To the other OS pundits: GET OVER IT. This endless prattle across the internet about MS vs Linux is so old. I use XP, Vista, Mac OS and Linux: each has its strengths and weaknesses. XP will be around long enough before the current Eee series will be considered obsolete (seriously… how long do you expect to use this device?) I was hoping to read this wiki to get some serious performance comparisons or useful tips. Instead, I have to filter on the M$ hate and the Linux love… hey let me throw my useless OS 2 cents: LONG LIVE VAX!

I have a 4G on order, was waiting for the 8G, but the supply seems to be far-outstripped by demand!

I imagine the EEE will get me back to my happy state when I had a Psion 7, but the EEE promises so much more thanks to Linux that I am eager to receive that parcel!

Presently carting around a Dell Inspiron, but with 2 batteries etc, it is heavy by comparion to a Psion or EEE.

I’ve sold my Samsung 12.1″ Q45 and use the EEE PC for travel and daily surfing and email at work and around the house.

I thought that my Q45 would be the perfect portable laptop. It’s only when you start travelling, that you realise that 2Kg is still to heavy, and I am less inclined to use it.
The EEE PC has changed all that for me.
The Linux OS works fine for me, and I don’t see the need to change to XP.

I love my EEE PC.

Firstly, I have both a linux distro and XP on my desktop and while I’ve been (semi) succesfully tinkering with windows for the last 10+ years linux is a ‘last six months’ thing. On the main question of whether one operating system is functionally better than the other I agree; whatever floats your boat.

I do think there’s an issue of marketing, however. A lot of the difficulty people have with trying linux stems from the fact that they’ve only used windows for the past 10 years. I think there’d be some value in the wider audiences realising that MS weren’t the only producers of OSs (although I admit I’ve never got around to using a mac, even though their hardware isn’t as weird as it used to be!). One consequence of this opinion is that MS do some crazy @#£! and get away with it (e.g. the shafting us brits get over pricing, or does 1$ = 1£?). Competition is healthy, and however good you think XP is (I personally think it’s pretty good), a monopoly isn’t.

On another note: I too am perplexed as to why asus didn’t go with a free linux like debian. Surely open sourcing their drivers wouldn’t have lost them anything? Even if they couldn’t they could always go with a less principled distro.

I agree completely, Jim’s post is very informative and useful to those who are still on the fence and I appreciate his response to my query. There really should be no argument over which OS is better, they all have their good and bad points depending on what you are looking for. Like “fadumpt” says, drive what you like. What are more useful are reports on personal experiences with the machine in real life.

The old things still work and “if it aint broke, don’t fix it”. It’s just getting awfully heavy to haul around. Waiting for the 900 for the weight, or rather lack of weight, and more readable screen. OS is not the deciding factor for me. Linux or XP they both work.