I mean, I know they shouldn't be limiting hardware like this but is this really going to have a severe impact on netbooks? Sure intels protecting their product line but what self serving company wouldn't?

Everyone likes to paint intel as the bad guy and I don't think they deserve that bad rap. AMD/ARM/nVidia/anyone would exploit their advantage if they were given it. They would be stupid if they didn't.

Let's wait until the rumo(u)r is substantiated or not before passing judgement.

They will paint themselves into a corner.

The big advantage Windows has is games but you can't play demanding games on netbooks anyway so you may as well go with Linux & ARM or some as yet unknown CPU.

These 2 companies stifle any competition.
Via seems to give end users better
performance & options than Intel, why in
a country that boasts about freedom do we
see this sort of unpleasant control?

What a brilliant winning move by a company that is hoping to overturn the hefty fine they just had imposed on them by the European anti-trust authorities.

...Go try Moblin 2. The Intel backed Linux based distro that is expressly made for their netbook platform.

I doubt you will be singing the same tune.

C'mon bordatwork, don't be shy... tell us exactly how you feel... Let me tell you though, the only time Linux is going to really be popular is when they get rid of that command line and let the gui handle everything. Of course, that doesn't stop having another version for developers.

ARM based linux (or android) netbooks could be the game changer here. Low power long battery life, cheap to make, and quiet.

Intel's only way to battle this would be an extreme low power chip of its own, but they'd have to give it away.

You are so right, glad I live in Europe where politicians are public property and not owned by companies.
A lot of them already went to prison because companies tried to bribe them.
Remember Willy Claes (ex Secretary of Nato! [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willy_Claes[/url])

Over here they are punished for crimes, when will Bush be jailed for his war-crimes?

If You Diligently Loaded ALL those Langiage Packs, You'll Have to Wait, Todays VISTA SP2 here:

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=a4dd31d5-f907-4406-9012-a5c3199ea2b3&DisplayLang=en

Its For 5 Lang standalone only. its 32 bit, theres 64 bit, too in 5 Lang. If You have ALL those Other Language Updates, You Can Uninstall Them Before Above SP2 Install.Or Wait for ALL Lang Link to work Correctly, from Microsoft or Seek Third parties Download of All Language Vista SP2, If thats Even possible.

I don't know who lies and back stabs more, big corporations or politicians?
That's the beauty of the American system-- they're interchangeable. When their guy is in power, all the corporate bigwigs run off to Washington to be appointed Undersecretary of Commerce for Somethingorother. When the other guy wins, it's back to the boardroom. Everybody wins! Oh, except for us regular schmucks.

Why do MS give in every time?

MS let Intel force it to mark lower-end hardware as Vista capable. This was, IMO, one of the biggest reasons behind frustrated consumers.

I hope this comes back to bite MS and Intel where it hurts, their greedy wallets. I don't know who lies and back stabs more, big corporations or politicians?
Long live Linux

Neelie!!!!
Where are you, Intel and M$ are doign it again....forcing crap on consumers!!!
They never learn!!!
Hit them where it hurts, ban them from the EU, that will teach them :-)