[CALUG] My EeePC 1000 Review

[David A. Cafaro]

Ok, apparently some things have gotten lost in translation somewhere.

First off it might help you to have a little better understanding of  
what the Sharp MM20 is that my EeePC 1000 is replacing.  Here is the  
original review and my work installing Fedora on it:

http://www.cafaro.net/david/MM20ReviewAndInstall.html

Just to summarize, the SharpMM20 was a "netbook" before netbooks  
existed.  It was designed solely as a travel companion to a desktop.   
They even went as far as providing a dock that you could put the  
notebook in that would make it appear as a USB hard drive on your main  
desktop so you could sync files.  It's small (10" screen and 2lbs) and  
the Transmetta Efficeon processor was specifically designed as a low- 
power extended run time processor with not a lot of horse-power.  It  
also cost MUCH less than similar sub-notebooks from the likes of Sony  
at the time.

So if there is any comparison it my review it's at most comparing to a  
similar class machine (and beating the older machine hands down).

The review was about the system, not the hardware or OS alone.  As a  
package it functions very well, unless you count security as a  
function (which I do).  Right now Xandros has issues with security the  
way it comes from the factory on the EeePC 1000.  That was the point  
of the security section of the review.  If it wasn't for that, I would  
be leaving Xandros on it, I don't like making more work for myself if  
I can avoid it.  But I won't be comfortable connecting up to  
potentially hostile networks with this computer until I can resolve  
those issues.  The likely best course to resolve them is via  
installing an alternative linux distro, even given the initial  
headaches that in-tales.

Concerning the "problem with all reviewers" and their obsessions, I  
would again like to point out that I did mention in the review that  
the processes could be stopped from running at startup or hosts.deny/ 
allow could be used.  Maybe I should have phrased it as "the services  
could be disabled" instead of "just stopping the process from  
starting", but they are one in the same.  Maybe it's a little case of  
the readers obsession ;-).  My issue is they shouldn't really be  
running in the first place.

I hope that helps clear up some issues with the review, and again,  
thanks for your comments, I'll probably be making some changes to the  
online version of this post just to try and clear these items up some.

Cheers,
David



David A. Cafaro <dac at cafaro.net>
Cafaro's Ramblings:  www.cafaro.net



On Aug 13, 2008, at 9:08 AM, Rajiv Gunja wrote:

> 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/
>