[CALUG] My EeePC 1000 Review

[Rajiv Gunja]

Jason,


> Dave is a big boy, so I know he'll defend his own review.  That said,
> I've known him for years and he's fully qualified to give an impartial
> judgement of the hardware, software, and general configuration of the
> device.  Rather, your critique of Dave's email sounds defensive almost
> to the point of fanboi-ism.
>

I dont much about David, but my comments are to his email: He is replacing
his Sharp Laptop which probably runs Windows XP or was replaced by Linux to
EEEPC, which is powered by Silverthorne and an OS interface meant for
computing on the GO, so users need not have to deal with a full OS being
loaded.

Really, me a Fanboy? I would say that of all the Operating systems I have
used in the last 15 - 17 years, I would say Xandros I have used for about 3
years. In the last 2 years Xandros Desktop has not met my needs, which is
why I have switched to PCLinuxOS and CentOS. Would a fanboy do that? (I used
to really like Irix, but then again that was over 12 years ago.)


>
> > 1. EEEPC is not a desktop/laptop replacement, it is for a traveler who
> wants
> > to browse the internet, download some pictures from the camera and may be
> > use skype or IM to talk. That is the reason why it has such a slow CPU.
>
> I'm not sure where you're getting the impression that he didn't like the
> CPU.  I read nothing but positive remarks about the hardware,
> particularly the battery life.  He also compared it highly favorably to
> his older Transmeta-based system.


This is not about the processor, it is about the OS. Fedora, Ubuntu,
Xandros, PCLinuxOS desktops run well on normal CPUs, but not so well on CPUs
which they are not meant for. Of course Xandros has been modified from its
full blown desktop to run on this smaller ultramobile laptop. My argument is
why buy a small laptop if the OS needed is Ubuntu or Fedora and then come up
with bad reviews on the hardware/software combination?

> 2. Replacing Xandros (built for this hardware) by Full/modified Fedora or
> > Ubuntu is an overkill on the hardware and a bad choice. Why in the world
> > would you kill a small hardware with such a bloated software? Its like
> > trying to fit an elephant into a car.
>
> There's no reason another Linux distribution can't be fitted to this
> device just as elegantly as Asus did with the EeePC.  It just takes
> time, patience, and creativity.  Perhaps he prefers the package
> management and software availability offered to him by the other
> distributions.  I hate to tell you this, but the vast majority of Linux
>
distributions, including the native Xandros, is "bloated".


Fine, lets see how well the hardware/OS performs when he has replaced the
OS. I hope there will be another review of that and what pains it took him
to get everything working the way he wanted. I sure would like to know.
(secretly I am weighing my option of buying either EEE 1000 or Nokia 810)


> > If you know your security, then you should know that by turning off
> Samba,
> > Print sharing, NFS, you would have in effect turned off the so called bad
> > services, which is what a Firewall does.
> >
> > So it is not really a question of Firewall not being there or services
> being
> > turned on, but the question of what distribution "you" like, so your
> whole
> > point about changing the OS. If you ask me, once you install the default
> > Fedora or Ubuntu, you will see lot more services than the 4 you have
> > mentioned running and you will have to turn then off on those
> distributions
> > too.
>
> This is the sole point that I agree with you on, and I'm sure Dave knows
> as well.  I'm surprised that he didn't mention this given his stance on
> security.  I think he just got so hung up on the lack of a firewall that
> he "couldn't see the forest for the trees".


This is exactly the problem with all reviewers, they are so obsessed with
certain things that they forget certain normal things that on another day
would be done by the same person without a second thought.

>
> > Trying to extract / compare EEEPC with a normal desktop / laptop is not
> > doing the product justice. Its like expecting Elevator qualities from a
> Ski
> > lift.
>
> Again, I never saw Dave trying to compare the EeePC to a normal laptop.
> He compared it to his previous "subnotebook", which is a perfect
> comparison.


He did not make a direct mention, but isnt it what it means when he wants to
install Fedora or Ubuntu, which are full fledged Desktop/Server OS on this
ultramobile PC? (Replacing a tailor made OS for this hardware)

>
> > My intention was not to attack your comments but over the years I have
> read
> > so many reviews on different distributions where the reviewer has some
> > notions in mind and wants something out of a product which it is not
> meant
> > for and it just annoys me to no end.
>
> I can't help but wonder if a large portion of your response isn't a
> template from other attacks on reviewers.  With the lone exception of
> the firewall, everything else you mentioned was either invalid or repeating
> what Dave had already said.
>

What does that even mean? Are you saying that there has been other reviews
and for each one of them I have given such a response or that I go looking
on the web for other review or the reviewers and copy/paste them in my
email? I call it as I read it.

-GGR

Rajiv G Gunja


>
> --
> Jason Dixon
> DixonGroup Consulting
> http://www.dixongroup.net/
>
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