Editor Reviews:

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.

Rating : - The only game in town so far
As a new user of the Eee PC 1000, running its standard Xandros Linux, I very much looked forward to the arrival of this book, and have not been disappointed. Yes, as noted by other reviewers, it's not written with the 1000 models in mind. However, even as a new Eee PC owner with no prior experience with Linux, I've been able to successfully apply everything I've tried in the book. It's just a matter of proceeding very carefully when doing tasks that may have changed since the 700 and 900 models explicitly covered by this book.

Here are the pages I've noted as needing updates for the 901 and 1000 models:
page 26 worked after I'd already done sudo synaptic and temporarily added repository download.tuxfamily.org/eepcrepos long enough to activate the Advanced Desktop and then removed that repository again. (Don't do this until you fully understand the preceeding sentence!) Comment: I'm not impressed by the Advanced Desktop, and prefer just enabling the IceWM start menu as described on page 79.
page 36-37: Again, I got it to work, but didn't care enough for the result to keep it.
page 70 on the 901, 1000 & recent 700s, simpleui.rc is in /var/lib/AsusLauncher
page 214: caution: won't install if Firefox cache size is set to 0.
page 318: caution: EEEControl has not been updated for the 1000 yet. Again, I don't really need it, so don't care.

Having written several computer books myself, back in the Commodore era, I consider this a pretty good accuracy rating for a model the author hadn't even seen yet when the book was printed.

My only beef is that I wish there were a way to get the author's errata and corrections for the new models and search the book electronically without having to join an online subscription that's only free for 45 days. I'd happily buy an updated PDF copy to keep right on the Eee PC, if that were available. Meanwhile, all the updated help I can use is handy at eeeuser.com, a source also recommended by the author.