Netbooks Have a Huge Impact On the PC Industry 416
Xbm360 writes "A report from researcher Canalys said 13.5 million netbooks were sold globally in the 1st half of 2009. Telecom companies have several bundling deals, with about 50 operators selling netbooks. The success of netbooks also surprised Microsoft & forced them to lower the prices of their XP Home licenses, to regain marketshare over Linux."
Warning (Score:5, Informative)
TFA is one of those that have a big photo, very little text, and is continued on page 2 (of how many I don't know; I refuse to slog through sites like this).
9" linux netbook was perfect (Score:5, Informative)
I bought a 9" model with linux earlier this year.
Soon after, the linux models dried up, then the prices rose and the screen size crept up.
I should have bought 6 at Jan 2009 price. Baring a change of architecture which increases the battery life 5 fold, I conciser it to be perfect.
It doesn't need any more power because it does everything that I want from a computer the size of a hardback book.
Re:It's fairly obvious why they are so successful. (Score:5, Informative)
Actually, an Atom N270/N280 has a pretty hard time playing back Flash video... so online porn isn't actually all that accessible on netbooks.
Re:It's fairly obvious why they are so successful. (Score:2, Informative)
Netbooks w/XP Have Microsoft Imposed Limits (Score:5, Informative)
When Microsoft was pushing Vista one of the things that they claimed was that the number of available XP product keys had become exhausted. Due to this they decided to remove the SKU from OEM vendors and other retailers, and set support services end dates. Their claim was that since they couldn't issue any more XP product keys you needed to upgrade to Vista instead.
Linux had begun a fast rise in the netbook market and this alarmed Microsoft to the degree that they decided to issue more product keys. This should have negated their argument about the necessity of upgrading to Vista.
There were questions that Microsoft had manufacturers modify the bios of their new models to exclude necessary information that allowed the installation of drivers for hardware (on computer models, not necessarily including the netbooks). This came out in a number of articles and in one case someone showed that the bios of certain machines had some important tables removed pertaining to Linux, making it difficult to install, etc.
The netbook back at the start of this had a large growing population of women in the 45+ range that had never used Linux before but had become users by virtue of it. Many found it to be just fine for what they were doing with it (browsing the web, writing email, watching videos, playing music, using it for programs like skype to communicate, etc). Since these books had Linux pre-installed by the manufacturer there was no need for them to configure drivers, hardware, to install more software, etc.
Microsoft's reaction was to reissue XP product keys and then to set some limits on what the netbook hardware could do. For instance, they limited the amount of ram to 1 gig. They limited the onboard graphics to a certain subset, they limited the hard disk capacity to 160 gig, they limited the display size which also limits the keyboard size. The prohibited the netbook from having a CD/DVD drive. They limited the processor type and speed, they limit the number of USB ports to 3, etc.
Under Linux these limitations don't exist and that is probably a good part of the reason that Dell has chosen to produce some Linux netbooks with some oomph. These limits are only on XP based netbooks whereas the Linux netbooks can be much more powerful if the manufacturer wishes it. It doesn't mean that they will push the power of them, it just means that it is not necessary that they take these considerations in to account.
The OEMs account for the vast majority of netbooks sold. It doesn't mean that you can't purchase one from these OEMs and then upgrade it yourself. If a netbook has a USB port then you can an external drive or DVD/CD burner. You can also add more RAM and a larger HDD if you are willing to tear one of those things apart, and it can be difficult for some models.
Re:Tons sold, how many ppl like them? (Score:3, Informative)
Your post is full of nothing (the atrocious spelling aside...).
Without knowing what it is that this women tries to do with her netbook, it's pretty hard to judge whether it's the netbook's fault or the husband's for being a cheap bastard.
Sure, if she's surfing the net over wifi in her garden with several sturdy walls between her and the AP, then the netbook obviously will be slow. If she tries to play games, it's going to be way too slow.
So without giving any stats concerning the hardware and the use to which it is put, your post is just a pile of stinky whining. Oh and seriously, learn the difference between there, their and they're...
Re:It's fairly obvious why they are so successful. (Score:3, Informative)
Re:It's fairly obvious why they are so successful. (Score:3, Informative)
i think netbooks fill a niche, for those that want to read a website's text and don't want all the high end audio/video media, like slashdot or other websites with news and information, plus netbooks are good for email & basic office tools (school & work environment). it dont take 3D accelerated graphics to read text but most all high resolution video (and games) require a good quality video card and driver along with some decent screen realestate...
Re:NetPhones? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Look! It's a book, a phone, a camera, a recorde (Score:1, Informative)
I agree, Ubuntu Netbook Remix [ubuntu.com] running on my Acer Aspire One is just great. I was impressed that everything worked right out of the box, with no configuration needed. Wireless, sound, screen resolution -- even the webcam worked immediately after the install. UNR is an entire order of magnitude better than the Linpus distribution that came installed. I'm a slackware user on both the desktop at home and the servers at work, but for a netbook I just don't want to mess around with configuration. UNR is a perfect fit: it works out of the box, but at the same time allows me to do all the normal linux things a geek wants to do.
My only complaint is that the battery runs out quicker than the original Linpus install. However 9.10 is supposed to make some progress in this area.
Re:Recommendation for a Video Playing WinXP Netboo (Score:1, Informative)
Dell Mini9 aka Vostro A90:
$299 with XP [dell.com]
DVD quality video is great, HD is watchable with minor glitches. You can usually get it for a little less on the Dell Outlet site.
Re:Kind of obvious (Score:2, Informative)
Re:BASIC usage (Score:3, Informative)
I know for Visual Basic 2010 you just might need those CPUS - have you tried that beta? It's so slow that it's unuseable. I know it is indeed beta, but I wouldn't have let that thing slip out into the public eye at all.
But in general, no, I don't code much in BASIC anymore :). Mostly C and PHP these days - though I'll admit that the dark side has been calling and I've been playing a lot with Visual C# lately . . .
They've broken $200 Canadian if you (Score:1, Informative)
NCIX has the Asus EEE 701 on for a hair under $180CDN. It was so cheap, I had to get one just for traveling.
http://www.ncix.com/products/index.php?sku=33430&promoid=1026
Re:9" linux netbook was perfect (Score:2, Informative)
I bought a base model refubsihed Mini9 for $150 with Ubuntu, so I can understand why they would be wanting to up the prices. I bought third party 2GB ram and 16GB SSD, for a total price of under $230.
Re:Ummm... what? (Score:3, Informative)
The fact that other people don't bother to have their spelling checked is not a manifestation of the fact that they don't have it but they don't want it running and being a nuisance. There are "system spell checkers" for Unix and Linux that are OLDER than the "great innovation" you mentioned from Apple.
I've noticed an interesting trend. Most people who get defensive about $Favorite_OS don't seem to have much of a clue about other OS's. I use Ubuntu Linux daily. Previously I've used Kubuntu daily and a variety of other versions occasionally as servers or terminals over the last few decades. So I tell you, there is not a universal spellchecker built into any version of Linux that I've found, offered as a service to applications. There are CLI spellcheckers you can pipe text through. There are spellcheckers implemented by individual applications. There are even KDE libraries that make it easy for a developer to add spellchecking to an application they are creating without too much work. None of those are the same thing or as functional, however.
What I'm talking about is the fact that OS X offers system services like spelling and grammar checking and if you make an application using the default tools and/or APIs for handling text, your application has the ability to use them and other services with no work on the part of the developer. Moreover, the developer does not have to know such a service even exists beforehand. That doesn't mean you force users to use the services or even leave them on, it just means they're available.
Here's an exercise in what I'm talking about. Write a paper in Linux using OpenOffice. Chances are you're going to use a few words that aren't in the dictionary, whether they are the name of your company or a networking protocol, or some other technical subject. While you go, train the spellchecker and let it know those words aren't misspelled so you don't have them flagged throughout the paper. Now, go into your favorite dedicated HTML editor and write a page or two on the same subject wit spell checking on. Notice that the words you trained in OpenOffice are still showing up as misspellings. Tell your Web editor about them and move on to your Web browser and post a Slashdot comment about the subject. Notice they are showing up as misspelled. Gee, if you actually use a spellchecker you seem to be doing the same task over and over. If only there were a programatic way to do repetitive tasks over and over.
Spellchecking, grammar checking, language translation, and numerous other text manipulations should be implemented at the OS level as plug-ins, not over and over by each and every application with no ability to share that information between them. This is one of the reasons when I have a choice of the same program on my Linux and OS X desktops, all else being equal, I choose OS X which gives me more functionality.
And here we are a decade later and I'm having the same conversations. First Linux on the desktop developers don't understand the feature request, then they decide it isn't really useful, then they admit it is useful but claim the Linux way is better, then they admit the Linux was is inferior, but that it would be too much work to fix.
Re:Netbooks w/XP Have Microsoft Imposed Limits (Score:3, Informative)
Optical drives add weight and if placed inappropriately can lead to accidental openings which are both annoying and waste battery power. They are rarely used on full-powered laptops let alone netbooks which generally only run basic software.
If I need to install from a DVD, I do so from an external USB drive or optionally an ISO image on an external USB hard drive. However, most of the time, i'm installing software downloaded from the internet or stored on a local or networked disk.
Optical drives have uses but they also have considerable disadvantages. It's not clear to me that the weight, size, and unintended operation issues surrounding optical drives justify their use on small laptops, and certainly not on netbooks, when they are so infrequently used. When you're comparing 2 and 2.5 lb. machines the additional weight of an optical drive can be significant.
As an aside, when my sister's DVD burner in her Macbook Pro died, I bought her a 20x USB DVD drive for $40 rather than pay the $300 Apple wanted to fix the system out-of-warranty. I have not once heard her complain about the lack of an optical drive on her 15" Macbook Pro. In fact, she mentioned that she can burn DVDs much faster, and without the noise or vibration.
Re:9" linux netbook was perfect (Score:4, Informative)
Dell still sells them. They've been moved over to the small business website, and rebranded the Dell Vostro A90
http://www.dell.com/content/products/productdetails.aspx/laptop-vostro-a90 [dell.com]
$239 for an Ubuntu model.
Re:9" linux netbook was perfect (Score:4, Informative)
The only complaint that I've had is certain programs (including OS configuration menus) use more screen height real-estate than is available and so it's impossible to click an "Ok" button positioned at the bottom of the screen. Though... this has never happened for anything important so I remain satisfied with the product line.
In Gnome select System/Preferences/Appearance/Visual Effects/None. Do an Alt-right-mouse-click anywhere in a dialog window. This should bring up the title bar menu as a popup menu. Select "Move". This allows you to move the window top off the top of the screen so you can see the bottom of it including the buttons. Sometimes refuses to move up but just try again. Makes small screens much more usable.
---
Open source software is everything that closed source software is. Plus the source is available.
Re:It's fairly obvious why they are so successful. (Score:4, Informative)
Am I wrong thinking this slider uses the processor more now than before?
Re:9" linux netbook was perfect (Score:3, Informative)
In Gnome select System/Preferences/Appearance/Visual Effects/None. Do an Alt-right-mouse-click anywhere in a dialog window. This should bring up the title bar menu as a popup menu. Select "Move". This allows you to move the window top off the top of the screen so you can see the bottom of it including the buttons.
In KDE, alt-click the window and drag it.