Welcome back to Windows
So the Eee PC 4G XP is, at least as far as the hardware goes, identical to the original Linux-based 4G. Windows XP is what's new here, and for those comfortable with the OS, it's a revelation. Linux may be a fully capable desktop operating system with a rich library of free applications, and it may even be a better fit for modest hardware. I prefer the Eee PC with Windows simply because it's a familiar environment.
For me, the Eee PC's biggest strength is that it's an honest-to-goodness PC rather than a simple web tablet or Internet appliance. Being able to run the same operating system—and more importantly the same applications—as on my desktop and full-sized laptop is a huge plus for me. There's no learning curve associated with Windows XP, so you're up to speed on the Eee PC within minutes of getting it out of the box. Tweak the user interface to match your personal preferences, add any extra applications, and you're ready to go. If I can appreciate that level of convenience as an enthusiast who doesn't mind fiddling with Linux every now and then, imagine what a difference it makes for users who have never seen Linux before.
The Eee PC 4G XP comes with Windows XP Home Edition pre-installed, complete with Service Pack 2. XP wasn't designed for systems with such a low display resolution, and the OS pops up a warning suggesting that you bump up the resolution to 800x600. The higher resolution works well enough if you don't mind having to scroll around your desktop, but we'd just as soon ignore XP's warnings and simply work around the few operating system dialog boxes that aren't easily accommodated by the standard 800x480 resolution.
Dialog boxes that don't quite fit on-screen are really a minor issue when compared with how little desktop real estate is available to applications. With a standard Internet Explorer and OS configuration, there isn't much room for web browsing. However, it's easy to make the most of what few pixels are available.
When dialed in just right, the Eee PC is a surprisingly potent web browser. Having a real keyboard at your fingertips is a huge plus, as well, since browsing these days tends to be a more interactive experience than simply pointing and clicking.
Fresh out of the box, the Eee's SSD reports that 1.33GB of its 3.7GB formatted capacity are free, so if you're planning to bring a media library around with you, a high-capacity SD card is definitely a necessity. But before you go crying Windows bloat, keep in mind that the Linux-based Eee PC ships with about as much free space.
Windows isn't the only thing taking up space on the Eee PC's solid-state drive, either. Asus ships the device with a number of applications, including the Microsoft Works and Windows Live application suites. Adobe Reader 7 is included, as well.
But what about the bloat?
I've used both Linux and Windows flavors of the Eee PC and can say with confidence that performance between them is comparable. Neither is particularly fast, of course, but for web surfing, multimedia playback, and basic office applications, I'd call both fast enough. Or at least as fast as I would expect from a system with such limited horsepower.
There is a bit of a learning curve associated with the Eee PC's performance, though. Unlike a modern desktop PC, where everything seems to happen instantly, you have to give the Eee PC a second, particularly when loading applications. Having to pause every now and then isn't a great inconvenience, but it helps to adjust your expectations ahead of time so you don't end up frantically clicking on icons, wondering why nothing is happening, only to realize that you're just bogged down the system by trying to do too many things at once. Keep in mind that all you have is a 630MHz Celeron at your fingertips, and leave any multi-tasking tendencies at the door.
