It certainly looks like Win7 would take back the Netbook market from Linux with W7 at this stage. Having tested it at the weekend, its clear that the 1.6Ghz processor, 1GB mem and a reasonably fast disk will be fine and offers a far more comfortable, productive and enjoyable environment than any Linux distro i've seen.
I don't see any Linux distribution increasing their share in the netbook market with WM7 around UNLESS, 1) Microsoft charge full rates for W7 licenses AND 2) Win XP for ULCPCs goes away. In this case, Linux could give OEMs the chance to save some up-front licensing costs. It leaves the MID market where 4GB flash, 800Mhz processors aren't good enough for Win7 and MS doesn't have an X86 product to offer (assuming XP goes away and WM7 does not support X86 architechture.) Steve On Mon, Nov 10, 2008 at 8:59 AM, Tal Beno <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > I could not resist sending this to you all ... > http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=a3VyE_ofSwwE&refer=news > Its amazing to hear that MS is actually suffering on the OS business - and > just because of the fact that 30% of the Netbooks are sold with Linux. > > It just emphasize what I have been trying to say here - which is that on the > desktop level Windows is too dominant to defeat at this point. But you have > a unique opportunity until next December when Windows7 is supposed to be > released to eat more and more market share in the Netbook domain. > > I may be hallucinating but Canonical and the community here need to > concentrate all of the efforts around a real winning opportunity, which in > my opinion is probably the Mobile edition. Instead of spreading the > resources thin. I am not sure how soon an opportunity such as this will come > our way to make a difference. > > Best, > Tal > > On Fri, Oct 10, 2008 at 11:30 PM, Tal Beno <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> >> Sorry for rumbling more about it ... >> >> As stated software strategy is an elusive trade. Putting aside enterprise >> software and focusing on the consumer market, we are facing a unique >> opportunity here. Microsoft is making a dual strategic mistake in my humble >> opinion when not pushing XP as "the" mobile (netbook/umpc/mid) OS. It has >> corrected itself by not eliminating it and reversing the process. But they >> are also heavily invested in Windows mobile and as a big corporation it is >> almost impossible for them to maneuver to the right direction. >> The mobile OS should no longer be considered as a different entity but a >> derivative of the desktop OS, with agility and resolution adaptation. The >> Ubuntu mobile project seems to have all of that. Actually if I were to >> speculate as stated in my original reply, I would say that Canonical has >> much more chances with the mobile edition than with the desktop one, >> concerning market share and the possibility to finally put a Linux flavor as >> a truly wide distribution for the consumer market. >> >> But my personal opinion is probably different from most open source fans. >> I don't see any open source project becoming the next big thing without big >> corporations standing behind it. And I may be stating a strange opinion >> here, but open source and big corporations should go together. I can see >> various software companies which could adopt the Ubuntu mobile project for >> various reasons. Without spending big money on this effort the community >> will just get frustrated. That said if played right the wonderful community >> around Ubuntu could definitely make the difference and elevate it to the >> right places. >> >> To summarize, I can't help thinking that ATM this project is still not on >> the road for glory. I don't see Canonical aiming high enough nor have the >> vision or the killer instinct they could show. I would personally take >> Steve's advice if I were them concerning the forums the advertisement and >> the OEMs. I would also suggest putting this agenda as the number one >> priority for the company and revamping the Ubuntu front page with mobile >> reference. >> >> Best, >> Tal Beno >> >> >> On Wed, Oct 8, 2008 at 2:11 PM, Steve Paine <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> >>> I think TAL has a good point that there's an opportunity here that could >>> take root if given more support from the back-end. Over the last week we've >>> all seen the active response from users too which is an even better >>> indication that this distro could be worth focusing on by both the community >>> and Canonical. >>> >>> Its great to hear that Canonical are putting weight behind it then. >>> Thanks for the feedback from Emmet. >>> >>> As a further encouragement to Canonical and the community I want to say >>> that I am personally getting queries from OEMs and manufacturers about what >>> I think of Linux on netbooks and UMPCs. They are worried about the user >>> experience and (possibly unfounded) reports of higher return rates for >>> Linux-based netbooks. OEMs want a solution and they want a well-recognised >>> solution but if there's a risk of it damaging their brand, they wont take >>> it. It's here that I see Canonical playing the main role. You are obviously >>> talkingn to OEMs directly in the b/g but how about tempting other OEMs and >>> developers via high quality branded blogs and not via IRC (Please, IRC is >>> great but users, OEMs, ISVs, resellers jsut dont have the time to >>> participate. ) or mailing lists. Canonical also need to do marketing. Now. >>> Not when Ubuntu Mobile is launched. Its almost funny that this distro was >>> announced on a personal blog until you realise what potential we're talking >>> about here. >>> >>> Ubuntu Mobile seems to be taking root. ISVs and community members need >>> reasons to join now. Canonical need to provide the feedback that gives them >>> confidence that this project will go forward with aggression, good end-user >>> focus and with long-term goals to become the de-facto choice on netbooks and >>> medium sized touchscreen devices. >>> >>> I have a to-do to write another Ubuntu Mobile article soon bul will >>> probably fire a few questions to Canonical PR before I do that. I'll try and >>> tie it in with the first release at end of October with a new video. >>> >>> I'll also be campaigning for Poulsbo/SCH/GMA500 support for the next >>> release as I know some OEMs that are looking for a solution here. (Some >>> faith in Ubuntu-MID appears to have been lost through the delays with the >>> Gigabyte M528/Compal JAX10 device.) >>> >>> Good luck to all for Intrepid release. >>> Steve >>> >>> >>> On Sat, Sep 27, 2008 at 7:25 PM, Emmet Hikory <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>>> >>>> Tal Beno wrote: >>>> > I wish to comment please on Steve's original mail as well as on the >>>> > overall >>>> > reply that Steve got from Mr. Emmet Hikory. >>>> >>>> Although I've been replying to a number of these mails, it's not >>>> that I'm someone particularly special when it comes to Ubuntu Mobile: >>>> I'm just a user who was unsatisfied with both Ubuntu MID and Ubuntu >>>> Desktop on my Kohjinsha SR. Oliver credits me with some help with the >>>> installer, but that truly belongs to the many contributors to the >>>> installer technologies used, some originating in Ubuntu, and some in >>>> Debian. I may be an Ubuntu Developer, but that's just because I've >>>> been an Ubuntu user and contributor for long enough that someone >>>> granted me upload rights (I have not checked to see if any of my >>>> patches are in Ubuntu Mobile). Nothing I'm saying represents anything >>>> other than my opinion, and shouldn't be taken as a statement of policy >>>> of any sort. >>>> >>>> > But as many analysts are claiming the Linux landscape is way too >>>> > fractured >>>> > in general and on the mobile front, so to make this one stand out of >>>> > the >>>> > crowd and give MS a real fight (as with the desktop edition) Canonical >>>> > can't >>>> > throw it on the community as a prime resource, at least not at this >>>> > stage. >>>> > I beg to argue that this is all a big waste of time if you don't >>>> > intend >>>> > realizing the huge potential you have in your hands, and invest much >>>> > more >>>> > resources on its success. The community will follow only when seeing >>>> > your >>>> > own initial commitment ... >>>> >>>> I take great issue with this assertion. Ubuntu is developed by a >>>> large and diverse community, and that Ubuntu Mobile is developed >>>> entirely within and as part of Ubuntu is surely a good means by which >>>> to ensure that the work done includes the work of the largest number >>>> of interested parties. While is it certainly true that Canonical >>>> offers significant support to Ubuntu, including almost all of the >>>> infrastructure and funding for a number of the developers (I believe >>>> it to be over 10%, including more than a third of the most active >>>> developers, although I could be mistaken), for which much appreciation >>>> is deserved, it is not the case that Ubuntu Mobile is something which >>>> Canonical is "throwing on the community", nor is it the case that >>>> Ubuntu Mobile being community created and community supported >>>> necessarily means that nobody associated with Canonical will be >>>> involved in that community. >>>> >>>> While Oliver has created the initial preview image for Ubuntu >>>> Mobile, the idea originates from the UDS held in Prague, has been >>>> discussed in the #ubuntu-mobile channel in freenode for some time, and >>>> relies heavily on the work of the entire Ubuntu community in order to >>>> function as well as it does. The Ubuntu Mobile community is expected >>>> to support this new flavour (as is true for the community surrounding >>>> any Ubuntu flavour), and that community consists of interested people >>>> from many sources, including Canonical. If there are no interested >>>> individuals, then there is no community, and there is no point in >>>> having such a flavour of Ubuntu. I know I'm interested, and judging >>>> from the mail here, the comments to Oliver's blog entry, and the >>>> comments to Steve's article, I'm fairly certain I'm not alone. >>>> There's no reason we can't make Ubuntu Mobile great, but it's not >>>> right to frame this as a competition between corporate entities, or to >>>> try to fit some analyst's model: the key idea is to make something >>>> that we want to use, and to seek out any resources we need to make it >>>> as good as it can be. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Emmet HIKORY >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Ubuntu-mobile mailing list >>>> Ubuntu-mobile@lists.ubuntu.com >>>> Modify settings or unsubscribe at: >>>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-mobile >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Steve 'Chippy' Paine >>> Promoting mobile computing devices to >>> over 220,000 people per month through >>> UMPCPortal.com >>> >>> -- >>> Ubuntu-mobile mailing list >>> Ubuntu-mobile@lists.ubuntu.com >>> Modify settings or unsubscribe at: >>> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-mobile >>> >> > > > -- > Ubuntu-mobile mailing list > Ubuntu-mobile@lists.ubuntu.com > Modify settings or unsubscribe at: > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-mobile > > -- Steve 'Chippy' Paine Promoting mobile computing devices to over 220,000 people per month through UMPCPortal.com -- Ubuntu-mobile mailing list Ubuntu-mobile@lists.ubuntu.com Modify settings or unsubscribe at: https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-mobile
