Linux is Losing to Windows XP in Netbooks
Published on
by Jim Mendenhall
Tags:
Linux
The Linux community was very excited when the first netbooks came out from Asus and they were running Linux and not Windows. These days, however, it seems that Linux has all but lost the netbook space. There are many theories out there about why Microsoft is taking over the netbook market. Sure, they’re probably playing hardball with manufacturers like Asus, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they were involved in all sorts of dirty business practices in an attempt to kill the mainstream use of Linux. That Microsoft will ruthlessly defend their monopoly is not news to the Linux community. But perhaps the real answer is simpler? Could it be that people are simply not buying Linux based netbooks?
A quick look at Amazon would suggests that Windows XP is the most popular OS for netbooks. In fact, every one of the top 25 netbooks on Amazon comes with Windows XP! This is not because there are no Linux netbooks available. In fact, there are lots of Linux netbooks available at Amazon.
So why is Linux losing out? Is it just business as usual, where Microsoft is playing dirty in an attempt to save their crumbling empire? Do people just not know what Linux is and that it’s available? Is the Linux community just not big enough to make an impact (or are they just not putting their money were their mouths are)? Personally, I think it’s a combination of all of these things. What do you think?
