[Klug-general] Is the worm slowly turning?

[Andy Smith]

Hi George,

On Sat, Jun 07, 2008 at 01:54:09AM +0100, George Prowse wrote:
> Andy Smith wrote:
> >Hi Colin,
> >
> >On Fri, Jun 06, 2008 at 10:40:02PM +0100, Colin McCarthy wrote:
> >  
> >>On Fri, Jun 6, 2008 at 11:07 AM, Martin A. Brooks <martin at antibodymx.net> 
> >>wrote:
> >>    
> >>>Karl Lattimer wrote:
> >>>      
> >>>>However, I'd say this, for highly customised OS's on specialist hardware
> >>>>like eeepc its just right.
> >>>>        
> >>>The EEE isn't specialist hardware, it's very generic x86 kit.
> >>>      
> >>I would agree with Karl L. I think it is specialist hardware.
> >>    
> >
> >I think this is a very hard point to defend considering all the
> >standard components that are present.
> >  
> The standard components are there, they are just in a different form. If 
> it wasn't then people wouldn't be making a fuss.

The context of this thread is Karl claiming that the Eee PC is
specialist hardware that requires a customised OS.  Martin disagreed
and I am with Martin on this: a customised OS is not required beyond
what you might customise purely as taste.

The fact that people are even able to put all forms of Linux,
Windows and OS X on it with relative ease suggests this.  Try any of
this with a non-x86 platform..

I do not disagree with anything you are saying regarding the form,
design, use case etc. etc.

> Whichever way you look at it , the eee PC is different, it's niche, it's 
> whatever adjective you want to give it but it is not "standard" or 
> "run-of-the-mill".

..except in its CPU, graphics hardware, disk subsystem, keyboard
layout, USB, ...  all of which are standard, run of the mill, work
with pretty much any x86 OS out of the box.  There is no OS
challenge here beyond what one might find when buying any modern
hardware. None of it requires a "customised OS" which is the point
under debate here (NOT whether the Eee PC is a clever bit of kit, I
have one, I agree it's very nicely done).

Cheers,
Andy

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