Netbooks
I’ve been thinking about getting a netbook since I first laid eyes on the Eee PC, and with the next UDS fast approaching the thought of lugging my current laptop (I’ll give you a clue as to why – it’s called Treebeard for a reason) has moved me from just thinking about it to deciding which one will become “my precious” soon. (Sorry – I’ve been watching the extended Lord of the Rings box set.)
Current favourites are:
- Dell Mini 9 – This one scores bonus points for coming with Ubuntu pre-installed, but I fail to see why paying an extra £30 for the Microsoft Windows version also scores you an additional 8GB storage and a better webcam
- Asus Eee PC 900 – Eee PC may be the original, but is it the best? On the good side lots of people have them, so support is good, and there’s a dedicated Ubuntu community. On the bad side I find their styling a little… bland
- Acer Apsire One – Good points: cheap (see below), nice styling. Bad points: Not 100% with Ubuntu (even Intrepid), cringeworthy advert
I was this close to picking up an Aspire One (this morning after calling into PC World on the way back from fixing my mother’s wireless card. They have the A110AB in store for £179.99 – very, very tempting if it wasn’t for the incompatibilities listed on the Ubuntu wiki.
Ignorance
Unsurprisingly the netbook “aisle” (more of a large shelf really) was very popular, with a number of families looking at the various offerings, and one guy testing his phone with an Eee PC to see if mobile internet worked (it did, but he was testing on a Microsoft Windows model).
There were various conversations about which make/model was best and whether they should go for the Linux or Microsoft Windows version, and – of course – I couldn’t help being drawn into these. Fortunately the Schwuklets were kept busy with Frozen Bubble on one of the display Eee PCs.
Nuggets of wisdom being imparted from the PC World staff to potential purchasers:
- Linux is for basic users
- Microsoft Windows is more advanced than Linux
- Linux is “sort of” compatible with Microsoft Windows, but not vice versa (OK, this is “sort of” true, but they put it in such a way as to steer the customers towards Microsoft)
- If their kids get used to Linux, they will have trouble using Microsoft Windows
- If you buy a Linux model, you can install Microsoft Windows on it provided you have your license key. They even offered to do this for a fee
Whilst the last one might be true, it would presumably only apply to bought copies of Microsoft Windows – I’m almost certain OEM licenses are non-transferable, and I’d be surprised if any were (especially with the activation rigmarole). This seems particularly bad advice to be giving to people, especially the sort who are shopping in PC World in the first place, as they have probably never bought an operating system in their life!
It was disappointing to see most of the interest in the Linux models were purely based on price and usually followed up with the inevitable “can I get Microsoft on it?”. For the vast majority of people buying these types of devices Linux will more than meet their requirements, but it seems like we have a ways to go on convincing people of that.
The fun part was when I was getting involved in these discussions, one of the “assistants” had the cheek to ask “what makes [me] such an expert?”. If only PC World still had a decent section of books…
Note to self: I must not bait staff in computer shops. I must not bait staff in computer shops. I must not…