NetbookTech

Is Linux on netbooks doomed? That’s the question posed by two new articles hitting the net – one over at the Industry Standard entitled “Netbooks: An opportunity for Windows, and a threat to Linux” and the other over at InformationWeek entitled “Linux on Netbooks: Doomed Already?”.  The basic argument isn’t exactly new here. Consumer demand and familiarity with Windows is helping to drive the platform’s popularity over Linux – despite the fact that Linux offers flexibility and of course, a free/low cost platform.

Ian Lamont of the Industry Standard also points out that Microsoft is making a concerted effort to ensure Windows 7 runs well on netbooks. The company might not be able to sell Vista on netbooks but they’ll be damned if they’re not going to make Windows 7 work well for these systems. 

All of this points to a possible decreasing demand for Linux enabled netbooks (notice we’re not saying that Linux itself will become unpopular – just for netbook systems). Sure, Linux will certainly remain popular with computing enthusiasts and do-it-yourselfers but the average Joe will likely opt for a Windows equipped netbook than a Linux variant.

Yet Serdar Yegulalp points out an important aspect of Linux – the OS provides “a far greater degree of malleability than with Windows.” Unfortunately we’ve yet to see the “malleability” fully realized on the netbook platform. Most vendors have have failed to add the extra oomph to the table – instead opting for simple user interface enhancements such as a simplified launch-pad UI or large visual icons on top of an otherwise complex OS.

There is hope though – one company that seems to have slowly paved the way for innovations with Linux is HP with their recently announced Mini 1000 MIE. The company announced that they not only created a new user interface on top of Linux, but they’re focused their efforts around digital content – making it easier for users to readily access music, videos, photos, email, the web, etc.

That’s a step in the right direction.

What we need now is innovation from the Linux front. In order for Linux to stand out ahead of Windows on the netbook platform, hardware vendors need to think outside of the box. Linux provides many unique opportunities that are simply not addressable with Windows. As Mr. Yegulalp points out, you could make “instant-on” a real possibility with Linux and netbooks. This would certainly be out of the question with Windows. How cool would it be for you to simply flip open your netbook and be up and running in 2-3 seconds?

Companies can also rethink how they shape netbook systems. Why stick with a clamshell design? How about creating inexpensive netbooks using a slider design? How about adding extensive touch capabilities into Linux – turning it into an awesome touch platform for vertical markets.

The ultimate goal here is for IHVs would be to play up to Linux’s strengths and not expose its weaknesses through poor user interfaces and difficult setups. Linux is certainly not dead on netbooks although it is possibly facing a decline in popularity. If there’s ever a time to think outside of the box for Linux, it would be now.