Windows dominance in netbook market spells doom for Linux and its prospects
Posted in: Netbook, software, windows, tags: Linux, market share, microsoft, netbook market, windows
When netbooks were first introduced to market, a lot of people didn’t know where these devices were headed. After all, it was a time when many were rocking OS X and Windows Vista with Intel Core 2 Duo processors, then netbooks came along with a lightweight flavor of Linux and low-power Celeron chips. Slowly but surely Linux gained market share thanks to the popularity of netbooks that followed, but soon people realized they needed Windows on these machines, and Linux was forgotten again little by litte. Now, Robin Harris from ZDNet says that Windows currently claims an 80% attach rate for netbooks. It appears people just still can’t live without help from Microsoft on their computers.
Does this mean that Linux will now just fade away like a fad, and its usage remain only with the hardcore computer users that want more freedom than compatibility in their computing setups? Something tells me yes. And with the advent of Windows 7 for netbooks, especially if Microsoft gets the pricing right upon final release, we just might never see Linux on netbooks ever again. When that happens, I can’t say I will be surprised. I’ll probably just wonder why it hasn’t happened sooner.
Via Storage Bits
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Um, wasn’t M$ firing people due to the pressure Linux and cut rate netbooks were putting on them?
Yes, that was one effect of Linux, but it didn’t successfully replace Windows as an OS on ultraportable devices like netbooks.
Linux will be seen on netbooks but probably limited to budget netbooks – http://eeepc.net/windows-7-or-linux-best-suited-for-netbooks/
Linux is a fad?
Come on,
Linux Has been around for a long time and will continue to grow.
It’s not going to be come an over night hit.
“more freedom than compatibility”?
Open Source is more compatible with Microsoft then Microsoft is.
Just look at things like Open Office. It Opens and saves to more Microsoft files then Microsoft Office does.
To say Linux is just a fad is just stupid.
Not a fad in general, but a fad for netbooks, quite possibly. It’s obvious that most people who buy netbooks (since it’s the “new” thing) will be put off by a new environment like Linux. And especially since those who buy netbooks are first time buyers who are looking to save some money on hardware, they probably never even heard of Linux before.
I know compatibility isn’t a problem with Linux for most programs, but we’re also talking devices, plugins, and other things that are typical for computer setups. Up to now I still can’t connect my Nokia phone to a Linux computer.
My take on this is that we are on a start of a transition like the one from the IBM PC, where IBM called the shots, to Windows, where Microsoft calls the shots.
The analogies are there:
The disastous PS/2-OS/2 launch is like the Vista launch. Before you say ‘Windows 7′ remember that IBM also fixed OS/2 a lot, but that didn’t help.
The launch of Windows 3.0, that first put MS Windows on the map, is a lot like the easy mode on many linux netbooks today: You move to the new easier platform with almost no pain.
@David Gonzales:
You can try gnokii if it works on your Nokia model (you don’t say what it is). Alternatively try googling for “Nokia linux”, or add your phone model as well. The solutions are out there if you do that. Also a polite question on your favorite distro’s forums will get you great support for any problems you may have.