I Want an Android Netbook, and I Want It With the Windows Version's Specs

by Kristin Shoemaker - Apr. 07, 2009Comments (5)

David Coursey at PCWorld knew full well he'd opened a can of worms when he asked why anyone would want an Android netbook. Personally, I'd rather have an Ubuntu Netbook Remix powered one, or one with an operating system tailored with the latest Moblin Image Creator utility, but I'm sort of one of those types anyway.

I love and use open source software, nearly exclusively. I think the last time I really sat down to run Windows was when I transferred Windows XP on to my husband's newly built "mostly playtime" machine. As much as I love open source software, however, I am a stronger advocate for having the right tool for the job, and using the software that works best for the user and the task at hand. The right tool can vary greatly between users, tasks and even hardware. I have a few qualms about Coursey's statement that nobody could possibly ever want an Android netbook, unless the price was signficantly lower. I just don't believe it, and the nature of netbooks, people's expectations of what they can (or can't) do, and hardware disparities between Linux and Windows models further complicates the netbook operating system war.

Coursey sums up why someone (both civilian and business folk) would want a netbook quite nicely: netbooks are "appropriate when a full-sized notebook is not necessary and a smartphone is not enough." When he fleshes out that statement, however, it becomes a little less clear why one would need Windows (or, perhaps more accurately, why it would be "stupid" to opt for an alternative operating system):

I would not want to write anything much longer than this post on a netbook, but sometimes that's all I need to write. That and responding to urgent e-mail or checking websites.

Sure, I'm able to do that on my husband's Windows XP-driven MSI Wind. I am also able to do so on my EeePC running Xandros -- the main difference being that my EeePC boots a lot faster. All right, the EeePC's Xandros installation has a very different (and in some ways overly simplistic) interface. It isn't difficult to navigate (though I can see clearly why a business traveler might balk at using a netbook with a user interface that looks that simplistic).

Here's the rub: My husband purchased his MSI Wind for school, where, alas, very specific versions of Microsoft Office were required. That was the only reason -- he is not a Linux user in any sense of the word, but he would have preferred, in this instance, to have an alternative operating system. Coursey alludes to the alleged higher return rates of Linux netbooks that netbook manufacturers are somewhat at odds over -- but let's turn this on its head for a moment. If Linux netbooks are being returned because they aren't able to deliver what the buyer needed, how many Windows netbooks are purchased that either don't deliver (because the required tasks are beyond the scope of a netbook) or are complete overkill for the casual web surfing, email checks, and vacation photo uploads that are typically done with these machines?

It's very possible one might need Windows on a netbook, and that's (honestly) perfectly fine. I'm also guessing that many people who buy netbooks could happily use any well designed and configured operating system to carry out their required tasks.

Of course, there's that other sticking point. Windows and Linux netbooks are not created equal. Windows models (whether needed or not) tend to have more RAM factory-installed, and often, larger hard drives (some ASUS EeePC models are exceptions to the hard drive rule). Windows XP might require the heftier specs to run as well as the less beefy Linux counterparts -- but there's certainly the feeling that purchasing a Linux machine means missing out on the heftier hardware. Both versions of a given netbook might fit the bill, but as someone who prefers Linux, I'd think twice about shelling out a lesser amount of cash when an extra $50 to $75 could get me a machine with better system specs -- operating system be damned. I'll install Netbook Remix myself, then.

On an even playing field (when it comes to system specifications), I think we'd see even more Linux-based machines purchased. With consumer education -- not only focusing on what Linux (and Windows) can and can't deliver, but what netbooks are really best suited for -- the numbers would slide more into alternative operating system territory. Consumers should be able to choose the system that works best for them -- and they should be able to choose between truly equivalent machines.


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5 Comments
 

For me it is a no-brainer, my last two desktop systems came loaded with Vista. Bad me... :-(


Buying a similar system without Windows would have cost me a couple hundred dollars more, these two were an e520 and e530 from Dell where the Windows subsidy and advertising kickbacks get you a lower cost compred to the "Free DOS" version. Neither one took any longer to have Linux zap the Windows install and hidden partitions than the basic Linux install on a blank hard drive so there was no downside.


So here I sit being counted in the Windows column, 10 times due to my system purchases and only one of these systems actually has Windows loaded on it.


Microsoft is selling XP to netbook makers at prices being reported as between $3.00 and $5.00 and on top of that is subsidizing their advertising campaigns meaning their real cost to sell an XP machine is less than the cost to sell a Linux one.


So why would anyone buy a Linux computer when the Windows one is such a better deal?


0 Votes

I paid more than I might have by buying a laptop with no OS because I quite simply didn't want to pay the Microsoft tax. Some things are worth paying extra for.


I agree with the blog. I've an Acer Aspire One and once I show people my Linux version, explaining its advantages over Windows, everyone, but everyone I know has bought the Linux version. Education in the area of Linux is important.


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At least one company gets it. Take a look at Dell's Mini 9. By the way, I'm quite happy with my low-end model that I have now been using as my primary PC for 4 months. Anyway, of the four models listed on their Mini 9 page, two can be bought with either Ubuntu or Windows. If you choose Ubuntu, you will immediately see a drop of $15-35 at the next screen. The high-end model is Windows only, but you can take the second model and customize it to meet the specs of the high-end model, and if you choose Ubuntu you will still come out cheaper.


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Problem is, mos to consumers don't even know what it is or that it exists. Most people just want their computers right out of the box. Unless and until Linux gets this right, it's never, NEVER, going to take off in the consumer market, no matter how many free or low-cost apps are available for them. Otherwise, Linuse versions would have taken hold a very long time ago.


It's not going to happen in our lifetime. Microsoft is technology monolih, and Apple captures everyone's attention. Linux is one of the most successful that I've seen in my lifietime. It's sad but, for the time being, it's also true.


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0 Votes
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