Quote
Yoldering - 2011-03-17 12:20 PM
I have had my Eee 701 for almost three years now and since I graduated I only use it when I go on a long trip for web browsing. I have been on vacation on a farm with little to do accept hack around on the Eee...I have been really tired with the interface that has been locked into the Linux OS. It left little room to add anything to it. I could not really do anything accept basic web browsing. Anyway, I figured out how to enable the advanced desktop mode. Advanced desktop mode opens up a lot more functionality on the Eee including the ability to upgrade firefox to the latest version or add the latest version of Opera. I guess people figured this out years ago and I never knew. Now it is like having a brand new netbook. See before anf after screen shots...
Hi Yoldering! The Asus 701 eeepc with its Default Xandros Linux was a few years ago also one of my stops in the search of the perfect HPC replacement. Easy Mode was too rigid indeed and I discovered soon the Advanced Mode thanks to the eeeuser.com forum. As I recall, the Advanced Mode has 2 interface options, the fastest and easiest is ICEWM and the more complex KDE. Both offer good extra functionality, but the trouble with Linux is that the MS Windows user is getting involved with dependencies and program packages, whether he likes it or not, and also having to work a lot with the console.
After 3-4 month of trying various compatible flavours of Linux of which you already mentioned some, I was giving up on the Asus 701 eeepc mainly for not finding any simple way to install Open Office 3.0
(capable of coping with docx and xlsx files
) and my 3G usb modem, too many dependencies had to be changed.
About the distros I recall that I have tested from the usb stick Easy Peasy/Ubuntu Eee, then EeeBuntu with the NetBookRemix
(NBR
) interface, pupeee, puppy Breeezy based on Puppy Linux, Linux Mint, Damn Small Linux
(DSL
), etc each one having limitations in the functionality of the wireless board or sound board or working on external screens, etc But the lack of compatibility with MS Office 2007 was definitely the killer for me. Anyway, I think that Breezy was the closest to my taste.
It was a bitter conclusion that I came to seeing that all the free
(non-commercial
) flavours that I've tested were showing compatibility problems with the 701 eeepc machine. So just like Asus I got tired of Linux and returned to Windows. No wonder that the Linux version of the Asus eeepc was of limited success on the market, Linux is so unfriendly for the Windows users.
Nevertheless, as regular Windows user I enjoyed experiencing the dark side of the moon called Linux and I learned a lot.
Edited by arlex 2011-03-17 10:05 PM