An article from Physorg cites another one from IT Wire and confirms our suspicion that Xandros/Microsoft royalties are not an idea so far fetched. Here is the relevant fragment of text:

The popular Eee is not without its critics. IT Wire reports that Asus Eee may have misrepresented the Linux loaded capabilities. According to IT Wire, some Linux advocates say the Eee uses Xandros a Debian-based distribution that charges a license fee and has an agreement with Microsoft similar to the one signed by Novell.

While it's not too clear who these "Linux advocates" are, it seems to align with the type of deal (and pertinent terms) that we find in Novell, namely the passing of money to cover "intellectual property". That's just what Microsoft wants. If its gets its way, even Linux 'appliances' such as the Eee can be taxed by Microsoft, essentially replacing OEM tax with patent tax. In other words, even if people are not forced to pay for Windows (on any new PC), they could be forced to pay Microsoft/Linux patent tax. ⬆

Previous coverage of Eee PC:

• Asus Eee's GPL Violation, Xandros Replaced by Debian GNU/Linux and Ubuntu
• Catching up With Novell's Sibling Sellouts -- Xandros and Linspire
• Xandros and Asus Eee -- to Be or Not to Buy?
• Some Victims of the Novell and Xandros Deals
• Patent Abuse Identified, Patent Abuse Comes Under Fire, Patent Storm Ended, and Patents That Kill
• How Good is a 'Standard' When It's Infected with Software Patents?
• Video: Xandros-based Laptop Gets Xubuntu Treatment/Overhaul