Will Windows 7 kill Linux on the netbook?
Netbooks were supposed to be Linux's great white hope, but Adam Turner wonders if Windows 7 will deliver the killer punch.
As a Mac convert it's not often I get excited about a Microsoft product, but Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 has impressed me. I've installed it on a Kogan Agora Pro netbook, with a 1.6GHz Intel Atom processor and 2GB of RAM, and it runs like a dream.
Even with all the resource-hungry fancy graphics enabled it runs smoothly, far better than the sluggish graphics offered under the pre-installed version of gOS Linux. Installing Ubuntu Netbook Remix isn't much of an improvement - the whole thing craps itself if I try to switch on the advanced graphics effects.
Windows 7 installed without a hitch and I'm yet to encounter an app that won't work. I had to download wifi drivers, which was no hassle. The scroll bar on the trackpad is disabled, but I think it's just a question of finding the right drivers. It was a lot more work to get Ubuntu Netbook Remix up and running. A big thanks goes to agoranetbook.kayno.net, an invaluable resource if you're looking to run Ubuntu Netbook Remix on the Agora netbook.
So far Windows 7 has run surprisingly smoothly. So smoothly, that gOS and Ubuntu Netbook Remix feel cumbersome and sluggish in comparison. If I was forced to sit down and use the 10 inch Kogan netbook as my primary work machine for the day, I have no doubt as to which OS I'd choose.
Linux lovers will argue that Linux will happily handle all my needs and I'm getting sucked in my Windows 7's eye candy. They're right. Call me shallow, but I've realised that I want an OS which is attractive and pleasant to use, as well as functional. Visual aesthetics is certainly a factor in overall usability. I think it's one of the reasons why I prefer my iPhone over other smartphones which have double the features. The think I've noticed about Windows 7 is that the eye candy is actually functional rather than just a distraction, (kind of like a Mac, I guess).
It's interesting that Kogan opted for gOS rather than Ubuntu Netbook Remix, considering the latter is based on a newer version of Ubuntu and should - at least in theory - offer better performance. Regardless of what the Linux faithful will tell you, there is a learning curve when switching from Windows to Linux.
The first time you need to install a device that doesn't come with Linux software (such as a USB mobile broadband stick), or download and compile drivers, you realise you're not in Kansas any more. Over time you'll pick it up, if you're prepared to invest that time.
Allowing XP to be installed on netbooks, rather than the bloated Vista, was a brilliant move by Microsoft. The sales figures have shown that most people have opted for the familiarity of Windows rather than embrace the unknown.
Linux may have found a home amongst tech-heads in server rooms, but it has never managed to establish a foothold on the desktop - despite its supporters declaring every year of the last decade "The Year of Desktop Linux".
You'll always have your Linux diehards who will use it no matter what, but your average person on the street doesn't care about ideology. You can lecture them about Microsoft's bastardry and the importance of open standards, but your average person doesn't give a stuff - they just want something that works. For them that's always going to be Windows over Linux.
I suspect Kogan opted for gOS because it looks and feels like Windows, making things as simple as possible for new users and reducing support calls. I also suspect this is one of the reasons why the Linux faithful hate gOS on the Agora netbook so much, because it's trying to mimic Windows.
They're letting their own prejudices get it the way of what's best for the end user. Most people want a computer which "just works" and, from what I've seen so far, Windows 7 comes far closer to achieving this than gOS or Ubuntu Netbook Remix.
Of course people said similar things about Vista RC1, so we'll have to see if the Windows 7 end product is as impressive as the Release Candidate.
I'm not a Windows fanboy. I'm not a Linux fanboy. I try not to be too much of a Mac fanboy. I'm a usability fanboy, looking for the best tool for the job.
Based on gOS and Ubuntu Netbook Remix, I'd say netbook Linux has a lot of ground to make up before it can rival the user experience of Windows 7.
Other Blog Entries written by Adam Turner:
Thoughts on this article? Add a comment below.
Comments: 1
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technojunkie
Jun 4, 2009 2:43 PM
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I dont know if my comments are going to be relavent to the topic but if applications have anything to do with whether windows 7 will kill Linux on netbooks then they might.
Comment number 1.
I am using a netbook that runs on Linux.I love it as I have had no trouble opening PDF's, word or excel documents etc however one function of a netbook is for surfing the net and this is where I ran into trouble and wished mine ran on windows XP or even Vista rather then Linux - I had a dongal issue. When Telstra released it's prepaid wireless USB device I thought great I will be able to plug it in and connect to the net where ever I am which is a lot more convenient and appealing then trying to find a hotspot which can have a very slow connection. Problem was the device only supported Windows and not Linux which meant that if you are not a bit of a technogeek the device might be useless on a Linux operating system.
Comment Number 2
It takes time for one technology to catch up with another. In the past whenever I took my normal laptop overseas I had no problem finding a printer that was windows supported - it was just plug and play however I took my netbook overseas with me last year and thought Cool! printers are so cheap I will be able to buy any basic printer, plug it in and start printing - no download of drivers necessary. How wrong I was. My netbook was just over a year old and unfortunately all the new printers did not support Linux because they were so new drivers were not available for Linux devices yet so I had to go searching for older models of printers that did support Linux devices like my netbook.
Since Windows tends to be the most common operating system used most software/hardware/add ons etc will be or have Windows compatability priority over other operating systems.
There is a whole community of Linux out there - they just have to work together to compete with windows 7. If a new version of windows 7 gets released an equivalent new version of Linux has to be released. If a new device is released that is windows 7 compataible there has to be an equal or greater device that is Linux compatible. It's all about technology keeping up with other technology. Suvival of the fittest! |