Back when the whole netbook thing started, Asus was king of the hill with a focus on netbooks with Linux pre-installed. Since they were kind of popular, it didn't take Microsoft long to start working together with Asus to 'port' Windows XP to the Asus line of netbooks, and with that, to other netbooks as well. The result was that Linux netbooks are now harder to find for many people. While Dell committed itself to Linux on netbooks, Asus has decided to just skip the first date and jump right into bed with Microsoft.
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Member since:2005-07-06
You've touched on the 'free' thing quite well; I know many people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds who all say they would sooner pay a little more for something that relieves them of not having to deal with the drama's associated with computers.
The problem with Linux advocates here is that they're unwilling to be self critical - which is why their marketshare of netbooks have dropped like a lead balloon. Don't expect constructive self criticism or any projects starting up anytime soon within the opensource/linux community to address the issues because it is almost a knee jerk reaction these days to abuse Microsoft and the said vendor and claimed it 'sold out' (as if there was an 'us and them', those who aren't with 'us' are against 'us').
Edited 2009-05-31 13:15 UTC
Member since:2005-11-14
It has a lot less to do with free (as in beer) and a lot more to do with freedom, specifically freedom of choice, but also freedom from being locked into someone's roadmap and having to dump the machine when the vendor won't support the operating system any more, or when the platform's applications are so bloated that they render the hardware unusable.
The drop in market share is quite possibly due to the usual channel manipulation tactics than anything else. Maybe vendors don't really know what to do when people suggest running Linux or something else - who should they turn to? We might well see Android moving in to mop up in the netbook space as it's obvious who leads that effort and the vendors have all heard of them before.
Nonsense! You're merely projecting your own attitudes if you really think open source projects don't get any criticism from their own users or don't take that criticism on board, at least from time to time. Sure, some people will reject criticism, but there's no shortage of efforts to improve usability.
And yes, of course Asus has sold out, and by reducing the choice available to potential customers, they've let those people down, too. Dell, on the other hand, have stared into the abyss after having Microsoft lead them right there, which is why I suppose they're more interested in ignoring Microsoft and expanding their Linux offerings.
Member since:
2006-09-12
It was inevitable.
Asus did not initially adopt Linux out of love. It was pure business, and still is. Linux gave them a way to market that MS could not at the time- Vista was too resource hungry, and XP was being discontinued.
MS woke up when the netbook market started taking off; without an MS alternative, not too many people minded having Linux. Again, people did not adopt Linux out of love, there just wasn't an alternative. Things have changed now. MS have come to the party, and do business in a way business people understand.
There is no longer a business benefit for Asus to continue with Linux.
Technologists place way too much emphasis on "free". The business world does not understand that; they do not see how "free" can provide a sustainable business model, particularly with the potential threats; patent threats, copyright threats or threats of obsolescence.
They, the business world, do not see why it should be "free". They take umbrage at being prescribed to by technologists, who in their mind should NEVER be in the driving seat.
To the statement "Linux is technologically superior", business people reply "So what? Is it underwritten by a large monolithic organization who can protect me from intellectual property threats? Does it provide me with a ready-made market for my product?"
While technologists work for love, righteousness and the quest for perfection, no matter how long it takes, the business world are motivated by greed, and lust for the quick buck. Long term thinking and ethics are generally not part of their vocabulary.
Believe me, the only time you will ever see a business supporting "free", is when it means they do not have to pay the silly technologist a salary to get what would otherwise be worth billions of dollars.
- The louse