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Linux For Housewives. XP For Geeks.
Talinom writes "ZDNet has an article sure to raise the hackles of any self-respecting geek. They report that housewives buying small laptops like the Asus EE are causing Linux usage for that demographic to spike. A reporter for Tech-On states that 'Retailers and contract manufacturers in Taiwan say that novice PC users there, like students and housewives, tend to buy the Linux version of the Eee PC701, while geeks go for Windows XP.'"
The geeks are buying the XP version to install their own flavor of Linux as a dual-boot?
Then they are stupid geeks. The Windows version has a smaller disk, so it makes more sense to buy the Linux version.
Well, I lived in Taiwan for quite a while, and I think Windows is quite common among geeks because (for no clear reason) MSN Messenger has become the No. 1 communication vehicle among the young folks. No one ever asked my ICQ No. or mail address, just my MSN name. Which I still don't have, by the way.
My 40-something housewife non-geek sister called me last month and told me all about her cute new Asus ePC. She loves it. I have no idea where she heard about it or what lead her to purchase it. I was really so surprised I forgot to ask. She's visiting me this week and I'm looking forward to her demonstration.
MSN works fine on Linux. I use Pidgin (formerly GAIM) to chat with work contacts and push them to google messanger when MSN goes down.
No MS Windows needed.
The sort of games you can play on an Eee PC aren't the sort of games you need Windows XP for. It has an Intel GMA950. You can run zsnes/dgen/etc pretty well. pcsx and mupen work ok at 640x480. Neverball and PlanetPenguin are playable at the same resolution, although the framerate gets a little low if there are too many transparencies. Extreme Tux Racer is too much for the embedded graphics processor.
If you're thinking of installing Windows to play Crysis or Portal then forget it.
Really?. There are others... The Bobby Tables one is just very very well known.
In France MSN Messenger is the #1 IM network too, but that doesn't keep us geeks from using Pidgin/Adium under linux/macosx.
the Windows version is cheaper, or so I've heard.
You heard *very* wrong.
When comparing identical hardware, the Windows version is much more expensive. When you look at the model numbers, the Linux and Windows versions are the same price, but the Linux version comes with a much larger SSD.
I tried went to look up the prices, because it seemed odd to me for Windows to be Cheaper. According to the website below, it is not.
http://www.morecomputers.com/subcat.asp?drilldown=Notebooks&query=Laptops&shopval=Laptops&ModeRun=Left
Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
Look at the Product Features:
Internal 4GB SSD based Hard Drive
Intel 900Mhz Mobile ULV 512MB DDR2 Memory
Intel 910GML Chipset
7" LCD screen with 800x480 pixels resolution
10/100 LAN WiFi b/g
Built-in 300k pixel webcam
Built-in stereo speaker and microphone
Interfaces include SD card slot, 3x USB 2.0, Mic and Headphone Jack, VGA Out
Ultimate Speed - 10 Sec Bootup, 5 Sec Shutdown
Windows XP compatible
Optional USB Based External Optical Drive
Optional Carry Case
3 hours of battery life
Measures (WxHxD) 225 x 21-35 x 165 mm
Weighs 890g
Who is "video games and download a bajillion 'utilities'", geek or housewife? That is unless your talking about games from 1998.
Spelling and Grammar errors have been added to this post for your enjoyment
In respect to the Eee PC 701, the Windows XP and Linux versions are both priced the same. The Windows XP version, however, comes with only one year warranty where the Linux version comes with two. So you trade one year of warranty for a Windows XP License.
The last thing they want to do is wait for Windows to load, defrag for an hour, update the antivirus, and then start using facebook...
Ugh, tell me about it. We had to buy a Vista laptop for my wife to run a medical practice management app, and it's a dual-core system with 2GB of memory. By all accounts it's a fast computer, but by the time Vista finishes booting, all of the "update me!" dialogs have been clicked, and it's actually ready to use, she's cussing at the thing.
By contrast, my Eee PC 4G goes from powered-off to using Firefox in under 30 seconds. It actually ships with an antivirus app if you must have that weekly display of pointlessness, but it doesn't run by default. What's not to like about a system that's infinitely more usable than the much faster, more expensive computer sitting next to it?
Dewey, what part of this looks like authorities should be involved?
Which is why my wife's system has been linux for the last 5 years. Was Mandrake/Mandriva for first 4, and then Kubuntu for the last/current year. (couldn't get Mandriva to install on new box). She loves how stable it is, and really has no needs other than web, email, photos, and office. Throw in Mahjonng and Solitare and that's a conplete PC as far as she is concerned.
"He's lost in a 'floyd hole"
Round based games from today might just even work with them if the graphic is not too fancy. I'm thinking of Games like http://galciv2.com/. Here are even more great games that run on the eee: http://wiki.eeeuser.com/list:games
"Die endgueltige Teilung Deutschlands - das ist unser Auftrag." - Chlodwig Poth
aMSN over Ubuntu does fine for my children
If it is available for the distro you're using, give 'keytouch' a try. Works great for my MS Natural Multimedia 1.0A keyboard on kubuntu. (I've been using keytouch with Kubuntu since 6.04 version and have never had any trouble with all the extra buttons not working)
Down With Slashdot BETA!!! I've been around the corner and seen the oliphant; you can only abuse me from your perspecti
See, that logic fails as soon as you realize that the linux version has the larger drive.
I pwn this comment. "The Fine Print" says so.
HP makes decent laptops.
The key is — and I've let all my friends know it — to buy a Linux-based laptop, then install Windows yourself and just snag the drivers from the HP website.
Cheaper, better, and only takes a little while.
Ignore this signature. By order.
It's shocking, I know, and AC may have just been joking, but I'll explain it any way in case someone out there doesn't know.
:)
That's normally the way it's always been, the Windows version gets some kind of perk(s) which ultimately makes it the cheaper version, even though because of the cost of the license it should of course be more expensive. Like on Dell's sit for example, somehow they end up giving these amazing perks to the Windows versions like a bigger hard drive, making the Windows one the better/cheaper deal.
For the EEE, for once, the Linux version is always either cheaper ($50 cheaper in one scenario on New Egg, which means they were charging $50 for the Vista license), or if it's the same price, the Linux version has better hardware. ACTUAL FAIR COMPETITION! Check it out yourself if you don't believe me!
Promote true freedom - support standards and interoperability.
!insightful
you have a choice between XP and Linux. it's in TFA, and on any site that sells them.
not only is time travel possible, it's irrelevant.