Eee Pc

[fubby_gibgib]

I was thinking of getting one of these (http://eeepc.asus.com/global/) purely for easy access internet and MSN (Windows Live Messenger) and it's size is perfect for what I need

However, would anyone be able to tell me if I would be able to download the full version of Windows Live Messenger?

As it has a webcam built in, to be able to use it, I think it needs a certain version of MSN

Much loveage for any help

[Midget]

there are msn messenger clients available for linux with webcam support, aMSN for instance

although i warn you, linux is pretty much impossible to use unless you're a megageek

of course you could always get one and then install windows on it, then you could just use the regular wlm client

[fubby_gibgib]

Thanks for the reply, so to download WLM onto it I'd need to install Windows?

The only downer is the poor hard drive (4GB) how much space would a version of Windows and WLM take up?

[piemastermike]

windows xp+wlm would take up about half? I guess.

that's without all the frills.

[The Grim Reaper]

although i warn you, linux is pretty much impossible to use unless you're a megageek

I've used the Eee PC a bit in the shop, and the GUI is very very simple, with built in pidgin i think. As for command line, well im sure asus has created some easy package installer for it to add more programs, rather than having to 'make' every program. The computer is marketed at children also, so it must be pretty damn simple.

You can buy a USB external hard drive or like an 8gb flash drive to expand your storage, however a flash drive requires a bit of hacking to get XP installed on it, will work fine for storage in Linux however.
The external hard drive should have XP installed on it no worries.

[fubby_gibgib]

linux is pretty much impossible to use unless you're a megageek

Do I have reason to be concerned?

I just took a look at aMSN and it has something to do with Pidgin, which I think may already be installed

It's not that I need Windows on it, just that I thought to be able to download a decent version of MSN, you'd need Windows but there seem to be other alternatives I didn't know about

[Midget]

well from what grim reaper has said above, it's apparently quite easy to use

i'm just speaking from experience that's all, since i'm having quite a bit of trouble with opensuse linux at the moment (although they are hardware problems, which i'm guessing you wouldn't experience if this machine is made specifically for linux)

[fubby_gibgib]

I've tried it myself and it is very simple to use and navigate, never having used anything other than Windows before and makes good use of simple tabs and having pre-installed apps

Me thinks I'll get me one

[Tiggs]

I've used the Eee PC a bit in the shop, and the GUI is very very simple, with built in pidgin i think. As for command line, well im sure asus has created some easy package installer for it to add more programs, rather than having to 'make' every program. The computer is marketed at children also, so it must be pretty damn simple.

You can buy a USB external hard drive or like an 8gb flash drive to expand your storage, however a flash drive requires a bit of hacking to get XP installed on it, will work fine for storage in Linux however.
The external hard drive should have XP installed on it no worries.
Actually the Xandros Linus OS that comes with the Eee is locked down and doesn't let you install any additional applications on it other than the bundled ones. If you want to install other programs on it you're going to have to install Windows or your choice of Linux distro.

[piemastermike]

there is a windows version of the laptop in the pipeline

[The Grim Reaper]

Actually the Xandros Linus OS that comes with the Eee is locked down and doesn't let you install any additional applications on it other than the bundled ones. If you want to install other programs on it you're going to have to install Windows or your choice of Linux distro.

Oh well thats a bit retarded =/

No idea why they did that. Someone should fork the OS on there to make it not locked down.

[Ly]

i've been waiting to buy this laptop for AGES

i wish they'd just hurry up and release the version with the higher res screen before i die of anticipation ):

[DarkTrojan]

you just want one because it's called 'eeeeeee', don't you

[Munkee]

Actually the Xandros Linux OS that comes with the Eee is locked down and doesn't let you install any additional applications on it other than the bundled ones. If you want to install other programs on it you're going to have to install Windows or your choice of Linux distro.


Surely you can get additional applications from the Xandros repositories? The ones already installed must also have someway of being upgraded?

[fubby_gibgib]

K got the laptop now and i loves it but am finding it very difficult downloading 'amsn'

I haven't tried downloading anything else as Linux is all very new to me

I've tried step by step instructions but to no avail so if anybody has got any ideas/tips/guides please let me know

[piemastermike]

if it's able to do apt-get then I would suggest opening terminal and typing "sudo apt-get install amsn". That should install it for you. I don't know what kind of linux distro it uses though :/

[leprecon]

Everything you will ever need to know about the eee pc;
http://wiki.eeeuser.com/
The ee pc does have pidgin, as you can see in the following online demo of the Eee pc's interface;
http://honeypothack.com/eee/
Edit; lol, I didnt see you already had the Eee pc
Installing xp on the ee pc is possible, and you will find plenty of help in the first link.
(since the ee pc uses flash memory, xp also boots really fast +-20sec)
I have yet to buy one due to no availability where I live :( but I am very excited about the Eee Pc and have read alot on that wiki and that sites forum.

if it's able to do apt-get then I would suggest opening terminal and typing "sudo apt-get install amsn". That should install it for you. I don't know what kind of linux distro it uses though :/
Its a type of Xandros which is based on the ever too familiar Debian.
Most debian packages work, but they could damage the computer (asus said so)
if you look in the wiki you can find out how to get debian repositories, though I would advise Pidgin, I use it on my windows pc and it works great, I uninstalled Msn and never looked back.

Actually the Xandros Linus OS that comes with the Eee is locked down and doesn't let you install any additional applications on it other than the bundled ones. If you want to install other programs on it you're going to have to install Windows or your choice of Linux distro.
Not true, you can get new programs from the Asus software repositories.
They throw in new apps very slowly. Installing windows however can only result in fun.
You could just buy a big sd card and install a stripped down version of xp on it, so whenever you put the sd card in your pc, its windows and when you take the card out, you have Xandros. Once youve got that it is easy, and it wont end up being a big mess on your pc. All you will have to do is change so it boots from sd before it boots from hard-drive (or flash drive in this case)

I want it so bad, and asus hasnt said when it will be in the netherlands yet :(
(I want the dutch one because of the qwerty keybord, if there is a belgian one it will be azerty.)
Yes I realize I havent posted here in a very long while and nobody knows who I am.

[fubby_gibgib]

Thanks for the replies but I really really don't understand

I need a messenger that supports webcam so went with amsn as it seemed the easiest option but when I download the file, I'm not sure what happens and how to continue

[leprecon]

I presume you are talking about my ravings, so I will try and say it a bit slower.
(sry if a am insulting)
There are different kinds of linux, your flavour is called xandros, which is based on Debian. Ubuntu (the most popular hence most widely supported flavour of linux) is also based on Debian, hence some ubuntu programs work on the Eee Pc.
if it's able to do apt-get then I would suggest opening terminal and typing "sudo apt-get install amsn". That should install it for you. I don't know what kind of linux distro it uses though :/
by typing "sudo apt-get install amsn" in the terminal, your computer looks in a software list on the internet for an apllication called amsn, and if it finds it, it will automatically install it. The problem is that asus hasnt got alot of software for the eee pc, so the amsn is probably not in the list. You can change from which "list" it gets its programs (manual can be found here (http://wiki.eeeuser.com/addingxandrosrepos?s=list%20debian)). Changing this is better if you want to install alot of programs, but do so with caution.
Or you could also install manually, but I dont know much about that, and from the looks of it neither do you :D
Good luck digging through the wiki (http://wiki.eeeuser.com/).
One other thing you could do is try to install wine on the eee pc, Wine is a windows emulator, which means you can install windows applications on the eee pc. Wine doesnt always work, but it might be worth a shot.

[fubby_gibgib]

Be as insulting as you like, just as long as I can download this programme!

This is probably the only programme I'll ever download

Just to add insult to injury, where is this 'teminal'?

[leprecon]

http://wiki.eeeuser.com/howto:openaterminal
Its a good wiki, you should try it :P (for the sake of your pc, please do)
Theres also a forum there for your more in depth questions.

[Martinus]

Linux is really what you make of it.

When someone says 'my windows is broked' you have to ask them to step through the problem and hopefully there's a fix. If on the other hand it's Linux and you're not running an unstable branch of your distro you can be pretty sure that there's a log-file listing how, when and why something didn't work.

I'm running Debian stable at the moment and consider it to be an excellent distro for even a relatively new (but interested) user. Ubuntu is Debian with a bigger safety-net.


As for the eee, I've only become aware of it quite recently. Price is excellent, features are good but the warranty provisos leave a bit of a sour taste in my mouth (you can't add more RAM without voiding the warranty). Knowing that the hardware has been chosen specifically for its ability to operate under Linux is also a pleasant surprise.

[pieeater]

you can't add more RAM without voiding the warranty


That is not true, Asus have changed there mind about that.

SOURCE (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/146568/asus-backs-down-on-eee-pc-memory-upgrade.html)

[Martinus]

Nice, cheers for that.

[fubby_gibgib]

Yay, finally got it sorted, had to learn how to add repositories into the sources list through the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t)

Learnt quite a bit about Linux, specifically Xandros, which took me a whole night

Definately recommenderise the lil bugga of a laptop to anyone, great for me, especially as i got it for £180

[leprecon]

Yay, finally got it sorted, had to learn how to add repositories into the sources list through the terminal (Ctrl+Alt+t)

Learnt quite a bit about Linux, specifically Xandros, which took me a whole night

Definately recommenderise the lil bugga of a laptop to anyone, great for me, especially as i got it for £180

Good too hear you are having fun with it.

[Twiz]

YEY I'm getting one of these in the morning! Having loads of trouble getting a usb flash drive to be bootable (keeps coming up saying wrong filesystem type after getting past the initial boot of the install when I try it in my computer). It does boot off the drive just wont go further than the initial installation choices. Maybe it only works when it's in the eee pc, I don't know! Anyone with extensive experience with installing Windows on Eee pc's who could help me out would be greatly appreciated :)