The booming netbook market is showing the potential Linux has to greatly reduce the cost of buying a new notebook computer. With brand-names such as Dell, Acer and Asus offering Linux-based options, many users are getting an up-close and personal look at the open-source operating system.

However, the release of Dell’s Inspiron Mini 9 netbook shows up a possibly worrying trend for Linux and that’s Microsoft’s ability to drop its license prices to almost ridiculous levels.

It wasn’t that long ago that Windows XP Home Edition was standard fare when buying a desktop PC or notebook computer.

In Australia, you can still purchase the original equipment manufacture (OEM) version of Windows XP Home for just over $AUS100.

However, with Dell offering both Ubuntu Linux and Windows XP Home Edition on its Inspiron Mini 9, I was able to configure/build two systems identical in hardware with only the operating system as the difference.

The company offers the entry-level 4GB SSD/Ubuntu OS model for $US349 and the 8GB SSD/ Windows XP Home Edition OS version for $399. Add a 4GB upgrade to the 4GB version adds $US35 to the Ubuntu version cost, upping the final price to $US384.

So in effect, you’re paying $US15 for the Windows XP Home Edition license.

Microsoft said it was keeping Windows XP Home Edition on, not for the clamouring users who want to keep using the OS, but for the growing netbook market. Microsoft can see that Linux represents a threat to its operating system market and by offering Windows XP, it keeps the Microsoft brand in these notebooks without having to canabalise its Windows Vista margins to do it.

But what it also does is reduce the difference between Windows XP and Ubuntu for users. If a user only needs to spend $US15 to pick up an operating system they know well compared to something they haven’t tried before, $US15 isn’t going to be enough of a barrier.

And this isn’t even the thing I think is holding back Linux from greater success.

Here’s what it is – driver support.

Having developed a number of distros now for Australian PC User magazine under the UserOS banner, the most common request I’ve had from readers is to do with device drivers and wireless internet device drivers to be specific.

Unless hardware vendors improve support for Linux, it’s going to be difficult – nigh on impossible – for Linux to gain a larger slice of the consumer market.

Preloading Linux into netbooks makes perfect sense because you’re talking about a fixed set of devices and it’s easier for netbook manufacturers to get those limited numbers of required drivers right.

But as an open desktop system, there are just too many hardware devices out in the market that come without device drivers. And until that situation is improved, Linux is going to struggle to hit that critical mass.

Don’t get me wrong – Linux has made excellent strides over the last 12 months and features such as the device driver update install option in Ubuntu makes finding drivers for ATI and Nvidia graphics cards considerably easier.

But there is more work to be done – and the boom in netbooks will help that.

The more machines with Linux out in the market place, the greater the reason for hardware vendors to think about Linux as a viable and important OS they need to be part of.

Yes, there will always be conflict between the philosophical views of open-source Linux and closed-source commercialism but the sooner the two know how to work with each other, the better it will be for both parties.

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