My main reasons for buying it were (1) energy efficiency, (2) quiet (my main desktop computer has a loud fan), and (3) it's a shiny new toy. I have been using it continuously since I got it, and really like it.

I wasn't wild about the subscription option. You can get the machine for $99, but only with the two-year subscription. If you buy without the subscription, it is $249, which isn't bad for a computer if you were going to be buying one anyway. I got around the storage problem by hooking up an external hard drive. I already had one of those, so that was no additional cost to me, but obviously would up the price a little for someone who didn't want to go with the subscription plan.

It uses a lot less power than my older desktop. Yeah, you still have to power the monitor (and the external hard drive when you are actually using it), but you would have to power the monitor anyway, so it's still a big savings on power.

If you don't subscribe to the Zonbu service, you have to visit the website BEFORE powering up the first time to get instructions for bypassing the Zonbu log-in screen, but you only have to go through the by-pass process the first time you use it. They e-mail you a link that will take you directly to the section on the site that tells you how to do this, and it is easy.

It comes loaded with the major programs they think you will need -- an office suite (Open Office, which is a more than adequate replacement for MS Office), Firefox, Skype, Banshee (a music player), Gimp (an open source substitute for Photoshop), Evolution (an e-mail and contact suite), a financial program that works like Quicken or MS Money (sorry, can't remember the name), lots of pre-loaded games, and various other odds and ends.

The Linux distro used in Zonbu is Gentoo. It works great out of the box for the software that is already loaded onto the machine, but requires a little more effort on the user's part to make changes or add additional Linux-compatible software than the more user-friendly Ubuntu, which is the only other distro I currently use. You have to jump through a couple of hoops to get root access to do so, but again, they provide a link to the section on their website that tells you how to do this. Do-able, but not as straightforward as in some Linux distros like Ubuntu. Without the subscription, you also don't seem to get automatic updates, but that is fairly easy to work around. There is room on the flash memory in the Zonbu to install plenty of other software, though.

One person asked about accessibility and speech-recognition software -- I don't know much about this, but I know that there are a number of accessibility things available for those operating in a Linux environment, and presumably you would be able to add them to this machine like you would any other machine using a Linux OS, though as noted above, you do have to go through the steps to gain root access to get that software installed -- any Linux-friendly person could probably get that working for you pretty easily.

Bottom line, this is actually a pretty good machine for someone who is only going to be using it for the basics, and also for those who want it to do more than the basics and are comfortable operating in a Linux environment. I really like mine, and am now using it as my primary machine. I probably wouldn't recommend that my mother use it, as she can't even handle switching back and forth between a Mac and a Windows PC, but for those who like the environmentally friendly nature of this machine -- and for those who feel that Bill Gates and Steve Jobs already have more than enough money -- this seems like a great option.

You could always just use google documents instead of open office, and they come with their own free storage.

... for public-access terminals in otherwise-low-tech environments like cafes or bookstores where an owner/operator doesn't want to have to think too much, or pay too much, to keep the machinery running; and where users have limited usability requirements and will value the high level of security.

Other than a model like that, I can't see the point of something like this. It's not clear what Manjoo is seeing, either: in essence he's saying that it's stylish, convenient, and easy to use, except for being clunky, cramped, and onerous.

I lease a web server, and have a lot of space on it that I could use. There's no need for me to use Zonbu's if I already have it.

Could I use my own, or are you locked into theirs?

ok ok fixedgod...

"which is great even when you consider I have a carbon footprint no bigger than the head of a pin."

MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAAHAAHHHHAHAAHAHAAHAAAAAA!!!

401kboy...hehehe. farhad manjoo is a journalist...and journalists don't usually know anything about their supposed expertise..or really anything beyond ap style and such, unfortunately. it sucks though, doesn't it!?

syphax...ibooks are GREAT for backing up data! most come with a cd burner...or else you can get one for about 100 dollars...and it's hard-copies aweigh!

i'm not a hardcore geeker or anything so it's not like i really know, but...

the environmental aspect seems shaky at best, considering the machines your data actually gets stored on are still the same old kind of computer this "green machine" is so much better than. and, presumably, you're not going to be keeping any of those dinos out of existence, because whoever's storing it will keep adding more plastic and metal to accomodate their growing data storage business.

the storage on another server doesn't seem too safe, what if that crashes, what if amazon tanks, what if they sell your info, what if the terrorists bomb them, what if what if what if...and if i'm going to be paying a subscription fee...uh uh. i could just as well be putting that money towards the info storing space/services of my choice instead of using amazon via zonbu.

linux is not exactly user friendly OR easy to get help/support for, so i doubt the people the article says this would be good for will be too interested...

why on earth would i want one of these IN ADDITION to my other computer/s...?? as an energy saving alternative? hello how about sticking to one machine and turning it off once in while? less is better, overall, when it comes to the enviro.

so it would seem like this is just another lame product getting marketed on the basis of some overblown premise of usefulness and environmental concern...