The netbook belongs to Linux

David M Williams
Monday, 29 June 2009 14:42

Business IT - Technology

Early on Microsoft revealed the Starter edition would only permit three applications to run at the same time.

Imagine buying a netbook – snubbing Linux because it “looks different” – just to find your Microsoft-based computer won’t allow you to run Internet Explorer, Outlook, Word and Solitaire all at once!

It seems the reception to this idea was not so hot because Microsoft later abandoned it. Instead, the Redmond giant decided to sneak in a restriction on the desktop background, or wallpaper announcing Windows 7 Starter edition will not permit this to be personalised in any way whatsoever. Even OEMs may not alter it from the Microsoft-supplied default.

If you want such major functionality as, I don’t know, changing your desktop background to a picture of your dog then you’ll find you have to pay extra money for this privilege and upgrade to a more costly version of Windows 7. Maybe Windows 7 Wallpaper edition?

Somewhat ironically, one of the conditions of the DET tender was that students ought to be able to customise their laptops in various ways to give them a sense of ownership (and hopefully reduce vandalism and eBaying the units off.)

Now it transpires that the DET laptops won’t, in fact, have such basic customisation ability as to use your own picture for the desktop background.

It’s a farce. I’m opposed to artificial constraints in software (which is why I railed against Small Business Server, or SBS, last year.)

It’s one thing to say that a 32-bit operating system cannot address more than 4GB of RAM. In this case the problem makes sense; the limitation is universal and switching to a 64-bit CPU and OS regardless of vendor addresses the matter.

It’s another thing to say your computer cannot run four programs at once, or that the user cannot change their background – just because the vendor says so.

I’m looking for a reverse revolution. We’ve gone from Linux having dominance to being the underdog.

However, the time has come for Linux to regain its original standing. It alone is the operating system for netbooks which treats all users equal, which does not enforce arbitrary constraints on a whim and which performs to the best of its power.

Windows 7 is coming, but is it the smartest choice for the netbook in your future? Do you want to pay for it then find out you have to pay more because “feature X” isn’t included?

This is the real reason we say Linux is free. It’s not just because it is free of charge (which it is) but because it is truly free. It will not dictate to users how it may be used and where and when and why.