Ten reasons Linux is the best choice for netbooks

• Tags:
• Operating Systems,
• Eeebuntu,
• Open Source,
• Netbooks

Jack Wallen

Published: 18 Sep 2009 13:48 BST

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Those who believe Windows is the best netbook operating system are plain wrong, because Linux is a much better fit, says Jack Wallen.

I have read countless Microsoft-funded studies that try to persuade me Windows is already dominant for netbooks. According to these studies, Linux might as well just take a curtain call because its netbook act is over.

But that picture is simply not true. If it were, Asus would not be selling netbooks with Linux preinstalled.

Linux is not going anywhere but up in the netbook market. Here are 10 reasons that justify my position.

1. Netbook hardware is the perfect match for Linux
One of the biggest arguments people use for preferring Windows to Linux is: "You can't play games with Linux." But you cannot play games on a netbook either — apart from web-based games.

There are many other types of software you cannot or will not use on a netbook. No Photoshop, no QuarkXPress, and none of those proprietary apps that people seem to need to do their day-to-day business. Netbooks serve a small purpose — to let you get online — and they do it well.

Linux is the perfect networking operating system. It plays well with other operating systems, it is secure and fast. But one thing any purchaser of a netbook should know is that space is prime.

Although a fresh installation of Eeebuntu might take up nearly 2.8GB, you can quickly reduce its size by removing applications you do need using the Synaptic package manager. Windows XP with SP2 takes up 2.5GB so the difference is minimal.

2. Netbooks require a secure operating system
If you are using Windows XP on an ultra-portable piece of hardware, you are a target for viruses. And you will not be installing Norton or McAfee on your netbook — especially if you are using a flash-based storage netbook.

With Linux, you will not need those tools in the first place. Your Linux-based netbook can travel anywhere you want and you will not have to worry about picking up viruses or spyware as you would with a Windows-based netbook.

3. The interface is key
If you have limited screen size, why not use a desktop interface designed for it?

Instead of using the standard desktop metaphor, the Eeebuntu Netbook Remix desktop introduces an interface that is perfectly suited for the desktop size offered by netbooks. This interface makes the netbook experience far more efficient than Windows.

It may not be what you are used to. But it is cleaner, faster, and more user-friendly, and will soon become familiar to you.

This interface is not different just for the sake of being different. It is obvious it was well thought-out and aimed at the new PC user as well as at the new netbook user.

4. Your netbook can be more than just a slow laptop
When I bought my last netbook, one of the first things I did was install Eeebuntu over the purchased Xandros Linux. Why did I do this? Because Xandros is a limited operating system, whereas Eeebuntu is a full-blown Linux distro that happens to install on an Eee PC.

When using Eeebuntu on a netbook, you really feel like you have the power of a full laptop at your fingertips. You can even install a full-blown Lamp — Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP — server on your netbook if you like.

5. Linux will keep costs down
One of the reasons why netbooks are so popular is that they are cheap. Where, other than eBay, can you find a PC for near or under $300 (£200)? And soon, the magical $200 (£120) price tag will be reached when Freescale releases its Linux-only ARM-based netbook.

Remember, Linux is open source, so any software you are installing will be free. Because of the cost of the Linux operating system, the cost of netbooks can continue to fall.

If Microsoft were to attempt to use Vista or Windows 7, the cost of your average netbook would not fall. What about any extra software...

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