The Economist Suggests Linux For Netbooks

Trepidity writes "In its roundup of how to choose a netbook, The Economist suggests that users 'avoid the temptation' to go for a Windows-based netbook, and in particular to treat them as mini laptops on which you'll install a range of apps. In their view, by the time you add the specs needed to run Windows and Windows apps effectively, you might as well have just bought a smallish laptop. Instead, they suggest the sweet spot is ultra-lite, Linux-based netbooks, with a focus on pre-installed software that caters to common tasks. They particularly like OpenOffice, which they rate as easier to use than MS Word and having 'no compatibility problems,' as well as various photo-management software." Besides which, does Windows offer spinning cubes for coffee-shop demos?

Comments

B.S.

[z-j-y]

What kind of economists are they? Never heard of the "Broken Window Theory"?

Bought the EEE, Switched to XP

[f2x]

Let's get one thing clear: I am NOT Balmer trying astroturf.

Next: What's wrong with the idea of your Netbook replacing your need for the standard desktop or laptop entirely? Do I really need a full sized desktop these days when an external keyboard, monitor, and mouse can make any netbook just as comfy as the old-school boxen?

Long time back (2001), I patently refused to "upgrade" from Windows ME to XP. That whole "Product Activation" thing left me really cold, and still does. I actively went out and forced myself to start using Linux, and for a while I thought I got pretty good at it. Granted, I was actually just really good at making due with KDE, but it was Linux.

So let's fast forward a bit: Let's just say I took a military job about 3 years ago... Suddenly I've got two very pressing concerns: First I needed ultra-portability. A regular sized laptop would do, but the EEE 701 was simply too wonderful a concept to pass by. Soon after, some serious compatibility concerns reared its ugly head. Linux simply did not deliver like my counterparts' XP machines. As much as I hated to give in, I wiped the SSD and installed Windows for the first time in over half a decade.

I felt dirty... And not in the good way.

Over time I got used to it again... The viruses, the malware, the care and feeding of the OS... Things you never really had to worry about under Linux... Yeah, the old routine is back. It's a minor chore, but it's not that bad. Oddly enough, I noticed something unusual: It felt faster than Linux.

Recently I purchased the EEE 1000. It's a little bigger than the 701, but still much smaller than a regular laptop. I played around with the custom Linux install for about 2 hours to reminisce, then I tore open the XP SP3 OEM disc and stuck that Genuine MS XP sticker on the bottom.

Don't try to tell me that Linux is faster. It's not. Don't try to tell me that Linux can do everything that Windows can do. It can't. I won't tell you that Windows is just as secure, or that Windows can do everything Linux can do, as they are also lies.

What I will tell you is that the software I needed is there.
What I will tell you is that the hardware support I needed is there.
What I will tell you is that the [*]ubuntites are a confusing squirming mass of trustafarians who eat their own, and find spinning cubes to be of more importance than achieving real productivity in a high pressure work environment.

So go ahead and have your coffee shop "luv-in" with Linux, but I needed to have a computer in the field. That meant I needed application compatibility with my netbook. Sadly, that meant I needed to abandon Linux for XP. Perhaps sometime down the road when the various flavors of Linux support Pure-Edge and CAC readers, I will be able to return. Otherwise you'll just have to wait at least three more years before I get out.

And yeah... Sometimes I even miss the CLI and the joys of mpg123, mikmod, vim, and making a simple Perl script to modify 1000+ HTML files in the blink of an eye... But I need the expedience and instant gratification that Windows tends to deliver.

Thank you for your time and consideration.

-f2x