Has ASUS all but given up on Linux?

Tech Data

Lenovo has done the same thing - abandoned Linux on their laptops. Wonder if that's the smart choice though.

The VAR Guy reports that Tech Data (fortune500 rank no 102) and a big Microsoftpartner will enter the OpenSource market.

That will increase the penetration in to the ERP/CRM market at Microsoft's expence.

When everything runs Linux on the servers the reason to keep Microsoft on the Laptop/Desktop decreases.

Linux and OpenSource has reached volumes sufficient for heavy growth and there is no way the manufacturers will be able to neglect Linux.

5 years from now you will be able to buy Microsoft Office for Linux.

What a shame

That's really too bad considering the netbook battle has only begun. I think the first round showed more promise for linux then people realize, considering the versions of linux that netbooks were sold with were mediocre at best and Microsoft pretty much gave away XP as a knee jerk reaction to get rid of the threat before it started. We'll see if Windows 7 can compete with Moblin and Ubuntu netbook remix while still making a profit for MS.

Give to the kids?

Where did he get that idea? Sounds like Microsoft has been giving these people ideas for excuses, besides the bribery money...

OK, anecdote time, but I know several people who got these "netbooks" (the old ones and the new ones) and none of them did it to "give to kids". Many of them (me included) don't even have kids!

Unfortunately, I was forced to buy my ASUS with XP on it, only to wipe the HD and install Ubuntu NBR on it. I guess I won't be buying ASUS anymore when it's time to replace my current mini-laptop. I know, they don't care.

Well, what does one expect. Honor and gratitude are not concepts business people know about.

Sad

I installed XP on two netbooks bought for workers at the office and to be honest, by the time I'd added the obligatory internet security package and a few apps that load at boot time, they sucked to the point of being unusable.

The third netbook which I kept form use has eeeBuntu installed and it flies.

(No subject)

“If you want the full functionality of a notebook you are going to go with Windows.”

And only be able to run 3 W7 apps at a time! HAHA!

Don't Buy from ASUS

There are plenty of other companies selling Linux computers.

http://lxer.com/module/forums/t/23168/

http://lxer.com/module/db/index.php?dbn=14

too bad ASUS

Dell supports linux, I'll support Dell. HP supports linux, I'll support HP.

AcerOne

I had one of the orignial eeePCs. I added the kdesktop, but still found it a little small. So I got my own AcerOne. It came with XP, but I loaded Mint6 which runs really well. I had to fiddle with the wireless, but it works well now. The eee now sits in my toolbox to be used to diagnose network issues when a full size laptop is inconvenient.

I understand the reasoning behind the decisions to use Windows on most OEM installs. Its good enough, and the users are used to it.

Some of us want a little more though. That's were Linux comes in. For those who want a little more.

"Linux and OpenSource has reached volumes sufficient for heavy growth and there is no way the manufacturers will be able to neglect Linux.

5 years from now you will be able to buy Microsoft Office for Linux."

Actually, no. Don't get me wrong, I use Linux as my personal OS. But you're dreaming. The Linux community should have kept pushing to get widespread Server adoption, certifications and education for I.T. staff.

Microsoft was running scared. The best alternative to Windows Server Product couldn't be bought out, legislated out or bullied. It already had a large installed base. The Internet ran on it. Serious coin saved from licensing. It would have been a partial answer to the issue of getting people exposed to Linux when they couldn't get machines with it pre-installed.

What happens when you have great herds of mono-skilled MCSE drones, a huge number of "partners" recommending Microsoft products and making a nice living from it when projects are being specked?

Everyone got all crazy with Ubuntu fever and if you read general computer mags it was like LAMP didn't even exist. The ironic part is while Vista was everyone's punching bag, Microsoft was quietly filling in holes in their server line with Sharepoint, live and rolling out Dynamics etc...Server Product revenue grew almost 30%.

Since the most popular FOSS apps run on Windows and 7 looks like it will be a hit, I wouldn't expect Office on Linux.

Bribery money is very effective at ASUS

Remember that the Eee PC, with Linux on it, took Microsoft totally by surprise. They've been known to bribe companies with very large sums (and the bosses individually) to not support Linux. You really think that didn't happen here? (wink wink nudge nudge)

I used to buy ASUS motherboards. I won't buy another. Tyan makes a really good motherboard, too, and they still like Linux, so hello, Tyan!

Never will see MS Office on Linux

You're right, we'll never see MS Office for Linux. That's because Microsoft know that the MS Office file format issue keeps non-techies scared silly. Yeah, I know, OpenOffice reads/writes them great, and it's both Free and free. I've been using OpenOffice since before version 1.0.0. It was very good even back then, and OpenOffice 3 totally rocks the house. But try convincing your typical pointy haired boss (PHB) of that.

"It's not *real* MS Office, what about document collaboration? It can't be fully compatible! I'm sticking with Microsoft, my boss won't fire me for that!"

That's the kind of mentality we're dealing with. And that's what keeps people (especially companies) on MS Windows.

But personally, I wouldn't want my lovely Linux or BSD sullied with Microsoft's junkware anyway. :-)

You just can't buy Linux Netbooks

I live in Brisbane , Australia and as far as I can tell, there is no shop anywhere, where you can buy a Linux Netbook with 2 exceptions.

1) Old stock of the original 701.
2) Acer Aspire 1

And the only Aspire 1 with Linux, is the lowest spec (about 8Gb SSD I think)

How will Linux Netbooks ever get any market share if you simply can't buy them ?

(note for pedantic assholes: I prefer to buy equipment like this in a shop that I can walk back into if there are problems, that way I can't be fobbed off with BS on the phone)

Also the quote “If you want the full functionality of a notebook you are going to go with Windows."

I suggest that if you want the functionality of a note book, then you buy a notebook.

It also s#!ts me that these OEMs (back when they did do Linux) felt the need to fiddle the machine specs to make Linux and Windows the same price. This removed yet another reason that people may have chosen Linux.

Now why would an OEM do something like that ? something that would actually cost them *more* money ? (maintain 2 specs instead of one to keep the price the same) unless someone (Microsoft) gave them a great deal of "motivation" to do so . . .

HP Mini 110

This is strange. One company exists Linux market, another one takes it place.

Still I don't think Asus will stop using Linux. They just started embedding it on BIOS (“Express Gate”).

Other places to buy Linux netbooks in Australia

>I live in Brisbane , Australia and as far as I can tell, there is no shop anywhere, where you can buy a Linux Netbook with 2 exceptions.

There are at least two other companies in Australia from which you can buy Linux netbooks.

The first of these is Kogan, they have two models:

http://www.kogan.com.au/shop/kogan-agora-netbook/
http://www.kogan.com.au/shop/kogan-agora-netbook-pro/

The other is Pioneer Australia, where you can order Ubuntu Linux as the OS on a range of netbooks:

http://www.pioneercomputers.com.au/products/products.asp?c1=3&c2=12

Enjoy.

the problem of support

Actually the Linux on netbooks is in an "in-pass" phase. People which are not tech-savvy look for Windows as it's what they know, even if Linux is what they need. On the other hand, people that want Linux on the thing pretty much know how to install it by themselves. A third group doesn't care about Linux or Windows, but want the support staff to be ready to help them when something breaks. With this group is the opportunity of growth, if the Linux providers can manage to build the tools to help hardware vendors support customers more effectively than Windows.

Karma, anyone?

HA...ha...!

http://www.networkworld.com/news/2008/100708-asus-reports-virus-loaded-into.html

Heya, I live in Bolivia and was the proud owner of a 701 4G ASUS eee of the sort that came with Linux. I liked not having to pay for an OS license I was not going to use...

I wanted to buy myself a new netbook that would use an atom processor and the newer netbook screens that I think are 1024x600, that would have helped my book reading.

Unfortunately, I was completely, 100% unable to find any netbook that didn't ship with windows (besides the old eee 701 ones, which I already own).

netbooks are also getting much heavier, I'd say it is because of the urge to add hard drives to them. That should also leech energy like crazy... I think they pushed hard drives so hard so that they could stick to the old, self-referential windows monopoly (we all use windows because everybody uses windows)...

I think I'll keep my eee and keep it in my meory as the little machine that could.

Too bad that I can't upgrade my netbook.

Forgot to mention, some manufacturers still ship netbooks and laptops with Linux, but unfortunately I can't find those machines in here.

My only options so far are getting a classmate PC (linux edition, the only atom netbook I could find in the whole city that came with Linux) which apparently does not even have a VGA port. Or to order a dell and pay 200 USD more just for transportation :(

PS: I like the fact that captchas are only required when posting a second comment too soon.

What a load of rubbish!

No, not Windows 7 or XP (although some may call them that :-) but the comments of Linux being abandoned.

I've just bought a nice new Asus 1001p complete with a XP Home edition. It does of course come with Linux as standard, in the form of ExpressGate, instantly ond instantly works.

This really is in the vein of the Asus 701 I also still have, but in some ways is better...more web based and purposeful. Asus also partitioned the Windows drive nicely - simply deleting the D: drive partition allows an OpenSuse installation for a full Linux drive.

If I need to make more space I can always remove Windows. For now I'll keep it and share the drive for data with the Linux system.

Of course ExpressGate continues to operate via the "other" power button...neat.

All IMHO of course

Jon Williams
www.efactor.com