saying it right?

[thanks to jmitchell on the forums for pointing this out]

I’ve gone ahead and put up a few new sets of photos. They include:

• Installing and using Ubuntu
• Using the included restore DVD
• Installing Windows XP

I’ll be adding detailed information articles with these later on in the week. Enjoy!

Forbes has a nice article about Jonney Shih, ASUS, and the Eee PC. It gives great context for all to see how we got to where we are right now. They talk about the idea, development, and success so far. You can read the full article here.