Wal-Mart: 2008 not year of Linux desktop - sub-notebook maybe

Stan Beer
Thursday, 13 March 2008 03:54

Opinion and Analysis

Basically Joe and Jane consumer are not that interested in a budget priced pre-configured Linux desktop box. Like it or not, if they're going to buy a budget box for the home, it's most likely going to be a Windows machine even if they have to pay the Windows tax. It may not be the better option, but it's the one they and their kids know.

Unfortunately, the same thing may well hold true for conventional notebook computers. The world is still waiting for the Dell Unbuntu "experiment" to go global.

Perhaps it's time for the Linux crowd to sigh and accept the fact that with a billion Windows PCs and a fast growing number of Macs already in the consumer and business marketplace, the year of the Linux desktop and notebook is as far away as ever. Vista haters (and in fact there are plenty who don't hate Vista) are either staying with XP or moving to Macs and there is no hard evidence to suggest that there has been a significantly increased movement to Linux on desktops or conventional notebooks of late. If there is, someone show it to me please and I'll stand corrected.

On the other hand, put Linux into a form factor where it has distinct advantages over Windows, then products running the "free operating system" excel. The Asus Eee PC sub-notebook which is now blanketing the world is a prime example. Asus has just released a more expensive model running a cut down version of XP but the cheaper Linux version is already selling like hot cakes, clearly demonstrating that it's a machine for its time.

Consumers don't expect sub-notebooks to be able to do all the things that desktops and larger notebooks can. What they want is a cheap, handy, lightweight, compact computer that they can carry with them anywhere, which still allows them to stay connected, be entertained and even do some work. Linux, which is a much less bloated operating system than Windows, doesn't require resource sucking anti-virus software, and has a license that is free or very cheap (Xandros is not free) fits the bill perfectly.

In such a cheap computer as the Eee PC, paying a significant percentage of the cost extra for a crippled old version of Windows is ludicrous. Therefore, maybe it's time for a new Linux catch-cry: 2008 is the year of the Linux sub-notebook.