Study: Windows clobbers Linux on netbooks with over 90% share

study paid by ms

Well lets see, I bought a netbook, Windows FORCED the manufacturer to put XP on it.

I formatted it(like MOST PEOPLE) and put Linux on. The studies counts me as a windows user.

I wonder what they will do when ARM netbooks start selling, oh wait they already have and they CANT run windows of any kind! Which means this study only counted netbooks that are sold with window son already!

In other words the study is a useless pile of crap.

What a joke.

Alternate Reality

I almost bought a Dell Inspiron Mini 10v Netbook recently, but refrained from doing so, because it was only available with Windows XP Home. I would have installed Linux anyway, but I wasn't sure if it is supported on that model. Besides I would have preferred SSD, which isn't available with Windows, because Windows won't run on SSD.

I already migrated my other machines from Windows XP to Linux. There were some issues, but not more than I was used to on Windows.

I think the point is Windows XP is heavily subsidized on netbooks and you cannot get one without Windows, though people would like to.

XP on Netbooks

It is interesting how a sale statistic may not show the reality.

At least here in my country (Costa Rica), yes most of the users do buy a Netbook with XP installed only to reinstall it later on with Linux.

If you go to a university must of the students have Ubuntu Linux installed because the applications are free.

It is not just the cost of Windows XP, it is also the cost of having other applications.

An the fact is that 90% of the time people only requires a browser to access email, social networks or video, which is something you can do in Linux without any trouble and with less security issues.

Well, at least that's the case in Costa Rica

The real question is...

Who paid for this "study?"

Linux needs more market exposure

The problem is that Linux just needs more market exposure. It all depends on how willing the PC vendors are at putting Linux on their systems. Also, the other hurdle is that Linux is NOT Windows (thank goodness). There is a learning curve. If people are willing to learn Linux, they should be pleasantly surprised that it runs better than Windows. But to get past these hurdles is quite a feat, and Linux hasn't been able to do it yet. Let's hope more and more articles and publications are put out there, as people need to learn more about Linux and become familiar with it.

I definitely prefer Linux, and I've managed to get almost every Windows computer I own erased and put Fedora 10 Linux on them. And I couldn't be happier. I'm now using my computers for what they were meant for, rather than wasting time maintaining the software on them. I've posted my experiences here:

http://members.apex-internet.com/sa/windowslinux

89% of statistics are wrong

In a study done by Exon, most consumers prefer their crab to be coated in crude oil.

My company sells thousands of netbooks as a wholesaler.
Until last year almost %100.00 had no OS as sold. After the usual MS arm twisting we were TOLD by MS that they would sell us a license for XP for $4.00 the catch we had to put a license for XP on ALL systems (no Linux as that would violate that agreement) the customer wanted them or not.

The netbooks were a small market DOMINATED by Linux users, the market grew MS got scared and has been working overtime churning out FUD like this for the last year.

I'm not a computer guy, I don't even know what this Linux thing is other than it's a free competitor to MS. I do know when I'm being used and I do know a LIE when I see it.

Computerworld check your data first, otherwise the people who actually know what the real world is doing will check your data for you.