Linked by Thom Holwerda on Tue 7th Apr 2009 07:26 UTC
Continuing the recently started trend at Microsoft to be a bit more aggressive towards the competition, Brandon LeBlanc wrote on the Windows Experience Weblog about why Windows is such a huge success on netbooks compared to Linux. Also, what is up with that story on AppleInsider about Microsoft offering Windows-7-to-XP downgrade rights? Is that really so special?
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RE[2]: Why Windows dominates netbooks...
by tonym on Wed 8th Apr 2009 03:20
in reply to "RE: Why Windows dominates netbooks..."
Member since:2005-07-06
I'm going to have to agree with you here you hit the nail on the head. Consumers don't have a choice (normal consumers).
Go to any retail store right now and look for a Linux netbook on display. They are rare or non-existant all displayed netbooks are running Windows.
About a year ago, the situation was very different only Linux netbooks were on display.
I find it sick how easy it is for Microsoft to bend the retail channel to it's will. Microsoft puts pressure on OEMs and that trickles down to the retail stores. Microsoft is a monopoly, but mostly because people are so resistant to the hint of change.
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Member since:
2006-04-28
Yes, I agree with your reasons, but even more importantly, when Linux was offered "by default" in netbooks, these were either 7" or 8.9" screens with _very_ bad and small SSDs and cramped keyboards. Besides, the distros put in them were not exactly stellar.
Then the new generation came out, with 10.2" screens and real hard drives. And bigger keyboards too. These ones offered Windows XP. No option for Linux (or hard to find). So really, consumers never really had a real choice. First they bought netbooks with Linux because it was wat was offered. Then they bought better ones with Windows because it was also what was offered. The choice at that point wasn't Windows vs. Linux. It was a better netbook vs. a worse netbook, the better one having Windows in it.
And then obviously is the price thing. I'm a Linux user, but I'd rather get a netbook with Windows for 20 euros more, even if they were offering it with Linux for 20 less. Why? Because 20 euros is a decent price for having XP "just in case", and I can install Linux for free and use it 99% of the time Linux but still have Windows there in case I do need it at some point.
Linux could have done things better, sure, but I mostly blame OEMs for Linux's failure. If they had offered a decent Linux (Mandriva Power Pack edition preinstalled would have given new users a good experience, for example) in a decently spec'ed netbook, people would have got it and would have probably been happy with it. But then with Windows XP being offered to them (OEMs) for the same price as a Mandriva Power Pack or less, why bother? Their support teams know Windows well and nothing about Linux, so it started to make more sense to them to offer Windows and completely forget about Linux. So basically it was all just a good and fast move by Microsoft (hell, hasn't Microsoft always been good at making business? That's actually what they are good at, not at making software. Linux on the other hand hardly tries to make business - only Canonical a bit, and hardly Mandriva).