OpenSUSEee PC

I've done it! I've concocted a new name for a great personal computing system of the future.

This week two great events happened in the IT industry – and no, neither involved the opening of the Sydney Apple Store!

The third generation Eee PC from ASUS was announced along with OpenSUSE 11.0.

So what?

Well, let me explain. You see the problem with today's computers is they are overly heavy and overly expensive and use an overly tired operating system. Let's brighten up the picture.

Imagine a small, full-featured computer that you could easily fit into your briefcase or handbag that ran the most up-to-date software in the world.

That idea may seem strange, but the ASUS Eee PC 901 running openSUSE 11.0 may just be the answer.

I'm tired of people telling me how crappy the Linux-based ASUS Eee PC operating system is. It may not be what everyone is used to, but that doesn't mean people should automatically revert to Windows XP on ultra-portable computers.

Take a look at openSUSE. It's open source, well supported by Novell, and really starting to make strides in usability.

A bleeding-edge yet well tested Linux operating system for the ultra-portable Eee PC, now that's my idea of a productive computing environment.

I guess it's all up to ASUS whether it will adopt a mainstream Linux distribution Like openSUSE, but I'm sure Novell would jump at the opportunity.

How disruptive can the combination of two disruptive technologies be? Very disruptive, and enough to change the way we think about computing.

Ah well, we can only hope.