Microsoft losing control of netbooks

Yeah right, have you looked at the mimimum RAM specs for Win7? It's even more of a resource glutton than Vista!

Either that or M$ is finally being honest about what the OS really needs, and we shouldn't automatically multiply it by 4!

...since Microsoft has said the netbook version will be limited to a max of three simultaneous user apps.

I can see that going over well.

The irony is that as a condition of selling netbooks with XP on them, MS imposed hardware limits on the manufactuers. So that EEE with only 1GB of ram and a single core Atom is because MS said that's all it will allow. Perhaps if they hadn't done so, netbooks might have shipped with enough hardware to run Win7 decently.

Who cares, netbooks aren't real computers anyway. With tiny screens, tiny keyboards, and craptacular Atomic sized CPU's they just don't matter. Not to mention the fact that netbooks don't exactly net manufacturers much money compared to a real laptop.

Who cares?

Netbooks was the best selling computers of 2008, the only segment that gave profit and expanded.
You remember me of all those people who used to say that microcomputers weren't real computers and that there was no place for them. Talk about short sighedtness.

Wow. You people talk a bunch but know little.

Let me tell you as a person that has a netbook and runs Win 7 beta. It is superb. It has run flawlessly the last two months. It boots faster than my cell phone. I did upgrade the memory and hard drive but I only shelled out $260 total.

To give you an example, I can boot Windows, login, start word and begin typing in 35 seconds. No kidding, try that on your laptop. Firefox opens immediately and any task that I would ever want to perform on a notebook it runs great.

I ran Ubuntu on this netbook, guess what? It didn't run as well as Win 7. I ran XP on this netbook. Didn't run as well as Win 7. So instead of spewing bullcrap about something you have never tried why don't you lay off and give it a shot.

So, you paid about $300+ for a netbook then paid an extra $260 to upgrade to handle Win7. Now you will pay another $200 for upgrading the watered down version of Win7 to handle more than 3 processes and give you some eye candy. Where is the bargain or great deal. A $300 netbook becomes $700+. That is no deal to me.

@Kelvin
How well W7 is going to work on my unmodified 1st generation EeePC.

Right now, it is running the version of Xandros that it came with and does everything you say W7 does and more.

Why should I have to upgrade my machine when Linux is working flawlessly on it?

Profits on netbooks good huh? Seems to contradict 3 different sources if you ask me... Even here at the inq

http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/10/apple-has-inter.html

http://www.theinquirer.net/inquirer/news/373/1050373/netbooks-atom-and-a-tale-of-intel-s-diminishing-profit-margins

http://www.thestreet.com/story/10437211/1/pc-makers-fight-the-netbook-dilemma.html

HAHA

No the netbook was $199 and I spent 60 bucks extra to upgrade to 2 gigs of memory and a 16 gb SSD (90 MB/s Read 45 MB /s Write)

Win 7 Beta is free for now. But it is great the Power Bar (Dock) works great on the tiny 9 inch screen.

@PenguinHead

I am not knocking Linux, just saying that Win 7 runs better than EEEbuntu. I am a big FOSS fan and most of the stuff I run on Linux also runs on Win 7.

I Kelvin's defense he said he paid out $260 total, as in that is Total amount he spent.
I have XP on my Eee PC 900HA. It is pretty responsive and the the little single core 1.6Ghz Atom holds it's own. I temporarily installed a 2Gb Ram module from my Acer laptop and noticed it became a little more responsive so I ordered a stick for it, $20 is a great price. I remember when 8Mb of Ram cost hundreds back years ago. My hard drive is split for no reason except what the other post said, hardware resrictions. As soon as the $10 external HD case comes I am going to pull the 2.5 SATA drive out and hook it up to a my Vista laptop and extend the partition out so there is only one drive. I have heard that 7 runs good on the net books but I will not spend the cash for it, XP and iTunes (I use it as my home stereo) is working just fine on it. I also have a radio shark hooked up to it for FM. I am looking forward to 7 and will buy a OEM copy from Newegg for my gaming rig I built. There is 8Gb of RAM in place now waiting for the 64bit version of 7.

Yeah, I did not realized that it was $260 total. I have a Samsung NC10. Nice little thing. It came with XP (no choice). As soon as MS stops critical updates, I will switch to Ubuntu. I can't see myself buying Win7 and then installing it on the netbook it seems like an overkill. My next one will have Linux on it.I hope that all the OEMs will at least give us a choice between MS and Linux.

"...its partners are thinking of defecting to Android or Linux..."

Android is a linux distro!!!

Give the penguin the respect it deserves and stop making out like android is an alternative to linux.

Of course Linux runs just fine on your laptop or netbook, THERE'S NOTHING TO RUN ON LINUX WORTH A DAMN!

Try Windows or OSX that actually have the real apps. LINUXFAILURLOL

"THERE'S NOTHING TO RUN ON LINUX WORTH A DAMN!"

I suppose if you mean all those damn virii that plague windows, you've got a point.

The topic was Netbooks remember. Some may run none internet apps on it. But, it was designed for internet browsing and social networking. All internet related apps run under Linux and are OS independent. The hardware was weak in design on purpose, so that it does not kill the laptop market. My netbook seats on the coffee table in the family room. The kids and wife loves it. They use it for AIM, e-mail, YouTube and to settle any arguments. That's it. Now for not having any Linux software I suggest that you check out the Debian/Ubuntu repositories. You may be surprised of the wealth of great programs. Just give it a try.

They're switching from Windows because the Netbooks are toys, and people don't want to 25% more for Windows when they're not going to use them for much. It's not about capabilities either. I have friends running Win7 and dual-booting Apple's OSX for a mere $140 more than the base price (totals $340 or so). They both run tolerably.

For most people, however, they're going to use them just to surf the web, or check email. In that case, using the custom Ubuntu installation with its super simple interfaces is adequate enough. They'll leave any real computing needs to their desktops or real laptops.

On a side note, regarding RAM requirements of OSes: any person whining about buying RAM for Windows these days is obviously too poor to afford even a netbook at all. Go back to using your 1998 rig running Windows 95.

Finally after 2 years vista beta3 is finished and the real Vista called Win7 is just about here. I'm sure glad I didn't get caught up in the $300 Ultimate Vista beta testing. I didn't know your suppose to pay for beta Microsoft Os's.I was wondering, isn't Microsoft suppose to recuperate their R&D after the product is finished.

There are only three steps required in order to be successful running Linux on a netbook, your home computer, or home server:

1) Look at the advantage offered by Linux: free (both of cost and in actual user freedom), secure, most software for it is also free, can run many Windows programs, does not require expensive hardware, saves energy. You can also set up a powerful home or small business server, also for free. If this sounds interesting to you, perhaps you will give it a try. If not, just keep using purchased proprietary operating systems (such as Windows or Apple OSX). Freedom of choice!

2) Buy a computer with Linux pre-installed (and save some money!) or install it yourself on your own machine. It is no more difficult to install than Windows, and actually is easier, as Linux typically comes with all the standard productivity software built-in (web browser, email, office suite, media player, photo suite, DVD burner(for non-netbooks),etc. If you do not feel up to installing it, just ask a knowledgeable friend to do it for you. You can also try a "live CD" version of Ubuntu if you just want to run it off a CD to begin with, without making changes to your computer.

3) Spend a week or two using it. Install new (free) programs from the repositories, check them out, have fun. If you have questions, just check out the user forums, or post them and you will usually be answered the same day. Your questions can help the continuous improvement of Linux -- you are part of the process.

The main problem I have seen with those who say they have "tried Linux and it didn't work" was that they just give up immediately if they bump into a (usually very small and easily-solved) problem. I can sympathize with this, as this is kind of the way I feel now if forced to use Windows, which feels cludgy and poorly implemented compared to the version of Linux I usually use (Ubuntu). Honestly, no one has the attention span of a gnat, and despite what some Windows-evangelists write, I know anyone is more than capable of running user-friendly versions of Linux like Ubuntu. Or continuing to use Windows, as you please (which I am presently forced to do at work, which is not very pleasing...).

I'm still amused at comments about "35 seconds boot times". I used to boot windows in under 5 seconds on a K6-233 in 1997. I don't think it was missing many features you'd want in a netbook, but it still managed to boot much faster with a proc 6 times slower. WTF happened in the vole's OS concept that makes my E8400 monster (in comparison, it may be 30-50 times faster than the K6) boot XP in over a minute?

Well, Linux may have some advantages, such as being able to freely install it to computers without bothering your conscience of "pirating programs that took developers a lot of their time and effort to make and you're just gonna get it for free while others paid for it" (I don't have that kind of conscience). However, Linux have this slight disadvantage on why it is so unpopular. That is...

GAMES!!!

You can't play GAMES on a Linux natively (Although there are games made for linux they're not that good. There are no good exclusive linux titles also). Even with Cedega (which defeats the purpose of the "freeness" of Linux by charging a fee for simulating the Windows API better than WINE), there are still a lot of issues in running the game. (Well, one issue is enough to disrupt a smooth gaming experience, what about many!)

There are a lot of (still) popular games capable of running on a Netbook under Windows XP. Many of them are 3-4 year old games with good replayability. Notable games are Warcraft 3 and GTA:San Andreas (Which is better than the IV in some areas which includes flexibility, modability, and replayability). Although, most of this old games are running in Cedega, run-time errors in the middle of the game is a big issue here, especially if you haven't saved the game.

If you're gonna play games on your Nettop, Linux is not an option.

You did not say how much you paid for WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM VIRUS protection, a decent firewall and other software. Then add in all the security patching and continuous pay outs for updates to the WINDOWS OPERATING SYSTEM VIRUS protection.

Why would I pay for virus protection, a firewall or "other" software? I'm running a legitimate copy of WinXP, I'm protected with the free version of Avast, (I love the screensaver scanning), Spybot, Sunbelt's free firewall. FOr office compatability I'm using Open Office and for image editing I use Paint.net.

Why did you ask? Did you get ripped off by the clerk at Best Buy?

I doubt windows 7 will beat Linux (with wine) when it comes to gaming. As of now Vista and Windows 7 combined cannot play as many games as wine can. I have a Linux box I take to LAN parties, so far I have had TWO (2) games that were not playable out of about 25 games.

There is a LOT of people working on wine, its catching up fast. Fear 2 ran flawlessly for me the day it hit the shelves.
Also Ubuntu Netbook Remix boots in about 5 seconds.