Asus Eee PC good for Vista?

In a news article titled ASUS Eee PC Brings Computing to All dated October 16, 2007 in Asus' website, the company claims -

"Essentially, the Eee PC is a highly portable notebook computer with a difference, to make a difference: it is more compact than most notebooks; eschewing hard drive for flash storage, it is more lightweight and rugged; relying on Linux (users can also opt for Windows Vista), and industry-standard connectivity, it is also low-cost."


I have been an avid Asus user for years, even now. When my younger son's Acer died one week after its warranty expired, I bought an Asus F3S for him. When my top programmer/partner upgraded his notebook recently, he bought a top of the line Asus model. I have also used various Asus products through the years, some as obscure as the AP WL 330g which I carry around on my trips. Asus products are, by and far, reliable and provide value for money. (In fact, I just recommended to the dean of my old college to procure Asus Eee PCs for the students. My class will probably donate the wireless infrastructure.)

The whole Asus Eee PC shebang had us in a topsy-turvy spin from June up to recently - with the various delays and specs changes. Now just when things are beginning to clear out with the Taiwan launch, Asus wants us to believe the Asus Eee PC can comfortably run Windows Vista. Per Microsoft, even the entry level Vista Home Basic requires the following:

* 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
* 512 MB of system memory
* 20 GB hard drive with at least 15 GB of available space
* Support for DirectX 9 graphics and 32 MB of graphics memory
* DVD-ROM drive
* Audio Output
* Internet access (fees may apply)

Does Asus really expect us to attach a USB 20 GB hard drive and a USB DVD-ROM drive just so we can hopefully run Vista on the Eee PC? What about the DirectX 9 graphics requirements??? More importantly Asus seems to have forgotten the charter of its Eee PC concept- easy to learn, easy to work, easy to play. I have yet to hear those phrases in the same sentence as Windows Vista.

Gee, Windows Vista on the Asus Eee PC. This I gotta see. Any takers, anyone?