Changing the game
The Asus Eee PC on top of a 13-inch MacBook.
WHAT’S the best-selling notebook computer on Amazon.com?
If you guessed the new MacBook Air, guess again.
Five of the 10 best-selling notebooks, including the top three models this weekend do not run Windows or Mac OS X. In fact, they are different models of the same diminutive notebook the Asus Eee PC—that runs on Linux.
The significance of this development is easy to miss, particularly if you have your head buried in the Windows or Mac OS X world. (The other five models on Amazon’s list over the weekend were versions of the MacBook; there were no Windows machines in the top 10.) For the first time, a Linux-based consumer product is making waves, not just among geeks but among buyers.
Measuring only 6.5 by 9 inches, about an inch thick and weighing less than a kilo, the Asus Eee PC is an ultraportable in every sense of the word. Its tiny 7-inch LCD screen (measured diagonally) is matched by a small keyboard that touch-typists with big fingers will find challenging. After playing with it for one morning, however, I quickly learned to adjust to the smaller keys and was able to hammer out this column on it without too many visits to the Back Space key.
The Asus Eee-PC uses a 900-MHz Intel Celeron mobile processor and comes with 512MB or RAM and 4 gigaybtes of storage. It doesn’t have a hard disk, using flash memory instead to hold its operating system, programs and data. This makes the device lighter and more resistant to shocks, since there are no moving parts.
The device, which lists at P19,800, includes built-in Wi-Fi support, a Web cam, a serial port to connect an external monitor, a slot for reading MMC and SD cards, three USB ports, an Ethernet port and a modem port.
Battery life was decent about two hours and 45 minutes on one full charge during my tests.
The operating system, a customized version of Xandros Linux, boots up in under 30 seconds and presents you with a simple series of tabs marked Internet, Work, Learn, Play, Settings and Favorites. Inside each tab are large, attractive icons that lead to programs, Web sites or other folders.
The tabbed interface of the Asus Eee PC is simple and fool-proof.
Bundled software includes the OpenOffice suite (compatible with MS Office); a mail program; a personal information manager that incorporates a calendar, to-do list and contacts; a bunch of educational programs and free games; and Web-based applications, including Skype (for Internet telephony) and Pidgin, an instant messaging client.
Unfortunately, except for Webcam in the Play tab, which enables you to record a video, there are no programs that use the built-in camera. The version of Skype bundled with the Eee PC does not support video feeds you need to upgrade to Version 2.0 to do that.
Fortunately, this is possibleif not easy.
Originally designed for children, the Eee PC adopts a simple set of tabbed menus (called Easy Mode) that makes the system both easy to use and just about foolproof. There is no easy way to crash the Eee PC.
On the other hand, Easy Mode hides the versatility and power of Linux, making it difficult for newcomers to install new software. The key to unlocking this power, as experienced Linux users know, is in the command line, which you can call up by hitting Ctrl-Alt-T. A tip in Downloadsquad.com outlines the steps to install the full Xandros desktop. This only works if you have a connection to the Internet:
1. Run the terminal (Ctrl-Alt-T)
2. Type “sudo bash” (without the quotes) in the command line and hit Enter
3. Type “apt-get-update” and hit Enter
4. Type “apt-get install kicker” and hit Enter and answer “Y” when asked if you want to install
5. Type “apt-get install ksmserver” and hit Enter and answer “Y” when asked if you want to install
6. Type “exit” and Enter
7. Type “exit” and Enter again to close the terminal.
Now, when you shutdown, a new option called Full Desktop appears on the left side of the menu. Clicking on that icon will reboot the Eee PC with the full Xandros desktop, giving you complete access to the Linux system, including the Synaptic Package Manager used to install and update programs.
In Synaptic, I added the Xandros repository to gain access to more free programs. To do this, go to Settings > Repositories > New. Type “xnv4.xandros.com/4.0/pkg/” (without quotes) into the window next to URI, type “xandros4.0-xn” in the second window (Distribution) and type “main contrib non-free” in the third window (Sections), and hit the Reload button to update the list of available programs.
This enabled me to install Gimp, a powerful image editing program and upgrade Skype, which now works with the built-in camera for free video calls.
The Eee PC will go to Easy Mode each time you reboot, but you can change this from Personalization in the Settings tab to make it start with the full desktop.
Because of storage and other limitations (it won’t run Windows programs including popular games), the Eee PC isn’t for everyone. But if what you need is easy Internet access, extreme portability and a decent set of productivity and Web-based applications, there is probably no better machine today for the price.
Technology writers such as Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal who emphasize the Eee PC’s limitations (small keyboard, “inferior” software—what?!) are missing the point. The Eee PC is a harbinger of change, demonstrating that people will buy a properly configured Linux PC. By showing the way, the Eee PC is changing the game and paving the way for even more versatile Linux devices. People who don’t see that--well, maybe they’re just showing their age.
