The quote "due to tepid acceptance of Linux among general public" is wrong

Giving the 'public' the opportunity to use Linux pre installed on a notebook instead of windows will only quicken the acceptance of Linux to the point that users will demand Linux be installed in all future hardware purchases

The linux adoption is very high (relatively).
This year, according to netapplications.com, Linux has almost 100% growth (from ~0.3% to ~0.6%). This mean, that real number of linux powered computers used for surfing the web (and it's mean desktops not servers), more then doubled.
Dell started to ship desktops and notebooks with preinstalled Linux at the end of the spring (wich have 50-80$ less price tag then Vista equipped) .
HP doing the same for business customers.
Lenovo will start ship to USA computers with preinstalled Linux in 2008 (they already do it in China).
Look at EU and Russia. Education and government faced towards Linux based systems.
Find any reason why ASUS should avoid linux ?
May be you should try use OS other then MS's one before judging.

Windows is definately not the point of the EEE PC, an easy to use, reasonably priced, easily portable computer is the point. Asustek did a great job putting together a PC runnng on top of Linux that's as easy to use as a PDA. It's no wonder their sales projections are through the roof.

This is selling like hotcakes with linux now, so why does the author claim it won't be popular if it can't be made to work with Vista?

"If Asustek decides to go on only with Linux OS, its Eee PC will hardly become really popular due to tepid acceptance of Linux among general public."
What does the people need to work, or to visit a internet page? Is a OS which define the posibilities? I think no, of course.
Basically the big problem of Linux refer to the ordinary people has been the instalation, because any company yet has not offered a product like this, except, maybe Apple, but of course, Mac is not Linux.
Asustek has defined a product complete, without fissures, cheaper and something maybe more interesting, it offer a sense to freedom, in many aspects, which is difficult to find in the modern hardware actually.
Mucho love.

Its very clear that the author has not used the Eee PC themselves.

Despite Linux being used, the GUI (KDE-based) has been modified to be very easy to use. I've seen kids to grandparents using this device without a problem. (In Australia, they allow the public to try it in retail stores).

Yet, the author of this news article continues with the generalistic assumption about Linux? It just tells us they're narrow minded or ignorant for ANYTHING outside of the Windows world.

Its kind of ironic when this is a hardware technology site that has reviewed Linux-based products before!

C'mon, people still use Win98... MSFT is even going into the trouble to modify XP to run on XO OLPC project. It wouldn't be hard to find an old copy of XP lying around and install it on eee.

And eee works with Vista, albeit without Aero and slowly. But hey, Vista is supposed to run on other UMPCs too...

"Asustek sells 5 million Asus Eee PCs, which retail for $299 - $499 in the U.S., for $250 per unit in average" - wow that's some maths!

BTW the Eee PC can do anything that my desktop PC could do 4 years ago - and its cheaper.