Product Description

Asustek has introduced a single line of ultra-portable computers that could surpass all of Apple's Macintosh sales. Of that total, about 1.6 million units will be equipped not with Windows, but Xandros Linux. The Eee is designed to open up new market segments: In the U.S and other developed nations, it will be targeted largely at school students. Equipped with both "learning" programs as well as office and internet applications, the Eee will provide everything that students need regardless of their grade level. Because it is an ultra-light, highly mobile, yet fully capable computer, it will also appeal to business users and first-time computer buyers. This book will cover everything, from turning the machine on and connecting it to the internet, to how to upgrade, update, and generally get the most from these tiny computers.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #138962 in Books
• Published on: 2008-09-25
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 360 pages

From the Back Cover

The Asus Eee PC has taken the world by storm. The Eee PC is half the size of a laptop computer and just about half the price. Yet crammed into that tiny Eee PC is all the computing power you need to surf the web, create presentations, retouch photographs, or just entertain yourself. It’s also the perfect kid’s computer, complete with educational software and kid-friendly games. 

The Eee PC, however, isn’t your run-of-the-mill laptop preloaded with Windows. The Asus Eee PC is preloaded with Xandros Linux. For longtime Windows users, that does mean a learning curve. Fortunately, the book you are holding can shorten that curve. And if you want to load Windows or another Linux distribution, we show you how to do that. Along the way, we show you how to upgrade your hardware, take control of the Linux command line, master the KDE desktop, find and install additional Linux apps, and much more!

Using the Asus Eee PC is not only an invaluable companion for your Eee PC, but also a guide to a larger world of computing possibilities. We show you how to unleash the true power of the tiny Eee PC. You won’t believe what the Eee PC can do.

 

- Make Linux do your bidding even if you’ve never used Linux before

- Run free, full-powered applications, including OpenOffice, Abiword, and GIMP

- Connect your Eee to the Internet

- Load Windows XP, Windows Vista, Sun OpenSolaris, or other flavors of Linux

- Download and install other Linux applications

- Upgrade your Eee’s hardware

- Use your Eee for GPS navigation

- Use the KDE desktop

- Run other Window Managers

- Connect to cloud computing applications such as Google Docs and Windows Live

 

Bill Lawrence is a writer, illustrator, graphic designer, and web designer with more than 30 years of experience in the field. Bill has written dozens of technical manuals and help systems, designed full-color magazine ads, authored courseware, created press releases, designed sales collateral, and created hundreds of illustrations. He’s currently working as senior technical writer for Eaton Corporation. Bill is well versed in Linux and UNIX and has been an open-source evangelist for years. Bill’s books, magazine articles, and technical publications have won nine regional awards and one international award from the Society for Technical Communication (STC).

Asustek has introduced a single line of ultra-portable computers that could surpass all of Apple's Macintosh sales. Of that total, about 1.6 million units will be equipped not with Windows, but Xandros Linux. The Eee is designed to open up new market segments: In the U.S and other developed nations, it will be targeted largely at school students. Equipped with both "learning" programs as well as office and internet applications, the Eee will provide everything that students need regardless of their grade level. Because it is an ultra-light, highly mobile, yet fully capable computer, it will also appeal to business users and first-time computer buyers. This book will cover everything, from turning the machine on and connecting it to the internet, to how to upgrade, update, and generally get the most from these tiny computers.

About the Author

Bill Lawrence

is a writer, illustrator, graphic designer, and web designer with more than 30 years of experience in the field. His most recent works include Setting Up Google Apps Standard Edition and, as co-author, Google in Education. Previous works include The Complete Desktop Publisher (co-author), The GEM Desktop Publisher, and DR. DOS 6.0 by Example. Bill has written dozens of technical manuals and help systems, designed full-color magazine ads, authored courseware, created press releases, designed sales collateral, and created hundreds of illustrations. He’s currently working as senior technical writer for Eaton Corporation. Bill is well versed in Linux and UNIX, and has been an open source evangelist for years. Bill’s books, magazine articles, and technical publications have won nine regional and one international award from the Society for Technical Communication (STC). Bill has also been a speaker at meetings and conferences for STC and the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC).

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Customer Reviews

Misleading title!
This is a useful book - if you have purchased a Linux version of the Asus Eee.

Unfortunately I pre-ordered this book before the "Look Inside" feature became available and was suprised to find that the entire focus of the book was the Linux-based Asus Eee. I had assumed that the book would cover both the Linux and the Windows versions in detail, the latter being of far more interest to me since I purchased a Windows-based 901 Eee in July this year. There are two chapters at the end of the book covering the installation of Windows XP, but no chapters devoted to Eee models with Windows XP pre-installed. I find this omission strange, since the book mentions recent Eee models such as the 901 and it was published at the end of September, by which time the XP models had been on the market for over 2 months.

That said, if you have a Linux model of the Asus Eee, this is a useful reference work covering both the netbook itself and the installed software. Given that using the Asus Eee may be a first introduction to Linux for many people, this is certainly a useful guide.

However if you want a more in-depth guide to modding the Eee, for example, you may be better off using the various websites devoted to the Eee. There is a chapter showing you how to open up your Eee, but it is limited to fairly basic upgrades.

Overall I will benefit from this book as I have also purchased a 701 running Linux for my son. However for me this book is a missed opportunity - I realise Asus are continually refreshing the Eee range, but given that the publication date was long after the first XP models were released, I am disappointed that this book doesn't cover Windows XP in detail - I would have loved a chapter about tweaking Windows XP to optimise performance on the Asus Eee!

Wait for 2nd Edition
I purchased this book immediately after placing an order for a 901 Linux system. I had hoped it would enable me to break out of the default simple user interface. Unfortunately the instructions the book provides for installing the advanced desk top do not work on the 901 (and probably not on the 900 or 1000 either). Without the advanced desktop much of the rest of the Linux relevant parts of the book are redundant. There are also discrepancies in terms of what is actually installed on the 901 and what the author has documented eg Star Office not Open Office.

That said, once this is corrected in the next edition it will prove to be a useful reference and starting out guide. The author should also use a second edition to address some of the problems that users have raised via the relevant web sites.

I would also suggest that the book would benefit greatly from proof reading!

Using the Asus Eee Pc
This book manly covers the Eee Pc with the Linux operating system, with a section for Eee Pc`s with Windows xp at the back of the book. Which is why i bought the book, it was of some help.

Michael.