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Linux on Netbooks: Here Comes Tomorrow

Over at ChannelWeb, Kevin McLaughlin gathered some industry insights on the significance of Linux netbooks. In some ways, the subject seems as though it's reached critical mass and there's not much more to say, but McLaughlin's article highlights a few points that aren't often mentioned and are easily glossed over.

The article mentions Microsoft's October earnings call, where executives attributed a four point shortfall in client revenue to the netbook market. Looking at this one way, it's a drop in the bucket -- not just the revenue drop, but the netbook market as a whole. Looking at it another way, it's a significant move forward for Linux and a market that really didn't exist twelve to eighteen months ago.

Corra Technology's Ron Bongo mentions that cloud computing -- web based applications -- are becoming more prevalent, and all that these require is a browser. Browsers all perform the same function -- and using a less resource intensive, lower cost system to run the browser makes sense.

This school of thought reaches beyond the netbook market, but given the hardware that is commonly used on netbooks and the accessibility of web-based applications, it's logical that this is where these applications -- and Linux -- could get a strong foothold first.

McLaughlin states at the beginning of the article that the "Linux gaining on the desktop" idea has always had a "wait 'til next year" feel. I think it still does, but we've just seen that an industry can change a lot in twelve short months.

• Microsoft
• open source
• linux
• browsers
• cloud computing
• Netbooks
• internet
• Corra Technology
• web based applications

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