Which netbook OS is right for you?, Aug 19, 2009

Windows 7 is here, and unlike Windows Vista, it will probably run on your diminutive netbook PC. However, there is an alternative. Here is why you ought to give Linux a shot.

The Ubuntu development team has been forced to remove a feature called multisearch from Firefox for the upcoming release, Karmic Koala, following a number of objections by users.

Ever since the release team of the Debian GNU/Linux Project announced that it would be adopting a time-based freeze for future releases, there has been much debate about it on the project's mailing lists.

Alternate operating systems can blow it almost in the first instance if a person comes along and cannot find quickly how to perform some of their most common tasks. If there is no immediate sense of being in control then there will usually be little incentive to persevere. This is where playing DVDs comes in. I’ve had friends call me and ask just why it is so hard to play DVDs under Linux. They reasonably expect to simply insert a disc and have the movie play.

Why do Microsoft and vendors like ASUS continue to push the line that Microsoft Windows is the ultimate operating system for the diminutive ultraportable netbook market? The Windows 7 plan for netbooks is fraught with limitation and burdens. It's time to bring back the penguin.

You may know of Xandros Linux; for many people exposure came through the Eee PC, with this being the distro chosen by Linux-turncoat ASUS. Yet, what is Xandros' stance on open source software? Might Xandros be a thinly-veiled Microsoft tout as Linspire reborn?

Q: What is the true market share for Linux? A: Depends who you ask! You can find desktop penetration of 1%, 2% and 4% - and a server share right up to 46%!

ASUS has effectively abandoned Linux and stated a power user would use Windows instead.

Implementing Linux desktops is easier than IT staff expect, a new study concludes. You just need to pick the right users.

Over the last 10 days there has been a spate of reports all based on some surprising statistics titled "Operating System Market Share" put out by a company named Net Applications.

AVG has released a new anti-malware solution for Linux which combines email and file server protection in a single distribution package.

Windows' continuing loss of web share is primarily to the benefit of Mac OS X, though Linux and mobile platforms are also picking up share.

Twelve years ago, Bruce Perens, who was then leader of the Debian GNU/Linux project, drafted the Debian free software guidelines as part of the project's social contract.

Ask anyone in the IT industry if they could have predicted years ago that a company like IBM would come to be known as one of the biggest users of Linux, and it's doubtful if there would be a single answer in the positive.

It comes as both a surprise and not a surprise that the New South Wales (NSW) state government chose a "safe bet" of Lenovo and Microsoft to supply many thousands of taxpayer-funded laptops to secondary school students. Was Linux ever on the short list?

You have to hand it to Steve Ballmer. The man is never short of inaccurate statistics or words to take a dig at the two rivals which Microsoft has been confronting in recent times - Apple and Linux.

The Linux operating system is free; you can download it without paying any licensing fees. You can use it in the home, you can run a business on it, even a data centre. You can embed it within tiny custom hardware. Despite this, Linux hasn't become a household name. Paradoxically, it may be the perceived dearth of commercial applications which is a cause.

There’s almost no shortage of ways Linux is useful to Windows users because of two simple facts. Firstly, Linux can boot from a CD or memory stick without having to modify the hard disk in any way at all. The second simple fact that makes Linux useful to Windows is that it’s impervious to Windows viruses, malware, Trojans and other nasties.

The Gendarmie Nationale – France’s national police force – has been slowly introducing open source software to its 105,000+ policemen since 2005. In 2008 the decision was made to use only Ubuntu for all new workstations. A year on shows this has been a great success with happy users, a better network and cost savings of over seven million euro per year.

A couple of months back, at Australia's national Linux conference, a young Microsoft employee sat down discussed ways in which Microsoft has contributed to open source.