Re: asus eee distributionn

On Thu, Apr 17, 2008 at 10:11 PM, Gordon J. Holtslander
<gordon.holtslander@usask.ca> wrote:

> I said I could install linux on their windows system - I know the
> eee uses a customized linux distribution - but which one is it?

Its a modified Xandros, "running KDE and IceWM" according to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASUS_Eee_PC (that it's Xandros makes me
sad, because I would like an Eee, but I have resolved not to use
distros that have signed up for the M$ patent protection racket ):

I don't think you can d/l its distro.

> Since they are used to and happy with the eee -I want
> to offer something very similar. Any suggestionns?

You could try gOS (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GOS_(Linux_distribution) ) which is used
on low-end systems sold by Wal-mart in the U.S.

And honestly, Ubuntu isn't overly difficult (especially if you are the
one setting it up for them; just put the icons they want in a
large-sized Gnome panel or on the desktop... that's what I did for my
three year-old daughter, Audrey and she can do pretty much everything
she wants :) The Hardy release (due next Thursday BTW) has a nifty
Windows installer called Wubi (see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wubi_(Ubuntu) ) that requires no
partitioning and if they don't like Ubuntu they could uninstall it
right from the Windows add/remove programs! (the version on the Wubi
site also will allow installation of X/K/Edubuntu).

What sort of hardware do they have BTW?

e.g. Ubuntu's "Recommended minimum requirements" are listed on
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements

---
700 MHz x86 processor
384 MB of system memory (RAM)
8 GB of disk space
Graphics card capable of 1024x768 resolution
Sound card
A network or Internet connection
---
But that's not totally hard-and-fast; Audrey runs a 500 MHz Celeron
with 256 MB RAM.  Its bit slow (especially with applications like
OpenOffice.org ^_-;;;;; and I needed to use the alternate install CD),
but it usually doesn't use the swap partition.  Anything less than
that though, I would go with Xubuntu (and would offer it as an option
up to ~1 GHz/512 MB).  Xubuntu has gotten so much nicer since I first
tried it.
BTW, just for fun, here are the claimed "Windows Vista minimum
supported system requirements" hiding at the bottom of
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/products/windowsvista/editions/systemrequirements.mspx
---
800 MHz processor and 512 MB of system memory
20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
Support for Super VGA graphics
---
Sure that will boot... eventually ;)
CK