Netbook n00bs!

I don’t know why people do not seem to understand what a Netbook is for. I have been reading the report about Microsoft gaining 70% share of the market on Netbook and I just don’t understand it. I think that it is because people are so used to Windows XP, and they really do not want to learn a new interface.

Lets start with the interface. You have to learn a new interface all of the time. Each time you buy a new phone, TV, DVD, Cable box, or anything else that is electronic, even your car, you have to learn a new interface. The menus are all different, buttons and knobs are located in other places. It is a learning process.

So why does Linux now only have 30% of the market? Some say it is because they were the first to enter into the market. The 30% that is out there is only there for that reason. This is more than likely the case.

Microsoft had to rush to get Windows XP cleaned up enough to even run on a Netbook. Then because Windows XP with its updates wouldn’t fit on an 8 GB SSD drive, they had to start putting spinning drives into them. So you didn’t have an 8 or 16 GB drive, you had a 80, 120, or even 160 GB HDD.

So let me explain some things to you, and some terms that you should know.

SSD: Solid State Disk – this means that there are no moving parts to the storage drive. You can move the Netbook around safely. You do not have to worry about the disk if you set it down a little to hard.

HDD: Hard Disk Drive – this is a series of spinning disk. It is much like a CD or DVD. If you bump it to hard you will scratch the disk inside of it. Thus killing your data. Not smart to have in something that will fit inside your pocket. Right Apple?

So now that we have an idea of the 2 major differences Netbooks, lets talk about what a Netbook was intended for.

People today use their phones, or PDAs, for getting data when away from the office. They also carry around Laptops/Notebooks to get to larger files. This has been the way for a good long time now. Then someone said, “Hey, why don’t we make a smaller Laptop for Internet usage.” The Netbook was born.

That key word there, did you catch it? Netbook, with the word “net” in it, for Internet or The ‘Net. So as you can see and tell by the name, the Netbook was not intended to be just another Laptop or Notebook. It was meant to be used for the Internet.

Your files, while there was storage on the SSD for a good number of them, where intended to be hosted by Google, Zoho, and other companies like them. These companies have made computing on the Internet easy.

Google Docs has just about everything you need. From documents, spreedsheets, presentation, email, and a ton more. They are all on the Internet. They are all controlled by a single sign-on. You are even allowed to group with others and collaborate on documents and topics. And it is “World Wide”. You can’t get any bigger than that.

Zoho has a great offering of cloud computing. People have said that the Zoho office suite of applications rivals even Google’s. I used it for a while, about a year ago, and was impressed. I’m sure that they have done nothing but improve on the product. So you should really have a look at them as well.

This is not an article about what cloud computing service to use. It is an article about what a Netbook is for. You really don’t need that much storage for a Netbook when you are cloud computing. You really don’t.

Remember that Windows XP takes up at least 4 GB after installing. Then if you put MS Office on it, you are looking at another 2 GB after that. The first Netbooks had 4 and 8 GB of space on them. Not hardly enough to hold a standard Microsoft setup.

Linux would install on about 2 GB of the drive and leave you with the rest of the space for files, if you wanted to keep them there. You could store your MP3 and Movies. It is a good computer to be on the go with as long as you have an Internet connection.

I’m not here to bitch about the market share either. I really just want people to understand what the Netbook was intended for. It wasn’t for a Laptop/Notebook replacement. It was meant for “Portable Web Computing.” They have webcams built in, and the Asus Eee came pre-installed with Skype (Skype is an Internet based phone company). This means that you could used the Netbook for just about anything that you wanted and still keep it lightweight and small.

Now it is not that way. There are tons of Netbooks out there that the price keeps raising on. The cost of Windows is driving back up the price of the Netbooks. All I really wanted was a computer that I could use on the Internet with Internet applications like Google Docs and Zoho. Instead it is being turned in to a “sub-notebook” of sorts. The people that jumped on the Asus Eee when it came out knew what they were getting, most of them. The saw what they could do with very little resources. A lot of them bought it because it was installed with Linux. They couldn’t keep them in stock. Do you get what I’m saying.

Turning the Netbook market into another Notebook market is a bad idea. Lets compare the cost. People like numbers. I’m going to compare the cost to cloud compute with the Asus Eee 901. This is a LInux vs Windows so bare with me.

Linux – $274
Specifications

• Internal memory: 20 GB solid state disk
• RAM: 1 GB DDR2
• Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Atom
• Memory expansion: Slot for MMC/SD(SDHC) cards
• Operating system: Linux
• LCD: 8.9 inches, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Networking: Tri-mode Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), 10/100 Fast Ethernet
• Peripheral connectivity: Three USB 2.0
• External video: One VGA
• External audio: One headphone and one microphone port
• Webcamera: Yes, 1.3 megapixels
• Battery: 6 cells, up to 6 hours
• Weight: 2.42 pounds (38 ounces)
• Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 1.5 inches

Windows XP – black/white = $279/$274
Specifications

• Internal memory: 12 GB solid state disk
• RAM: 1 GB DDR2
• Processor: 1.6 GHz Intel Atom
• Memory expansion: Slot for MMC/SD(SDHC) cards
• Operating system: Windows XP Home
• LCD: 8.9 inches, 1024 x 600 pixels
• Networking: Tri-mode Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n), 10/100 Fast Ethernet
• Peripheral connectivity: Three USB 2.0
• External video: One VGA
• External audio: One headphone and one microphone port
• Webcamera: Yes, 1.3 megapixels
• Battery: 6 cells, up to 6 hours
• Weight: 2.42 pounds (38 ounces)
• Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 1.5 inches

I wrote the prices down just in case of the future happing.

As you can see. They are about the same price for different goods. SSD is costly right now. Though Netbooks have helped to drive that cost way down, storage on SSD still is not cheap compared to HDD. The prices are the same, but you get 8 GB more on the Linux Eee than you do on the Windows XP Eee.

Windows XP cost more to cloud compute. Listen to that. I’m not trying to bash Microsoft. If you are going to “Cloud Compute” then Linux is the cheaper. You get even more disk space for when you are on the flight home and more room for MP3s ore images, or what ever you would like.

Windows, Linux, and OSX are made for everyone. In the case of Netbooks, Apple has not released something to compare to, unless you count the 13″, and I don’t. So the only major players right now are Microsoft and the Linux community. If you need or have to have MS Office for some reason, then you know what? You are forced into the more costly one, or the one with less drive space on it, not a problem if you are going to keep your files in the cloud.

I can’t tell you to not buy a Netbook and used it like you do a normal Notebook/Laptop. I just can’t. First it would be wrong. You bought the hardware and no one should be able to tell you what to do with something that you bought. I do want to make sure that you know what you are buying. These Netbooks are getting faster. I don’t think that I will consider anything over a 10″ screen to be a Netbook, not matter what they try and sell me on.

I do feel that if you are just going to use the Internet and want to cloud compute, then you will want to take the time to learn a new interface. You learn them all the time. There are some differences, but when it comes to the Internet, there are not many, and those gaps are being bridged every day.

**Update May 1, 8:52am**

I wanted to give you an update to something that I was reading this morning. Over at iTWire, they have an article about Windows 7 and Netbooks. On the second page of Windows 7 leaves netbook market open for Linux, you will notice this:

there is no explanation as to how a merely hobbled version of Windows 7, which has a 10 GB footprint, can be made to run on an entry level netbook with say 512MB of RAM and 8GB SSD

As you can see, Windows 7 will have a foot print of 10 GB. That is huge for a device that is supposed to be extremely mobile. As noted above, you will need a fat wallet if you want SSD, or you will need a spinning disk (HDD). either way you shake it, it doesn’t look like Windows 7 will be fit for the Netbooks of today.

*Side note: Who wants an OS that will only allow them to run 3 Programs? If it counts your virus scanner and firewall, then you are already down to only running 2 applications. Think about it!