I do not understand why one would buy a unix based laptop, only to load an emulator on it to run windoze XP so they can run the software they actually need.
Specialised applications aside (and yes LH2 you are an exceptionally competent geek
) unix on these tiny laptops is good for basically one thing which is running a browser.
As mentioned, WINE is not an emulator. It's an open source implementation of the Win32 API. Pedantic to some perhaps, but it's a big difference; some software actually benchmarks better on WINE than it does on Windows, games included! Stuff like NotamPlot is written in Java anyway, so doesn't suffer a lack of portability.
I have to say I find such comments disappointing; there's a great deal you can do with a Linux Eee, frequently exceeding the capabilities of Windows and none of it is particularly complicated. Windows is a 1-size-fits-all solution which simply doesn't fit all sizes. The monolithic architecture can't be chopped down in the same way that Linux can be modified to suit any need or situation; in this case a tiny, lightweight, resource-efficient mobile solution. I can run a Linux system with fluxbox, full office suite, media, comms, all flight info and planning without even using 100Mb of disc space. I can use logical volume management and software RAID the 2 SSDs to get make the thing go like the clappers.
Linux isn't difficult, just like speaking French isn't difficult. It's just different, and most certainly no longer the exclusive terrority of men with beards who wear dungarees as the Microsoft apologists would have you believe.