Re: Netbook opinions?

[Solor Vox]

I have two Asus eee boxes, the Eee PC 1000 (not HA) and EB1012 tv frontend
box for mythtv.  I highly recommend you go with a SSD model for both battery
life and durability of the system.  I remember reading that there was a high
rate of failure for the standard hard drive models.  SSD model has two SSD
drives.  One 8GB faster for the OS, and a slower 32GB storage for /home.
I've also got a 8GB SD card that fits completely in the side for extra
space.

Linux support works out of the box for ubuntu 8.04 and up.  Battery life is
very good, I get about 3 1/2 - 4 hours on average.  Ignore their 6 hour
claims. :)

My only gripe is the keyboard.  They put an arrow key where the shift key
should be, and it's a bit small for my large fingers.  As a final note, why
not support Linux and get the xandros model?  While I highly recommend using
ubuntu netbook edition in place of it,  I'd rather support any version of
Linux then support microsoft.  Doing this will also show companies that you
want Linux so they will continue to offer it as an option.

Cheers,
sV

On 7 April 2010 07:11, Aidan Gauland  wrote:

> Hello,
>
> I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard
> good
> things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would like to
> hear any opinions on this model in particular:
> .
> (For
> the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it is
> listed
> as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions on other
> models or families would be welcome, as well.
>
> Thanks,
> Aidan
>
>

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Roy Britten]

On 7 April 2010 07:11, Aidan Gauland  wrote:
> I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard good
> things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would like to
> hear any opinions on this model in particular:
> . (For
> the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it is listed
> as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions on other
> models or families would be welcome, as well.

I acquired that exact same model by the exact same route. That's a
good price, assuming that their service is good (I used TasTech, whose
service is excellent).

I'm running Ubuntu Netbook Remix 9.10 and have few complaints (for
those who don't know me, that's high praise ;). Wireless works out of
the box. Graphics seem good. Battery life is good, easily over 4 hours
on a charge. Built in webcam works, but isn't wonderful in low light
conditions. Built in microphone is adequate. One or two apps struggle
to fit in the netbook-size screen, but most work surprisingly well.

My only real whinge, and the one that keeps Win7 as a dual-boot
option, is that UNR doesn't recognise my Garmin GPS over USB. Don't
know if that's a pure Ubuntu problem, or if there's some interaction
between the netbook's hardware and the OS.

HTH,
Roy.

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Steve Holdoway]

On Wed, 2010-04-07 at 07:11 +1200, Aidan Gauland wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard good
> things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would like to
> hear any opinions on this model in particular:
> . (For
> the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it is listed
> as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions on other
> models or families would be welcome, as well.
> 
> Thanks,
> Aidan
> 
I've got an older Acer One, with just an 8GB SSD+SD. It works fine
( currently running the pre-release Ubuntu 10.10 happily ), although the
SSD has been replaced once, and write performance does seem rather slow.

Steve

-- 
Steve Holdoway 
http://www.greengecko.co.nz
MSN: st...@greengecko.co.nz
GPG Fingerprint = B337 828D 03E1 4F11 CB90  853C C8AB AF04 EF68 52E0

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Craig Falconer]

Aidan Gauland wrote, On 07/04/10 09:13:

I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard good
things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would like to
hear any opinions on this model in particular:
. (For
the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it is listed
as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions on other
models or families would be welcome, as well.


I've got a 901, which is fantastic.  But it has some drawbacks.

* Keyboard is small - its not a desktop replacement.
* Screen is fine, but some apps can put themselves (and their OK 
buttons) below the bottom of the screen.  Not as much of a problem as it 
used to be with the 800x480 screens on the 700 models

* CPU is "adequate" but its not a desktop replacement.
* Battery life is great - five hours, more if its intermittent.
* Wireless Aerial is great - I see way more SSIDs on the eee than I do 
on other laptops.  Never tested the N wireless though.

* Webcam is kinda useless - never had a purpose for it other than playing.
* Bluetooth to a bunch of cell phones etc works nicely.


I still end up carrying a mouse with a shortened USB cable.  The 
touchpad is better than a 700, but its not stunning.


The provided foam pouch is fine, and the PSUs are nicely small.

One niggle - I swear mine reported a gigabit PCIe wired ethernet card. 
Then I did a BIOS upgrade and it reverted to 100 Mbit.


I'd suggest the Solid State version for durability.  I've got 4+8 GB 
onboard and a 16 GB SDHC card for stuff permanently in the slot.

I dual boot XP and linux depending on the task at hand.

Debian works fine for me with all hardware.


Slightly bigger keyboard would make it fantastic - go for it.


--
Craig Falconer

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Ross Drummond]

On Wednesday 07 April 2010, you wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard
>  good things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would
>  like to hear any opinions on this model in particular:
> .
>  (For the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it
>  is listed as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions
>  on other models or families would be welcome, as well.
> 
> Thanks,
> Aidan

If you want a small computer for a static application such as a desktop I 
recommend this model;

http://www.enetcomputers.co.nz/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EBOX101

I use an older model of this type as my primary desktop. Small form factor, 
low power use, and quiet.

It does not have a cdrom drive so it can be challenging installing a Linux OS 
from a USB stick if your distro has no USB install pathway or it is poorly 
supported.

Cheers Ross Drummond

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Nick Rout]

On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 10:24 AM, Ross Drummond  wrote:
> On Wednesday 07 April 2010, you wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard
>>  good things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would
>>  like to hear any opinions on this model in particular:
>> .
>>  (For the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it
>>  is listed as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions
>>  on other models or families would be welcome, as well.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Aidan
>
> If you want a small computer for a static application such as a desktop I
> recommend this model;
>
> http://www.enetcomputers.co.nz/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EBOX101
>
> I use an older model of this type as my primary desktop. Small form factor,
> low power use, and quiet.
>
> It does not have a cdrom drive so it can be challenging installing a Linux OS
> from a USB stick if your distro has no USB install pathway or it is poorly
> supported.

I looked at netbooks but in the end bought a ex lease Dell D420 from
laptop universe. Reasons:

* It's nearly as small as a netbook, but the slight size increase
means a decent keyboard.

* 1280x800 screen

* firewire port for my video camera.

* only $595 with a core duo 1.2GHz cpu, 1,5G ram and 80G hard drive.

But, no webcam, batteries probably 3 hrs very max.
>
> Cheers Ross Drummond
>

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Nick Rout]

On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 10:24 AM, Ross Drummond  wrote:
> On Wednesday 07 April 2010, you wrote:
>> Hello,
>>
>> I have a birthday coming up, and up for grabs is a netbook.  I have heard
>>  good things about the Eee PC family from CLUGers a while ago, so I would
>>  like to hear any opinions on this model in particular:
>> .
>>  (For the impatient and those confined by an over-restrictive firewall, it
>>  is listed as an "Asus EeePC 1005HA").  Any recommendations of or opinions
>>  on other models or families would be welcome, as well.
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Aidan
>
> If you want a small computer for a static application such as a desktop I
> recommend this model;
>
> http://www.enetcomputers.co.nz/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=EBOX101
>
> I use an older model of this type as my primary desktop. Small form factor,
> low power use, and quiet.
>
> It does not have a cdrom drive so it can be challenging installing a Linux OS
> from a USB stick if your distro has no USB install pathway or it is poorly
> supported.

unetbootin should be able to make you a bootable USB stick from any
bootable cd iso

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Robert Fisher]

> ( currently running the pre-release Ubuntu 10.10 happily ),

10.04 ?

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Robert Fisher]

> I looked at netbooks but in the end bought a ex lease Dell D420 from
> laptop universe. Reasons:
>
I have had an ex lease Dell D410 for ages and like it for the same reasons
Nick mentioned.

Rob

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Robert Fisher]

(Maybe I should have started a new thread)

> My only real whinge, and the one that keeps Win7 as a dual-boot
> option, is that UNR doesn't recognise my Garmin GPS over USB. Don't
> know if that's a pure Ubuntu problem, or if there's some interaction
> between the netbook's hardware and the OS.
>
I have a Windows VM on my home PC because my TomTom, which is based on
Linux, can only (as far as I know) be updated using Windows based
software.

It is recognised as a hard drive by Ubuntu though.

Rob

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Steve Holdoway]

On Wed, 2010-04-07 at 12:19 +1200, Robert Fisher wrote:
> 
> > ( currently running the pre-release Ubuntu 10.10 happily ),
> 
> 10.04 ?
> 
Good catch! Yes, I'm not wishing the whole year away yet!

Steve

-- 
Steve Holdoway 
http://www.greengecko.co.nz
MSN: st...@greengecko.co.nz
GPG Fingerprint = B337 828D 03E1 4F11 CB90  853C C8AB AF04 EF68 52E0

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Craig Falconer]

Robert Fisher wrote, On 07/04/10 12:23:

I looked at netbooks but in the end bought a ex lease Dell D420 from
laptop universe. Reasons:



I have had an ex lease Dell D410 for ages and like it for the same reasons
Nick mentioned.


Have we eliminated all the Apple fanboys ?  Noone has mentioned the ipad 
at all.   Rather spendy, but looks very pretty.


No idea if you can get to  terminal.app  still.
And thats a BSDish not linux.


--
Craig Falconer

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Craig Falconer]

Craig Falconer wrote, On 07/04/10 13:33:

Robert Fisher wrote, On 07/04/10 12:23:

I looked at netbooks but in the end bought a ex lease Dell D420 from
laptop universe. Reasons:


I have had an ex lease Dell D410 for ages and like it for the same 
reasons

Nick mentioned.


Have we eliminated all the Apple fanboys ?  Noone has mentioned the ipad 
at all.   Rather spendy, but looks very pretty.


No idea if you can get to  terminal.app  still.
And thats a BSDish not linux.


Bad form replying to myself...   This just arrived.

Acer eMachines eM250 10.1" Atom N270 1GB 160GB XP Home

10.1" 1024x600 LED Screen, Atom N270 Processor, 1GB DDR2 Ram, 160GB SATA 
HDD Hard Drive, No Optical Drive, 802.11b/g, 3hr battery, 1.2Kg, 
eMachine webcam, XP Home, 1 Year PRR.


RRP is $499 +GST

http://www.dove.co.nz/jump/6545


--
Craig Falconer
  The Total Team - Secure Networks for Serious Business
  Office: 0800 888 326 / +643 974 9128
  Email: workor...@totalteam.co.nz
  Web: http://www.totalteam.co.nz/

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Solor Vox]

Only one thing to say about that...

http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxb4hyZ9pM1qb1o1fo1_500.jpg

And it speaks for itself.
sV


On 7 April 2010 13:32, Craig Falconer  wrote:

> Have we eliminated all the Apple fanboys ?  Noone has mentioned the ipad at
> all.   Rather spendy, but looks very pretty.
>
> No idea if you can get to  terminal.app  still.
> And thats a BSDish not linux.
>
>
> --
> Craig Falconer
>
>

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Craig Falconer]

Solor Vox wrote, On 07/04/10 13:39:

Only one thing to say about that...
http://28.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxb4hyZ9pM1qb1o1fo1_500.jpg
And it speaks for itself.


Far too reasoned and logical.

Here's something with gratuitous violence... much more fun.
http://laughingsquid.com/ipad-will-it-blend/


--
Craig Falconer

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Vik Olliver]

'Course, if you just want something small with a keyboard that runs
Linux try the Nokia N900. I luvs it. Runs X apps and you get root :)

Vik :v)

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Hadley Rich]

On Wed, 2010-04-07 at 15:01 +1200, Vik Olliver wrote:
> 'Course, if you just want something small with a keyboard that runs
> Linux try the Nokia N900. I luvs it. Runs X apps and you get root :) 

The N900 is cool, though it is a *lot* smaller than a netbook.

-- 
http://nicegear.co.nz
New Zealand's Open Source Hardware Supplier

Re: Netbook opinions?

[Vik Olliver]

Hadley Rich wrote:

On Wed, 2010-04-07 at 15:01 +1200, Vik Olliver wrote:

'Course, if you just want something small with a keyboard that runs
Linux try the Nokia N900. I luvs it. Runs X apps and you get root :) 


The N900 is cool, though it is a *lot* smaller than a netbook.


It certainly is. But on the plus side it takes a bluetooth keyboard and
you can plug it into a telly in the hotel room.

I wanna try it with a HUD!

Vik :v)