The Eeepc 701 is under a kilogram, and often under $300 new. This makes it easy to have a full Linux pc with you where-ever you go. Despite the low weight and low cost the Xandros based OS is snappy for casual use.

Having used the Eeepc my primary desktop for two weeks, the limited nature of the Eeepc’s screen, memory, flash storage, CPU and supported software was clear. I discuss ways of mitigating these limitations, such as;

  • Increasing the virtual resolution of the screen.
  • Compressing the memory with the compcache module.
  • “Overclocking” the CPU (without actually overclocking)
  • Adding Etch repositories safely with APT-pinning.

Adding additional hardware to the Eeepc will also be discussed. Borrowing a proper keyboard, monitor can make the Eeepc much nicer to work with when traveling.