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[colinwhipple]

I have had my Eee PC for five days now, and an OLPC since December.  The Eee PC does NOT run all that hot and it both boots and runs a lot faster than the OLPC.

For my casual use at home and for use while traveling I see it as much preferable to the OLPC.

This is not to deny that the ruggedness of the OLPC makes it better for its intended purpose.

Colin

[StewieGriffin]

I have had an Eee PC longer than I have had my XO, but it is really a toss up between which one I prefer.

I have hand tuned both systems, so both are running optimally.  (I am a professional software engineer)

My Eee has Windows XP For Lesser Processors on it, so it is a light install of XP.  It is super speedy, and can play HD video.  Much better than the original Xandros Linux on it.  It can restore from hibernation in 15 seconds.  Since is has the Windows Flash Player, it is much better at playing postage stamp flash videos.

My XO has Xfce, mplayer, Opera 9.26, and AbiWord on it.  It is also super speedy now, although it takes a little over a minute to boot.  Every app starts in a few seconds, and is very responsive as well.  I didn't install Flash on it, since the Flash player for Linux is terribly slow.  This machine is perfectly capable of playing postage stamp videos well, but the software isn't.  I have a better looking desktop using Xfce and display compositing.

Eee Advantages:

- Faster boot
- Flash player
- Ability to run all my favorite apps
- Lighter weight
- Wired ethernet adapter

XO Advantages:

- Longer battery life
- Do not need to run anti-virus
- No annoying Windows Update messages
- Higher resolution
- Larger screen
- Longer range wireless
- No WGA annoyances

Verdict:

For home/office use:  XO wins easily.  Strong wireless, higher resolution makes this a great machine for this use.  Plus I am not treated like a software pirate.  My Windows was authentic last week.  That means it is still authentic next week.  Stop treating your customers like pirates, Microsoft.

For travel:  Eee wins easily.  Lighter weight, lighter weight, and lighter weight.  Every ounce you carry counts when you are flying halfway around the world almost every month.  Did I say that the Eee weighs less?

[Directive0]

I have had an Eee PC longer than I have had my XO, but it is really a toss up between which one I prefer.

I have hand tuned both systems, so both are running optimally.  (I am a professional software engineer)

My Eee has Windows XP For Lesser Processors on it, so it is a light install of XP.  It is super speedy, and can play HD video.  Much better than the original Xandros Linux on it.  It can restore from hibernation in 15 seconds.  Since is has the Windows Flash Player, it is much better at playing postage stamp flash videos.

My XO has Xfce, mplayer, Opera 9.26, and AbiWord on it.  It is also super speedy now, although it takes a little over a minute to boot.  Every app starts in a few seconds, and is very responsive as well.  I didn't install Flash on it, since the Flash player for Linux is terribly slow.  This machine is perfectly capable of playing postage stamp videos well, but the software isn't.  I have a better looking desktop using Xfce and display compositing.

Eee Advantages:

- Faster boot
- Flash player
- Ability to run all my favorite apps
- Lighter weight
- Wired ethernet adapter

XO Advantages:

- Longer battery life
- Do not need to run anti-virus
- No annoying Windows Update messages
- Higher resolution
- Larger screen
- Longer range wireless
- No WGA annoyances

Verdict:

For home/office use:  XO wins easily.  Strong wireless, higher resolution makes this a great machine for this use.  Plus I am not treated like a software pirate.  My Windows was authentic last week.  That means it is still authentic next week.  Stop treating your customers like pirates, Microsoft.

For travel:  Eee wins easily.  Lighter weight, lighter weight, and lighter weight.  Every ounce you carry counts when you are flying halfway around the world almost every month.  Did I say that the Eee weighs less?

Just to clarify:  Does the EEE weigh less? 

[colinwhipple]

Is "Windows XP For Lesser Processors" an actual version of Windows?  I googled it, and couldn't find iy.

Colin

[StewieGriffin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCs

This a special version of Windows XP for enterprise use.  You may not be able to get a valid license key for it anymore though.

If you install normal Windows XP Pro on it, you should be able to get the bloat down to FLP size with some work.

[BeckyJ]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCs

This a special version of Windows XP for enterprise use.  You may not be able to get a valid license key for it anymore though.

If you install normal Windows XP Pro on it, you should be able to get the bloat down to FLP size with some work.

I wonder if the Windows XP Legacy version is the starting point for MS's efforts to develop an XP version for the XO?

Maybe.

[sracer]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Fundamentals_for_Legacy_PCs

This a special version of Windows XP for enterprise use.  You may not be able to get a valid license key for it anymore though.

If you install normal Windows XP Pro on it, you should be able to get the bloat down to FLP size with some work.

I wonder if the Windows XP Legacy version is the starting point for MS's efforts to develop an XP version for the XO?

Maybe.

Perhaps, but most likely not.  If they're smart and want to produce a quality version of XP customized for the XO (and not simply do it for the sake of saying they did it) they'll start at an even lower level with Windows XP Embedded.

When most people here think of Windows XP, they think of the retail shrinkwrap version, preloaded behemoths, or simply what they've heard from others about how huge XP is.  While shrinkwrap and preloaded XP images are indeed large, carefully tuned XP images can be signficantly smaller.

If I, as an outsider, can pare down a fully functional version of WinXP (including network and power management support) in under 400MB that runs fine on older/slower hardware, then I'm sure that Microsoft could produce a version for the XO that is even more streamlined.

[gyffes]

Most people who install XP on their eee (the fools) choose to use a tool called nLite that cuts out mucho extraneous bits of XP. Again, if you're interested, the user forums that I referenced earlier is awash in helpful information and peeps even more helpful.

Also, Mr. Software Engineer, it's a bit disingenuous for you to've replaced the not-needing-anti-virus Xandros with XP and then list the XO's lack of need for anti-virus as a plus in its favor. Out of the box, the eee doesn't need it, either, but comes with it, anyway (the redoubtable if not swift Clam AV).

[colinwhipple]

Something the my OLPC does better than my EEE PC:

The OLPC "remembers" which wireless access point I use, and also remembers the WEP access code.  My EEE PC does not.

I found a way to tell the EEE PC which access point to connect to at boot time, but it doesn't do that very well, and does not remember the access code.  I have to re-enter it every time I boot up.

If someone has a way of doing this better, I would be glad to hear it.

I am using the Linux OS that the EEE PC comes with.

Colin

[gyffes]

My eee remembers my WPA passcode. It does not, I believe, autodetect as well as my mac does, but it certainly has no trouble connecting to access points when I point at them and does get a stronger signal than my XO does.

What I did was enter the WPA key on the Wireless tab of the Network Connection panel (you ARE working in Advanced mode, yeh?). A click on OK and it's saved. I've never been asked, since.

[Ulsterman]

@colin

try using the network icon (not the wireless networks icon) under the internet tab.  Here's a link to that advice (and scroll down to number 1: Set Up A WiFi Internet Connection..

http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:beginners_guide

I followed this and entered my WEP key and it worked for my 2g surf, which is stock, out-of-the-box in Easy Mode, just as it came from the factory.

[StewieGriffin]

Am I a fool for installing XP on my Eee?  Probably.  But I do need it to run XP applications when I travel.   Yeah, and then I bash it (well, bash Windows) for needing anti-virus.  :-)  I am patiently waiting for the Wine 1.0 release, but I'm not sure it will fit on a small flash install.

Personally, I would love to install the full Gusty (Ubuntu 7) on it, then run XP under VMWare.  I am patiently waiting for the Eee 900, with a larger screen to do this.   Or maybe I will do this the other way around if it comes with XP preinstalled...

I really don't mind XP - it's Vista that I really hate.  660MB is needed on my Vista test box to just be idle at the desktop.  You can watch Vista leak memory every day it is up.  Microsoft has really done their homework making people get used to their stuff then forcing it down their throats on new hardware.

Mr. Software Engineer

[gyffes]

While I have a fairly huge dislike of most things Windows, I, too, appreciate that XP CAN be a solid OS when properly tweaked: I have 2 different XP iterations running on my MacBook via Fusion.

What I was twitin' you for was putting XP on the cute little eee and then twitting the eee for needing AV. That seemed.. unfair.

I fully recognize that some jobs still require WinOS (whatever flavor) and don't knock those users Just Because.

[colinwhipple]

Thanks.  I will try the instructions in the beginners guide.

Colin (still a beginner after all these years)

[colinwhipple]

It turns out that I just needed a little more patience.  I had previously set my wireless connection to start on boot, but nothing seemed to be happening.  Tonight I booted the eee pc and entered my password, then left it on while I started dinner.  When I came back it was connected to the network. It even remembered the WEP access code.

I hadn't been waiting long enough before.

Colin