Loath. You're loath to do something. You loathe, say, plastic flowers.

The update I'd like to see is a FRICKIN' RELEASE DATE here in the UK.

Some pricing info might be nice too.

I think people are being a little hard on the ASUS guys.

Sure they've made a couple of questionable decisions (mostly relating to the 900 existing at all) but they have created an entirely new market area, made Linux on laptops a viable option, and done it for a fraction of the price of anyone else's pre-existing UMPCs.



I personally think they weren't expecting the demand of the 700 series, which hurt them a little, and then 900 was rushed out when other players started to appear in the niche they'd just created. If they'd stuck to their guns about an 8.9" Atom machine and skipped over the 900, they would have saved themselves loads of effort.



I've got a 901 on pre-order, hopefully arriving Wednesday (in the UK). It's still precisely the computer I want, at a price I'm willing to pay, and none of the others can match it for my needs.



The thing is, ASUS has done nothing but try to meet the demands of its potential customers:

Bigger screen? check.

Bigger storage? check.

Windows option? check.

Better touchpad? check.

Bigger keyboard? check/coming soon (1000/904-5).



If they'd just ignored everyone, I wonder if there'd be more or less hating going on.

Sign me up for a pair of peril-sensitive sunglasses!

First, you need to ask yourself why you consider Linux an 'iffy OS', and Windows the 'standard'.

Your second point is very well put: why switch when you're not sure you'll be able to do the same things, or fix any problems? However, I didn't find the learning curve too hard at all. Currently, I think a comparison can be drawn between learning how Vista does things and learning how e.g. Ubuntu does things when coming from a Windows XP background. I also can't think of anything off-hand I used to do on windows that I can't now do on Linux, and in an environment that's set up just how I like it.

I find Linux systems easier to work with, easier to set up how I want them to work (rather than the way Microsoft or Apple expect me to use them), and also I get to save money by not paying to upgrade every few years.

My main reasons to switch were: first, I needed more configurability in my desktop. I was sick of having to jump through hoops any time I wanted to do anything slightly unusual. Secondly, I was aware that I could only lay tenuous claim to a legal copy of Windows XP, and that was starting to get at me. Now I'm not running any illegal software, so my conscience is clearer too.

Oh, also, when Windows XP decides to break something, it _really_ goes to town. I find Linux breakages much easier to diagnose and repair.

Reader:
I dunno. Makes an OK MythTV frontend

happypenguin: That's kind of the point...

Yep. In the UK you can get one of these:

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/10249/11273/Owl-wireless-energy-monitor-gadget.phtml
Connects to your power line and gives you a readout on a wireless doodamahid in real time.

What no-one seems to be talking about is that you can only use Fresh Start on Vista Business, so they're sticking you for $100 anyway...

@Raheem:

There's no way anything which gets spoken in the Americas is connected to anything that came out of England.