[Joe Ross]

I've run LabVIEW on an ASUS EeePC 1000HD. The celeron processor is similar in speed to an Atom, and is on the slow end for LabVIEW, but not too bad. The screen resolution is the biggest problem for a graphical language like LabVIEW.

The other problem with the cheap netbooks is small flash hard drives. The FRC LabVIEW install requires 3.6 gigs of space, which means the ones with 4 gig drives won't work.

I agree that the cases of many cheap laptops don't handle a lot of abuse. However, you can get Dell Latitudes (the corporate line) for less then $700 which should hold up better. The Dell Inspiron 1525's hinges and case feel better then the Dell Inspiron 1405 that I bought 2 years ago, so they may be improving.