There is a reason I call them MonopolySoft.

And there is a reason MS is trying to get Windows 7 out much quicker
than usual. "Vista" is a known marketing poison.

Thanks for a firsthand story of today's greedy practices. Those of us
around from way back can relate to their similar dealings with Stac
Electronics (Stacker) and DR-DOS, amongst many other dirty dealings.
Not many will even remember how they took OS/2 from IBM collaborative
effort to "create" NT (base of XP and Vista).

Atheros chipset is one of the best bets to choose for wide-ranging
Linux WiFi compatibility.

I remember, but not the way you do.

IBM OS/2 and the associated PS2 computers were built to get away from
Microsoft MS-DOS. When IBM bought the operating system, they allowed
Microsoft to market MS-Dos using the bones of PC-Dos to other vendors.
IBM thought their bios kept them safe. When the clones arrived with
legal bios roms, for several hundred dollars a pop less, IBM felt they
needed to do something. The result was PS2 computers with a
proprietary bus, and OS/2. Anyone who wanted to build a PS2
compatible computer, had to license the bus from IBM. Few ever did,
and PS2 failed.

As for IBM having to build the PC as an anti trust settlement, this is
the first I heard of it. When they started building the PC, we were
all worried that they would take over the market and we would be
forced to buy expensive IBM machines. If you have references or
documents showing this, I'd love to see it. A google search brought
up nothing along these lines, and there is no mention in Wikipedia,
nor does my own sometimes error prone memory, come up with anything.

Some lap tops are a bugger to load Linux on. At least Toshiba is being kind to
allow Linux to load up by going through the steps. As to your WIFI issue. Intel
would be best for now till the new version of Ubie comes out.
http://distrowatch.com/?newsid=05118

Have you tried ndiswrapper? If you use the gtk GUI tool that is in the Ubuntu
repositories it is dead simple to use as long as you have your Windows drivers
with the inf file handy.

My son is an IT specialist who is a big Linux user. He ran Gentoo and Ubuntu on
his Toshiba laptop but vowed that he would never buy another Toshiba after
owning one. However, Toshiba is an OEM that supports Linux, so it leaves me
torn. I can understand my son's frustration, but I don't want to see a
manufacturer that supports Linux given a pass in broad terms. BTW, he now owns
an ASUS (not eeePC) and loves it.

I saw this recently and hope it helps:
www.pcmech.com/.../

I saw Slax Linux running wonderfuly on an ASUS. It connected to the Internet
without trouble. But I could not load Ubuntu, as the RAM was only 256 on that
one.

I have tried to get just about everything running. I have run Slax, but could
not get wireless working. Mine is a second generation one and it has a newer
wireless driver. I am not a big Slackware fan anyway as it is too much work to
get simple things done to my way of thinking.

Eeedora works well but I could not get PCLOS minime to work. The eeePC project
for PCLOS has been halted as the developer has gone to Iraq, I think. Mandriva
2008 installed, but the installation would not boot after an update. Besides
Mandriva is a pain to install. Ubuntu installs in 20 minutes, but Mandriva One
2008 took 2 and half hours to install for the same size distribution. This is
something that Mandriva needs to work on. Who's got that kind of time to invest?

I prefer Debian based distros because I generally don't like RPM. I have used
Gentoo but dislike compiling from source. It is too time consuming. I have
installed Slackware based distros, but find their packaging system archaic and
most are hard enough to configure on common equipment that I don't want to try
configuring something recent like the eeePC 900. That makes me sound lazy I
realize, but time is more important to me than the so-called advantages of
running something that is supposed to be faster.

I have successfully installed Ubuntu 8.10, as previously mentioned. Anything
based on 8.04 installs easily and works. I tried PC-OS, gOS, eeebuntu,
fluxflux-eee, eeeXubuntu, Mint and a few more I can't think of now. SimplyMEPIS
8 loaded the Live CD, worked great and installed beautifully, but the installed
version would not boot (kernel panic). I hope they iron this out for the final
release because it looks great and I really want to give it a workout.

I did not bother with OpenSUSE due to my leeriness of that distro due to past
bad experience re: stability and the poor reviews of that distro on the MSI
Wind. I want to install puppy-eee and Sidux still. Elive works great on the Live
CD and I was able to install it, but the version I downloaded has aproblem with
it. Once installed it would not recognize my root password. I installed it 3
times on two different machines with the same result. It is a great looking
distro so I hope to try again later with another release.

Another sweet distro is Opengeu, but I could not get the wireless going. I will
try it again with a wired connection and see if I can get the wireless to work.
Like Elive it uses Enlightenment and looks great.

Windows XP installs fine, but you must use one of the SSD drives as it won't
install to a usb key or removable SD card. That's okay because I don't like it
or use it at all. If I install it and keep it, it will be form my wife to use.

That is my experience so far with the eeePC and distros. The best are eeebuntu
and Xandros that came with it. The only problem with Ubuntu and the eeePC is
getting suspend/hibernate to work properly. The wireless and camera work fine.
In Xandros everything works, but the repositories are so old. They are still
running Open Office 2.0, Firefox 2, Thunderbird 1 point something and worst of
all Amarok 1.4 which means my MP3 player won't sync with it. The advantage is
that it is fast loading and stable. I switched it to Advanced Mode as Easy Mode
is totally annoying..

I also like the Debian distros, but apparently "Lenny" is having
compatibility problems with hardware. I have had video problems with
MEPIS 8 beta (Lenny) which didn't affect the same hardware running
MEPIS 7 (Etch).

I used MEPIS from its first release as my main distro and when I first bought
this computer it was the only distro that would work on it for a good six
months. However, Warren took us all for a bit of a roller coaster ride when he
switched MEPIS from Debian core to Ubuntu core with 6.0 and then switching back
again after just a few months. This was just too flaky for me. I did not like
7.0 which fell behind several competing distros such as PCLOS and Ubuntu. So it
is with great anticipation I await 8.0, due soon. I really hope he gets it right
this time. It is one distro with so much potential.

Unfortunately the beta has not worked well with my equipment which is strange
because it has always worked well. I am hoping the final release will straighten
out the kinks and it will be smooth sailing once again. Interestingly, Sidux
(Debian based on Sid) has also presented me with problems. It installs fine but
my root password won't work. The same thing happens with Elive. It is the same
password I have used for years. It is just alphanumerics, but does have a $ in
it. I am wondering whether this is a problem for some distros. As I said,
though, I have had this same password for years and installed countless distros
with no problem until recently. Hmmm. I may have to re-install and give a simple
password just t see if it is the password or the distro.

I am now running XP plus 11 distros spread over two drives. My main distro is
Ubuntu 8.04, but I can't decide between the 64-bit and 32-bit at the moment.
There are fewer reasons not to run the 64-bit than in the past, but a few small
nagging problems that keep me doubting. I wish that I could make up my mind.
Typically I run a distro for a week or so before replacing it and often live in
that environment for several days at a time so that I can get a better feel for
it. But Ubuntu is the one that I keep coming back to and I really like 8.10.

Here is what to expect in 8.10:
davestechsupport.com/.../whats-coming-in-ubuntu-810-intrepid-\
ibex/

Yep, same here on Sidux, I tried the latest Sidux last week in hopes
it would be "fixed".

I believe the problem is rooted in Debian "Lenny". It's the Debian
"Sid" and "Lenny" code that is evidently having problems (MEPIS 8,
Debian 5 and newest Sidux all having problems) I suspect if you try
the new Debian 5 "Lenny" that you'll also have problems on your
hardware, as I have.

I will just have to be patient. Now I know how all of the PCLOS users feel. They
have been making a big noise about delays in the new release. Patience is a
virtue and clearly I need to develop it. I won't waste time though trying to
install them until I read favourable reports.

BTW, does anybody know why a couple of distros give me a root password error? It
is the same password I have used for years. You must enter it twice and there is
no mistake in my entry. I have installed these distros at least twice on two
different computers with the same result. Both have separate root and user
password, both are based on Debian. The user password works fine, but I can't
change the system without root access. My root password is fairly normal except
it has a $ in it. I wondered if somehow it installed a wrong keyboard after
re-booting which might make another character type in its place such as a pound
(as in British sterling) sign. I live in Canada and use British language
settings but the U.S. keyboard. The password given would not match in this case
because the change was made after installation. Any thoughts?

The big advantage of Ubuntu is the sheer size of the community. The amount of
information available dwarfs most other distros, although Fedora and Red Hat are
up there. But according to Google, over sixty per cent of Linux searches are
referenced to Ubuntu. As for being a guru, I am too old or stiff to sit
cross-legged for long. I will settle for being adventurous. It is more fun! I
know how to get into trouble and have learned how to get out of most things by
trial and error, but I too am still learning.