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My takeaway from the article: Microsoft gave ASUS a deal they couldn't refuse. ASUS took the bait and sold the Eee PC with Windows preinstalled but the version

My takeaway from the article: Microsoft gave ASUS a deal they couldn't refuse. ASUS took the bait and sold the Eee PC with Windows preinstalled but the version of Windows was a little too crappy. Ultimately this sealed their fate as people upgraded to a "real computer," resigning the Eee PC's position to that of a toy. Is this right?

MichaelCollins 4y ago
The one I bought came with Linux, but some weird distro I never heard of and I doubt anybody would really want to use. So I install a mainstream distro on it, no big deal, but then the limitations of the very small screen size become apparent when KDE/GNOME fail to fit basic things like settings GUIs onto the screen. With a tiling window manager it became perfect for me. But I think most general computer users would be utterly alienated with that Linux experience. For the windows experience to also be shitty doubtlessly hurt the product line as well, but I don't think that shitty windows experience was displacing a polished linux experience. I think ASUS was basically between a rock and a hard place.
- Animats 4y ago
  > but then the limitations of the very small screen size become apparent when KDE/GNOME fail to fit basic things like settings GUIs onto the screen. Yes, hit that problem.
- astura 4y ago
  I couldn't do my timecard on my eee PC due to screen size.
smackeyacky 4y ago
I have two EEEPC 700 machines here, one I bought with a Linux on it new, the other I picked up at the tip shop for $5 that had windows XP on it. Waiting for windows to boot on that thing is a real exercise in patience. The supplied Linux was OK but I'm pretty sure Debian boots on it without issue. The real reason they became a toy was that people realised the keyboard is just too cramped for regular use. The 11" laptops that followed were a lot more sensible and not a lot more money.
rob74 4y ago
I'm surprised that no one seems to have mentioned Unity so far - Ubuntu originally developed it for its "Netbook Edition", then adopted it for the main Ubuntu distro. However it didn't stop the decline of netbooks or lead to the breakthrough of "Linux on the desktop" unfortunately...
asojfdowgh 4y ago
> Microsoft gave ASUS a deal they couldn't refuse. and afaik others too, to flood the market with more "practical" options than the XO, so the XO wouldn't take off in other parts of the world can't have computer classes without having microsoft computer classes, after all. Gotta get em' while they are young. https://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-3/shah/ https://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-... https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-where-is-it-now https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop...
- verytrivial 4y ago
  I recall some site called olpcnews or similar that was run by a pretty brazen shill that posted nothing but fud regarding the project and news of deals and projects from Intel and Microsoft around the Windows offering. Where or not there were fatal flaws in the OLPC model there was NO WAY the incumbents were going to let edu fall to it.

MichaelCollins 4y ago

The one I bought came with Linux, but some weird distro I never heard of and I doubt anybody would really want to use. So I install a mainstream distro on it, no big deal, but then the limitations of the very small screen size become apparent when KDE/GNOME fail to fit basic things like settings GUIs onto the screen. With a tiling window manager it became perfect for me. But I think most general computer users would be utterly alienated with that Linux experience. For the windows experience to also be shitty doubtlessly hurt the product line as well, but I don't think that shitty windows experience was displacing a polished linux experience. I think ASUS was basically between a rock and a hard place.

Animats 4y ago
> but then the limitations of the very small screen size become apparent when KDE/GNOME fail to fit basic things like settings GUIs onto the screen. Yes, hit that problem.
astura 4y ago
I couldn't do my timecard on my eee PC due to screen size.

smackeyacky 4y ago

I have two EEEPC 700 machines here, one I bought with a Linux on it new, the other I picked up at the tip shop for $5 that had windows XP on it. Waiting for windows to boot on that thing is a real exercise in patience. The supplied Linux was OK but I'm pretty sure Debian boots on it without issue. The real reason they became a toy was that people realised the keyboard is just too cramped for regular use. The 11" laptops that followed were a lot more sensible and not a lot more money.

rob74 4y ago

I'm surprised that no one seems to have mentioned Unity so far - Ubuntu originally developed it for its "Netbook Edition", then adopted it for the main Ubuntu distro. However it didn't stop the decline of netbooks or lead to the breakthrough of "Linux on the desktop" unfortunately...

asojfdowgh 4y ago

> Microsoft gave ASUS a deal they couldn't refuse. and afaik others too, to flood the market with more "practical" options than the XO, so the XO wouldn't take off in other parts of the world can't have computer classes without having microsoft computer classes, after all. Gotta get em' while they are young. https://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-3/shah/ https://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-... https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop-education-where-is-it-now https://www.theverge.com/2018/4/16/17233946/olpcs-100-laptop...

verytrivial 4y ago
I recall some site called olpcnews or similar that was run by a pretty brazen shill that posted nothing but fud regarding the project and news of deals and projects from Intel and Microsoft around the Windows offering. Where or not there were fatal flaws in the OLPC model there was NO WAY the incumbents were going to let edu fall to it.