EEE PC and other netbook general experiences

[snowpine]

Hi everybody, I am intrigued by the EEE PC and am thinking of purchasing one (or something similar), as I am frequently away from home and want something more portable than my ancient Dell laptop with no battery. I am curious about people's general experience, in particular the pros/cons of a netbook/umpc vs. a regular laptop. Which models are people using, and if you had to do it again today, which one currently on the market (or on the near horizon) would you buy?

[Bachstelze]

EeePC 4G here, no problem at all with Ubuntu. Don't know about the newer versions, though.

[gn2]

I was really keen on getting one, the Acer Aspire One.

In the end I gave up waiting for it to arrive in the UK and bought a 12" conventional laptop instead.

It's an asus F9E and works nicely with Ubuntu 8.04.

[Linuturk]

I had a cloudbook, and I couldn't stand it.

[AlanR8]

EeePC 4 Gig here.

I use Kubuntu and it works well! I also have a Sony Vaio as my main machine but use the Eee a lot when away from home.

[Tux Aubrey]

I got myself an Acer Aspire One.

I have Xubuntu with e17 running very smoothly. There are a few tricks to optimising it but these are now pretty well documented here on the AcerAspireOne user forums (http://www.aspireoneuser.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=164&p=1233#p1233)(thanks to wanderingstar).

IMO, it is a great little machine for Ubuntu but there seem to be a few problems with the mic and sound. I'm sure they'll be solved in time. The build quality of the machine is superb.

Most complaints are about the slow r/w times for the 8Gb SSD drive - but this seems to only be a killer issue for Windows XP users (and there is a version of the AA1 with an 80Gb HDD specially for them anyway).

I have also had a brief play with an eeePC 1000 (Windows version) and it is a very well spec'd little machine. If I can sneak it away from its owner, my son, this weekend, I'll set it up to dual boot Xubuntu.

[aysiu]

You can read on my blog (http://ubuntucat.wordpress.com/tag/eee-pc/) about my Eee experiences.

The quick sum-up: I have an Eee PC 701. Xandros worked great but was too difficult to customize and lacked good security implementation, so I ditched it for Ubuntu. Ubuntu works well on it with some minor tweaks (eeeXubuntu will help with that), but the boot time is a lot slower on Ubuntu than on Xandros.

[geekygirl]

I have an EeePC 900 12G currently running Ubuntu 8.04. Had Xubuntu installed previously. Both run perfectly, with a few minor tweaks.

I also use adamm's (from eeeuser.com) eee-kernel packages which have a lot of the basic fixes like wifi and acpi included.

There are other things like using unionfs and squashfs to reduce the disk space used on your install (the 900 still only has a 4G SSD for the OS) and I have links on my blog.

I too have a bit on info about using X/Ubuntu with an EeePC on my blog (link below)

:D

[stmiller]

I have a 701 4G E PC. I love it, actually. I have the strong desktop + E pc light laptop combo and that works well.

If you travel, or need something with you away from home, the E PC is perfect. It's a full laptop, sans the DVD drive.

I also wiped the Xandros install and put on Kubuntu 8.04.

I think if you only have one computer (no desktop at home), then you are probably better off with a full sized laptop. But if you have a desktop and need a good portable laptop, then the E pc is nice.

[Artemis3]

I have the 701 4g surf, I'm using eeeXubuntu which, among other things, comes with the wifi binary blob already compiled in.

If you want the smallest, i recommend the 901, it is the same size as the 701, but the screen covers the whole space, its a 9" 1024x600 as opposed to 7" 800x480, the cpu is an intel atom running at 1.6ghz instead of an intel pentium m running at 630mhz; comes with 1g of ram instead of 512, there is a model with linux and 20g ssd (4+16) or winXP with 12g (4+8); instead of 700's 2/4/8 option.

If you must have bigger keys (some people just don't get along wih the small keyboord) you could wait/search the 1000 which is slightly larger 10" screen, or 904 which seems the same size but with wasted space (9"). The 1000 can however come with either 40g ssd or 80g laptop hd. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eee_pc

To install ubuntu, i would use the ubuntu eee project iso image and guide here: http://www.ubuntu-eee.com/

The included distro, while it works, its very basic and lacking. It didn't last long in mine... It is an Asus mod of Xandros, so not all Xandro's packages (which are very few compared to, say, Debian) work. Of course Xandros comes from Debian, but not many Debian packages work either...

Part of the reason the included distro boots fast, is that they omit many services and dropped things like multiuser login. There is this interesting Debian wiki article about speeding the boot process up, including some "tricks" used by the supplied distro: http://wiki.debian.org/DebianEeePC/Boot

The machine is good for net surfing, testing connectivity, playing 16bit console era emulated games, video and audio playback etc. Get the biggest (or various) SDHC flash card you can afford to extend capacity even more. It is very small (half a notebook?) and weights just 1kg.

IMO Asus is leading in this market, the Cloudbook is already obsolete and VIA has announced the second generation already, this time using a faster processor (the C7 is roughly half as fast as its equivalent intel).

[akiratheoni]

I have an eeepc 900 20GB with Xandros and Ubuntu 8.04 booted. I don't use Ubuntu much because I find Xandros is mostly sufficient for my needs since all of the hardware works without issue. The only issue is the keyboard and screen size, but obviously they have to be smaller (transitioning from a 22" inch screen to 8.9" inches is kind of hard :P)

[ghindo]

I had a cloudbook, and I couldn't stand it.Why not?

[geekygirl]

If you want the smallest, i recommend the 901, it is the same size as the 701, but the screen covers the whole space, its a 9" 1024x600 as opposed to 7" 800x480, the cpu is an intel atom running at 1.6ghz instead of an intel pentium m running at 630mhz; comes with 1g of ram instead of 512, there is a model with linux and 20g ssd (4+16) or winXP with 12g (4+8); instead of 700's 2/4/8 option.


And if you want to get real geeky about the different varients, the 901 has great battery life and bluetooth, however the older Celeron M CPU found on the 900 series will beat an Atom in performance (the 900 range is not underclocked like the 701) but the battery life is average (2-2.5hrs). So depends if you want battery life or performance (bluetooth can be hacked/installed into the 900 or you can always buy a dongle!)

Although I think performance in this sort of netbook/sub-notebook isnt really what people are buying them for anyways! :)

Definately agree about the screen though, after playing with the older 701 and then the 900 when it came out, it was a no brainer as to which was the one to get for me based on screen real estate alone!

Best thing to do is go into a retailer that has them (any sort of netbook/sub-notebook) and try them out and see of you really like the ultra small form factor.

If the keyboard size is an issue with the EeePC though, the HP Mini Note range have a full sized keyboard, I think the MSI Wind has a larger keyboard but the battery life on those is apparently questionable from what I have seen in reviews. The downer with the Mini Note is it uses a Via CPU and it is running Vista Business pre-installed.

[aysiu]

Actually, I think the HP Mini-Note is a 92% keyboard.

[richg]

I bought the EEE 4G PC when they were first available and I am very happy with it. It is my choice when traveling. Three hours battery time versus forty minutes on my Linspire 8 lb notebook. I use the Xandros default OS as I do not care what the OS is as long as it works. I am not a good software techie. The wireless capabilities are very good.
I have an adapter I picked up off of ebay for $15.00 including shipping that allows me to use an external hard drive or external CD ROM.
I keep a 2gb SD media in the laptop if I need extra storage. The hard drive test was to prove a point. I use the CD ROM when transferring multiple files from my desktop.
My stepson who uses a XP laptop was so impressed with it that he bought one for downloading and reading ebooks. He uses the default OS also.
I would not want this model as a primary PC as the small print can be trying after a couple hours.

Rich

[Redptc]

I would like to say 'thanks' to everybody and hope to hear more.

Especially pleased to hear that Ubuntu 8.04 can be used.

This EEEPC sounds like the sort of thing I need in addition to the desktop!

[richg]

In case you have not been there, here is a link to the EEE PC forums.
http://forum.eeeuser.com/

Rich

[earlycj5]

Actually, I think the HP Mini-Note is a 92% keyboard.

It is but the difference is negligible. I'm hard pressed to notice, I touch type, it's one of the best keyboards I've used, the best I've used on a laptop.

[der_joachim]

I have an EEE900 (20G). Although I am still using the default Xandros, I am going to ditch it. Although the interface is actually quite good, the software is quite old in general and some inconsistencies in the repositories prevent me from downloading any security updates. Adding new packages is a pain as well. Optionally, you can install the 'Advanced Desktop', which is a watered-down and hopelessly obsolete KDE version.

I'm going to switch to Ubuntu/NBR as soon as I have time.

Hardware-wise I am quite content with my 900. It boots in 15 seconds (my home PC needs more than a minute), the wireless is the best I have seen for a while, and although the hardware specs are quite modest, it is really snappy. The small keyboard is no problem whatsoever. The only real disadvantage is battery life, even more so because Asus decided to ship some UK and all Benelux versions with a pityfully weak battery.

[NikoC]

Have an eee pc with Xandros (though already tweaked it to my needs) with 20 Gb HD.
To summarize: imo:
Extremely portable and light, good battery life, nice software and fully tweakable to your needs (e.g. installed R on it without a problem, same for latex; debian based, so I was already familiar with it being a 4 year ubuntu user), good for checking your email, surf around a bit and editing already or nearly finished documents. Even managed to stream mp3 and video from my NAS.
The keyboard and screen are a bit too small if you are planning do some real work on it (an external keyboard, mouse and screen might be helpful).
It's a lot of fun but I probably will go for a 13.3 inch (as I used to own) laptop in the near future.

[simonuk]

If you're a fast typer go for the MSI wind because of the larger keyboard, I bought one and don't regret this over all the others for mainly that one reason.

[bobbocanfly]

Have an Eee 4G and haven't even bothered wiping Xandros. It works fine and with the Xandros repositories installed you have access to most software you need (gnome-terminal to replace the awful terminal that comes by default and htop, because top doesnt quite cut it)

[murphykieran]

I'm bumping this thread to add my own experience.

I bought an Eee PC 904 a week ago with 80Gb HD from my local PC store, it was discounted because it had been purchased and returned a few days later.

It was a Windows model, but after a while I realised I really did prefer Ubuntu to Windows, so I downloaded and installed 8.04 from a USB key. It took a while to get wireless working, and thanks to help on the forum here, I have wireless working fine.

So far I'm very happy with it, I bought it just to have a small, light cheap laptop that's mainly for web browsing, and it does that just fine. So far a thumbs up from me.

The keyboard is quite small and I don't like because I'm a fast typer and I hate those touchpads, but that's an issue I have with all laptops, I just gotta buy a cheap mouse for it.

[motoperpetuo]

here's what might be a dumb question: what do you do for an optical drive on these eee PC notebooks? is there an external USB CD/DVD drive that comes with them, or do you have to buy one separately? i don't see an optical drive mentioned in the specs for the systems i've looked at on amazon.com.

also, what dealers in the USA carry these? seems like the kind of thing i'd like to check out physically, rather than just ordering one off the net.

[aysiu]

here's what might be a dumb question: what do you do for an optical drive on these eee PC notebooks? is there an external USB CD/DVD drive that comes with them, or do you have to buy one separately? i don't see an optical drive mentioned in the specs for the systems i've looked at on amazon.com. No optical drive. I installed Ubuntu on my Eee using a USB stick (actually my Sansa Clip).


also, what dealers in the USA carry these? seems like the kind of thing i'd like to check out physically, rather than just ordering one off the net. That's a toughie. I'd heard they were going to be at Best Buy at some point (the XP version at least), but I don't see it at my local Best Buy. I pretty much bought mine on faith, the watching of several online videos, and the reading of hundreds of reviews.

[CumbrianTom]

I currently own an EEE PC 900 (my very first laptop) and I have to say I love it. While it isn't powerful and doesn't have much HD space (16B) it is a great little piece of kit for surfing the net and playing the odd game on. I bought it with Windows XP pre-installed but it was very slow so I wiped it and installed Ubuntu eee instead. Loads faster. It also has a good set of built in speakers and a half decent webcam built in.

[motoperpetuo]

is it possible to get an external optical drive for these that's powered over USB? i guess probably not. we had some tiny HP laptops at work that are about the same size as an eee PC physically, and they have externally powered USB optical drives, but they also have a weird special USB connection with an extra connector that i'm guessing is for the power.

baring that, there's no reason a regular external USB CD/DVD drive wouldn't work with an eee PC, correct?

[worx101]

is it possible to get an external optical drive for these that's powered over USB? i guess probably not. we had some tiny HP laptops at work that are about the same size as an eee PC physically, and they have externally powered USB optical drives, but they also have a weird special USB connection with an extra connector that i'm guessing is for the power.

baring that, there's no reason a regular external USB CD/DVD drive wouldn't work with an eee PC, correct?

I use a USB powered DVD R/W with mine. It works perfectly :)

Have 701 4g, love it to death, use it for all sorts of little things :D

[joebodo]

I have a 900 and my 12 year old daughter has a 4g. I recommend getting at least a 900 due to the larger screen size. I think the eee pcs are great- I dont need a full backpack that weighs 10 pounds to lug around and the solid state hard drive means it can take a beating.

I use ubuntu with the netbook remix package.

[gn2]

is it possible to get an external optical drive for these that's powered over USB? i guess probably not. we had some tiny HP laptops at work that are about the same size as an eee PC physically, and they have externally powered USB optical drives, but they also have a weird special USB connection with an extra connector that i'm guessing is for the power.

baring that, there's no reason a regular external USB CD/DVD drive wouldn't work with an eee PC, correct?

How often would you need optical media nowadays, when there are memory cards and flash drives?

I use optical media less than once a week.

[CumbrianTom]

How often would you need optical media nowadays, when there are memory cards and flash drives?

I use optical media less than once a week.

You'd be surprised. I bought my eee pc 900, took it out the box and saw a CD that lets you update all the drivers very easily and lets you reinstall Windows XP. All very good but you have to buy the external DVD drive separate. lol.

[uberdonkey5]

Hi everybody, I am intrigued by the EEE PC and am thinking of purchasing one (or something similar), as I am frequently away from home and want something more portable than my ancient Dell laptop with no battery. I am curious about people's general experience, in particular the pros/cons of a netbook/umpc vs. a regular laptop. Which models are people using, and if you had to do it again today, which one currently on the market (or on the near horizon) would you buy?

I also have an Eee PC 701 4GB. However, the new magellan notepad (in Portugal) looks good. Competition is hotting up, so prices my drop further soon.

- Portability is great (light and as wide as my hand span)
- more durable than normal laptop if you drop it
- has a reset button (if everything goes wrong, it will return the operating system (Xandros), since you are likely to be storing all your data on your SD card, you just remove this
- preinstall xandros works great (and though it has simplified desktop, with small tweaks you can get into advanced mode)
- wifi, webcam, speakers, mic (though mic a bit quiet)

I bought mine for getting surf forecasts whilst I travel (have vodafone connect pen plugged in), and for talking on skype. Keyboard is smallest useable keyboard you could manage with, but for regular use it is easy to get a wireless keyboard (indeed, you could keep a wireless keyboard at home). Sometimes screen small if you are working for a long time.

For travelling I think notepads are much better than laptops. Laptops are heavy, and most people drop them at some time. My laptop just stays at home now.

P.S. you can install ubuntu on eee pc, but that means forgoing the 'factory reset' ability.

[ProNoblem]

I also have the Eee PC 901 (Windows XP version (12GB storage), the Linux version (20GB storage) wasn't on sale in the Netherlands)

And frankly, I'm really really pleased with it. It came with the 6600MA battery which gives it 5 hours of battery life while doing stuff like php editting, browsing, etc. (around 3 to 3.5 hours watching movies)

My reasons for the 901 and not the 7xx, 900, 904 or 1000 series:

901 has the Intel Atom 1.6GHz (compared to the slower Celeron)
901 has a SSD Hard Disk (and thus takes "a beating" a lot better than conventional hard disks)
901 has the 6600MAh battery compared to the 4400MAh battery which extends battery life
Size: The 7" and 9" series in the standard sleeve are as big as a normal school book, which means I can take it everywhere without needing a special laptop bag


Right now, I'm used to the smaller size of the keyboard and am typing just as well as if I were on a regular sized keyboard (although this point might not count if your fingers are a bit thicker)

Before the Eee PC I had a 15" Acer notebook, which was around 3KG compared to the 1.1KG the 901 is. It also only did 2 hours of battery life which was way too short to keep working in the trains/out of the house. Next to the fact that I always had to carry along the laptop bag which kinda annoyed me after a couple of months..

As a desktop replacement I would still choose a regular notebook but for working outside, giving presentations, working in the trains/school/cantinas the UMPC's really rock :)

Ps. I'm running Eeebuntu Standard, modified the theme a bit so that the buttons are tiny and the fonts are all at 8pts which gives you enough room for your programs

[brianz]

I have a 701 4G E PC. I love it, actually. I have the strong desktop + E pc light laptop combo and that works well.

If you travel, or need something with you away from home, the E PC is perfect. It's a full laptop, sans the DVD drive.

I also wiped the Xandros install and put on Kubuntu 8.04.

I think if you only have one computer (no desktop at home), then you are probably better off with a full sized laptop. But if you have a desktop and need a good portable laptop, then the E pc is nice.
why wipe xandros and replace with ubuntu?
I have eeepc 1000 (to accomodate my fat fingers) 40GB nondisk drive.
What advantage is there to ubuntu over xandros.
I am having no trouble with xandros.

[aysiu]

why wipe xandros and replace with ubuntu?
I have eeepc 1000 (to accomodate my fat fingers) 40GB nondisk drive.
What advantage is there to ubuntu over xandros.
I am having no trouble with xandros.
If you're having no problems with Xandros, don't switch. Others of us have had problems with Xandros, so we have switched. There is no universal recommendation on which OS to use. To each her own.

[IgnorantGuru]

You'll notice even in this thread that most of the owners of the eee love it. There's a reason for that - it rocks! I have a 900 20G linux. I previously had a 15" HP that was a great machine. I spent lots of time updating, tweaking, and configuring it. For what? So I could check my email and look at a web page or two? Plus after you lug it through a few airports you realize it's a monster!

So I decided to rethink the whole 'laptop' idea, researched the possibilities, and ended up with the eee. I waited for the 900 (slightly larger screen and 20G) and bought one as soon as it came out. I haven't changed a thing on it. It's my 'just works' device. I considered enabling the advanced mode, getting into a root shell, etc., but decided I didn't want or need to do that. When I have a trip I just load a copy of my travel docs on it and go. Plus I dump my trip pics onto it (has a handy SD slot). I have a comfy skater backpack with a padded laptop pocket (the eee SWIMS in it - I throw a few books in there with it). Just that, the charger, and a short ethernet cable for those hotels that provide a jack but no wire. In the past year the eee has ridden on my back through egypt, west africa, scotland, england, california, colorado, maryland, virginia, arizona, and utah - hot to cold to dusty to humid. Not a drip.

Great wireless - I got on in places where people with large laptops couldn't connect. I wouldn't want to work for hours on it but it's a great travel companion.

It's also a great conversation piece. You can't whip it out without a crowd gathering around you asking 'What IS that???' One woman who saw it wrote me and told me she bought one as soon as she got home. People don't see them in stores, not even techy people, so they're surprised to see them.

[t0p]

why wipe xandros and replace with ubuntu?
I have eeepc 1000 (to accomodate my fat fingers) 40GB nondisk drive.
What advantage is there to ubuntu over xandros.
I am having no trouble with xandros.

Cos ubuntu is better? ;)

Okay, no better or worse. Just different. As far as I'm concerned, that's a reason to stick ubuntu on it. I have hardy running fine on my 4G, thanks to the tweaks available at wiki.eeeuser.com (http://wiki.eeeuser.com). Sorry, I haven't got a direct link. But go there and search for "niceee", that should help.

Oh, and remember: if you install another os, whether ubuntu or xp, you will no longer have the option to press F9 and reset factory default This is because the install will overwrite the previously write-protected partition on the SSD that stores Xandros "Simple Mode". Unless you install the new os on an SDHC card. The eeeuser wiki (http://wiki.eeeuser.com) can help with that too! :)

[redbook4574]

Sorry guys, but i hate to say it.

Put simply on cost only (I loved the 701 but), the aspire one wins hands down.

Cheaper, ok slightly more difficult to set up with ubuntu but worth the effort.

I read somewhere that the celeron in the 901 will out perform the atom, well sorry but thats crap, (and I also hate intel, but the atom is a marvel).

I hope asus step up a gear and produce a hdd version with the atom, or all their foresight will have been for nothing and others will take the crown

[LaRoza]

My Dell 910 review is in my blog.

[WenSes]

Overall I'm really pleased with my 901... I installed ubuntu 8.10 since didn't liked the way the netbook remix of ubuntu eee was working and it's great (even more now since the ibex has an easier configuration for managing devices like my cellphone as a modem)...

Only issue I could say now it's windows size... sometimes the are to big to the screen and unable to resize and in those cases it's kinda complicated.

[CapnChkn]

I have been through 2 regular sized laptops which simply died on me after about a year. Mighty expensive computing, and heavy too!

My little Eee Pc 701 is actually "Keen as Mustard!" (Ketchup? Catsup?) I can carry it around and work while walking. What I do have problems with is the size of the SSD, I've installed Ubuntu Hardy Heron LTS with the Niceeepc script modification. It runs everything I want now.

[BXL]

I am currently running 9.04 Beta on my Eee PC 701 but somehow I have the feeling that since I moved from eeebuntu to Jaunty Jackalope battery life is much shorter. Is there a difference between the power management of 9.04 Beta and 9.04 Beta NBR regarding netbooks, especially the 701?

[jwkolberg]

I just bought an eee pc 1000, with a 40gb ssd and I love it. It came with Xandros which was lame so I immediately installed eeebuntu which has been perfect.

If I spend too much time on it my eyes start to hurt because the screen is so small. The battery life is awesome, making it possible for me to take to school everyday and just charge it every night and sometimes every other night. Its perfect for wasting time in class, and much better and cheaper than surfing the web on a blackberry or iphone.

Get one for sure!

[OlivierBROUN]

Hi everybody, I am intrigued by the EEE PC and am thinking of purchasing one (or something similar), as I am frequently away from home and want something more portable than my ancient Dell laptop with no battery. I am curious about people's general experience, in particular the pros/cons of a netbook/umpc vs. a regular laptop. Which models are people using, and if you had to do it again today, which one currently on the market (or on the near horizon) would you buy?

I am an happy user of a We-surf netbook. 1gb ram. 60gb micro-disk, and tactile screen (which is not of the least). Je veux dire que l'écran tactile est encore peu répandu et que c'est, à ce prus là, super de l'avoir payé seulement 299€).

I am running windows7 on it. : Quite quick! 20 sec to boot. Of course, the bad point is the access time to the hard drive.
I haded a memory stick of 16gb (you wil say..
it depends of the quality of this SD : wem 10gb/S W/R
It declared 2GB of ramboost.
All Ok.

[mgco]

@artemis3 (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=37597) care to share how you replaced the in-built xandrOS with Ubuntu?

@geekygirl (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=446146) I'd really like to know how you activated the bluetooth via dongle, I can't seem to have bluetooth running on my 900 :(

@der_joachim (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=21592) so have you ditched the xandrOS yet? what steps did you have to take?

@joebodo (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=672850) did you have to replace XP or xandrOS for the netbook remix? how'd you do it?

[Steven_S]

I very recently installed the netbook remix on my eeepc 701. First, I tested it out running from an SD card.

Installing meant that I had to wipe off the stock Xandros (otherwise it wouldn't fit). But as I am using an SD card that is always in for file storage, that doesn't bother me too much.

Everything works out of the box, except that the mediaplayer in the distribution does not play mpeg. I solved that by installing vlc - easy and it works. I still have to clean out some stuff I don't use, and upgrade the Firefox installation. A full upgrade of everything would have taken too much space.

For installing, I used this page: https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/FromUSBStick

And now I love the interface so much that I am thinking of putting it on my desktop - if I can figure out how to have that interface only for my kids as users. And of course after I have switched that desktop from XP...

[geogur]

eeepc is so cool when out on tour . every time i pull it out and use it people want one . Xandros works fine , (wifi) .I have found no reason to change it . it travels better than my 17" ws hp. it even fits in my hoddie front pocket ! i walked into a pc store and had everybody looking and asking what is that . mine is so old with the original battery no issues ,

[sgosnell]

Replacing Xandros is easy enough. Just run the LiveCD or LiveUSB and then the install app. You can either have it use the entire drive, replacing the old OS, or specify the partitions manually, and make a separate partition for /home. It's not rocket science.

Bluetooth in Xandros is a PITA, involving lots of tweaking of config files. Under Ubuntu, it just works.

[mgco]

@sgosnell (http://ubuntuforums.org/member.php?u=774876) I'm curious, did you install on an Eee 900? If yes, did you use a Bluetooth dongle? I have yet to test one on mine

UPDATE: I just tested bluetooth on Karmic on my Eee 900 and it worked! Sweet.

[sgosnell]

Yes, I have an old dongle I bought several years ago. I just plugged it in, and it works. You do need to make sure the bluetooth manager is in your autorun programs at startup, but other than that it should work fine. When I still had Xandros installed, I had to do a lot of file editing and package downloading to get it to do anything. With Ubuntu, it's ready to go.

[earthpigg]

in b4 the "necromancy? thread closed!" picture.