Windows and Linux battle for the soul of the netbook

by Scott Bicheno on 5 February 2009, 12:24

Tags: Intel (NASDAQ:INTC), Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), Hewlett Packard (NYSE:HPQ)

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Moblin right along

Meanwhile Intel has been busy promoting the Moblin Linux distribution. The alpha release was announced also at the end of January and Intel has discreetly been trying to bring attention to it, including distributing this image of Moblin installed on an ASUS Eee PC.

 

 

So the battle for the soul of the netbook is definitely underway. There's still a fair bit of time before the Windows 7 OS will appear on the market and in that time Linux distributions like Mi and Moblin, as well as the version used in the Acer Aspire One could gain traction.

However, given the familiarity and reassurance of the Windows brand, we feel that netbooks using Linux will need to be more than five percent cheaper to persuade the majority of PC users to defect from Windows.

Are you convinced by Microsoft's areguements or will you be looking for Linux next time you buy a netbook? Let us know in the HEXUS.community.

 


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Posted by DavidM - Thu 05 Feb 2009 12:30
I think I'd be tempted to by a Linux based machine on a netbook - but sticking to a Windows/Linux dual combo on my next “proper” system upgrade.
Posted by nichomach - Thu 05 Feb 2009 12:47
Were I buying a netbook, Starter edition would actually deter me from buying Windows on it - not for the missing bells-and-whistles of Aero/Glass, but purely for the three app limit. That said, given the drift toward half-decent (Aero-capable) graphics in newer chipsets, the removal of Aero's glossier features may prove to be an error as well, since there are 3D accelerated desktops for Linux readily available now. Look at Ion, for instance, as well covered here, or the MSI X320 and the removal of all the shiny stuff from W7 Starter begins to look spiteful and petty. Hell, there are higher end netbooks now that can cope with Aero perfectly well.
Posted by kingpotnoodle - Thu 05 Feb 2009 13:34
nichomach
Were I buying a netbook, Starter edition would actually deter me from buying Windows on it - not for the missing bells-and-whistles of Aero/Glass, but purely for the three app limit. That said, given the drift toward half-decent (Aero-capable) graphics in newer chipsets, the removal of Aero's glossier features may prove to be an error as well, since there are 3D accelerated desktops for Linux readily available now. Look at Ion, for instance, as well covered here, or the MSI X320 and the removal of all the shiny stuff from W7 Starter begins to look spiteful and petty. Hell, there are higher end netbooks now that can cope with Aero perfectly well.

You are completely right…

I'm using KDE 4.1 on OpenSuse 11.1 with an NVidia Quadro 560, it's not that much more powerful than a 9400m would be, and the minimal set of effects I turn on are already better than Vista's Aero, so if Starter Edition lacks Aero it is going to come off a very distant worst against newer Linux desktops in the looks department. The new GN40 chipset also should be able to do decent enough effects given that it's G45 based, and I would imagine that even the old 945 could look about as good as Aero.
Posted by dangel - Thu 05 Feb 2009 13:37
7 “ultimate” runs very well on a lowly Acer Aspire One (aero enabled) - basic and starter are therefore a waste of time for such a device.
Posted by directhex - Thu 05 Feb 2009 14:07
I've discussed this with David privately, but I feel the real differentiator in this space is in the UI. People shouldn't need to (and largely don't) care about getting a “full” desktop in a small space, they want something which lets them just surf the net, read their mail, etc - and in that context, where you're buying a “device” rather than a “PC”, the OS *really* doesn't matter to people. The experience does.

In that context, the UI is king - and the frenzied development and innovation in the UI space is one thing that puts Linux-based options FAR ahead of Windows. Compare the UI on the original Eee from a few months back to current offerings like Dell Mini or HP mininote MIE. They're focused on letting you do stuff in a quick intuitive way, first and foremost.

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