ASUS Eee Top Fails With Linux

This is the first ASUS product we have tested at Phoronix that really has not worked well with Linux. The touch-screen is still being worked on, but everything else was addressable by upgrading to the latest Ubuntu development snapshot and then taking a few extra steps to get the Intel driver working so that it would mode-set properly along with having 2D, 3D, and X-Video acceleration. Once the touch-screen on the ASUS Eee Top ET1602 is working properly with Linux, an update will be posted.

The hardware that makes up the ASUS Eee Top ET1602 is great and this is another well-engineered ASUS product when it comes to the build quality and design, but its Linux support just is not there unless using a bleeding-edge distribution and taking a few additional steps. For what it's worth, the Elo Touchsystems 17A2 does work with the Intel X.Org driver on Ubuntu 8.10 along with the evdev touch-screen without needing any calibrations or special settings, but on the down side the Elo Touchsystems do not even have proper ACPI support on Linux.

ASUS really has a great device here with the Eee Top ET1602 when considering everything else besides the Linux issues. These Linux support issues though are a disappointment to ASUS especially considering they use Linux on various other products and they are a very popular company with Linux users. The ET1602 sells for under $600 USD that puts it at a great value, but put off the purchase until there is reliable Linux support.

Pricing details and more information on ASUS Eee products are available from TestFreaks.com.