> 8gb of RAM and can barely run a very stripped down version of windows 7

Not sure what you're doing, but Win7 itself uses 1 GB of RAM or less. Even just 2 GB of total system RAM was enough for basic usage, like document editing and single-tab web browsing.

I feel the same way. I had a eee and later a Samsung netbook, but eventually ordinary laptops got light enough that a netbook is now just a laptop with a smaller screen. I'll always have a soft spot for them, but I doubt I'll use one again as a daily driver.