Handheld Learning - learning with mobile and ubiquitous technologies

Hi Stu,

(note Some of this veers off topic, if you are a diehard windows fan, suggest you read no further...)

The update that finally convinced me to drop xandros did two things....It called cards and usb devices D: and E: presumably to make it easier for Windows users who got confused by not having drive letters and removing the ability to run applications from cards/USB.

Linux/Windows General
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Ive been a Windows user for a long time, however for me Vista + dealing with a large document in Word was the final push I needed to look elsewhere. On the desktop I now run Linux but still have windows inside Virtualbox, mainly to run IE to configure certain makes of brain dead comms equipment.

I have managed to extract most of my data/documents etc from proprietary formats into cross platform friendly text or XML form.  Which is weird as it feels like you are getting your data back :-)

Its only after a few weeks using Ubuntu that you start to notice how bad the user experience and stability of windows actually is. (I would have to say hardware support for things like webcams is still a bit shakey, thanks to the manufacturers of such devices!)

I have a Windows partition still , mainly for when I want to do dev work relating to Windows/WinMob + hardware.

Ubuntu on the eeePC.....
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We had experimented here on one of our other eeePCs for a while and it seemed ok. Tried 7.10 and had a few problems with the camera. Now on 8 (Hardy) and all seems ok. Standard repositories to use , a wealth of applications to choose from, the support of a large community.

There are good instructions out there are on how to tweak the settings. In some cases you may to have to edit a text file, which for many of the point and click generation looks difficult, but thats an artifact of how we get de-skilled by things like windows...... (no doubt I'll attract criticism for not believing the world should be all point and click as well)

For the time being for schools I suspect Xandros is the better option just for the simplified interface. However if someone produced a nice similar front end for other distro's.......


Jon

Interesting figures.

With all these machines going into the classroom I wonder what the effect on power consumption will be or indeed how many more sockets will be needed in classrooms.

Its amusing with all these "portable" devices that these days one of the most sought after locations in any conference or seminar room is one near a mains socket :-)

What add-on applications are proving most popular on the eeePCs or are the stock applications enough...Also are schools staying with Xandros or have any gone for alternatives?

Jon

Hi Stu,

Thanks for that. I had updated Xandros a couple of times and it meant it started calling devices like cards D: and E:, which was bad enough.
But in doing this they also broke the facility for making items on USB keys or sdcards executable.

Currently tweaking an ubuntu install......its nice to have a c compiler again :-)

Jon

Are all our eeePC users here sticking with the OS that came with it (be it Windows or Xandros) or using alternatives? and if so which ones and why?

As we now carry an eeePCs round for doing network diagnostic "things" we needed a case.

We've found these are ok.

http://www.falconbags.co.uk/search.php

http://www.bagsdirect.com/Product/10061_7_Laptop_Sleeve_For_Asus_Eee_PC_4G_-_8G_-_EeePC_900_Series_with_shoulder_strap.aspx

Jon

Interesting, is this more pseudo-open source  or real I wonder?

Perhaps I should clarify my position, its the extremes that cause a problem.
Those that are really touchy about the small fairly insignificant points when there are bigger things to worry about turn people away from their cause.
I find this with  many of the open source advocates, they do more to turn people away.

I see worrying about hero/heroine as trivial and fairly pointless.

We'll agree to differ. :-) (again)

Maybe we should start a PC thread in the members area, then mac users can come along and complain about its name :-)))

Anyway back to Non-Gender Specific Heros

thanks for the info will take a look,

 but the other one  funded by microsoft hmmm.... I am currently on a "use as few microsoft related products as possible" kick
and feeling very well for it. 

This is working quite well http://cmap.ihmc.us/

Jon


 

One online resources states "Usage Note:  Many writers now consider hero, long restricted to men in the sense "a person noted for courageous action," to be a gender-neutral term."

The touchiness about this sort of thing is as irritating as the blinkered attitudes to phones in schools.
Anyway innovators

Anyway, theres been some forgotten heros that kicked a few things off such as John Davies in Dudley, dunno he is doing at present but the work  did helped things get to where they are



Jon

We have both devices here and the new device is nice...but its price is a bit high.
and in europe we seem have got the inferior battery.

Asus hit a sweet spot with the original device (remember the reaction at last years hhl)
but at this price many will opt for a cheap laptop.
Perhaps more importantly it will be more difficult to justify the Asus when compared on paper to a
laptop to your innovation prevention offices (ie bean counters/ purchasing officers/accountants ,
IT managers who think we all need Windows and Office, you know the sort of people I mean)

It is now likely to be compared to laptops more  and will of course, on paper look inferior.(the Norman
Gravity well effect at work again if the gravity well reference makes no sense go and read the "invisible computer")

When offered a new device last week I had the choice of the original small screen or the new larger screen
and chose the original smaller screen version. (I reckon its battery life will be better )

Give the original a touch screen and more memory that would be interesting...

Mind you an adequate screen size for the  windows GUI is more like 17 inches :-)

Jon

Yup HTC seem to make almost every mobile device I pick up.

So Dell are coming back again.....I  wonder how long they'll stay around before deciding its not profiatble and pulling out again?

Hi zelld78

Windows Mobile as good as good as an eeePC... interesting but thats the great thing about us having choice and being able to pick the solution thats fits our own needs. Some call it market fragmentation, I see it as choice.

I see Windows mobile devices and other PDA sized kit and an ultra-mobiles, such as the eeePC, as being very different devices.

Not least as one will fit in your pocket the other one wont... Unless you have big pockets :-)

Would you like to explain how and why a WinMob device is better for your uses?

This is not meant to start another sort of religious war between PDA users and eeePC users but as an illustration of the differences between apparently similar devices and how an individual users particular requirements are better accommodated by a device or combination of devices.

Out of interest would the eeePC be more useful to you if it had Windows XP on it?

Jon

 
 

It was weird at the day job. I bought my own eeePC, persuaded my bosses to buy a couple more for my colleagues... but no interest from my bosses until it was realized they  could run windows on it, then suddenly it was a case of "oh they might be useful then"

::sigh::

The sheep like rush towards a lot of  MS things , like MS Office in schools worries me, along with a lot of disinformation that is flying around about "cant use open source or moodle as it doesn't work with Microsoft"

(I kid not  someone has been heard saying this and they worked for an educational organization that should know better)

I suspect a lot of folk bought PocketPCs as they foolishly thought it ran 'Windows".

MS have a lot to answer for....

regards

Jon

ps We now have more Linux in the house than Windows (and no Vista!) is it coincidental I feel less stressed and more productive?

sorry its the 900 they have for £335.

Not sure about these bigger devices.

The appeal of the eeePC was its size/price. Get more expensive and you may as well buy an actual laptop.

Jon

Theres limited stock in one of the Glasgow computer stores if anyone up here is looking for one...
Jon