Community Matters

Yesterday at IDF Dell announced the first Netbook with Moblin preloaded. And I hear rumors of another one being announced shorty from a different OEM, that one based on Novell’s Moblin build.

Two years ago Asus created the Netbook segment with Linux – the Xandros based EeePC 701. A somewhat limited device with a 7 inch screen, a puny little keyboard and a not very well adapted Linux build. It turned out that the customers didn’t like the Linux experience that was offered (at least that’s part of the story). And so right now the vast majority of Netbooks ships with 8 year old Windows XP Home. But this might change now. Assuming, that is, that there’s sufficient demand for a Linux preload that is actually designed for Netbooks and works well out of the box. And has a refreshingly different, well tuned user experience that actually makes sense for computers in the Netbook form factor.

So in a way we are at an inflection point. The Linux community keeps asking OEMs to be more open to preloading Linux. Yet the OEMs tend to be unhappy with the sell through of their Linux preloaded machines. The solution is simple. If you like the idea of Moblin on Netbooks, if you want a really affordable Netbook without a Redmond tax – go to Dell’s site and get a Dell Mini 10v with Moblin for $299 (and sorry, I haven’t figured out yet how this works from outside the US – comments with data points are very welcome).

And yes, I already ordered mine. Even though Dell only offers the Broadcom wireless cards with it – a true disappointment given Broadcom’s lack of Linux support. I wish they offered Intel wireless – I’d happily pay a few $$ extra for that…

The moment I see other Moblin based Netbooks, I’ll post here with links how to get them. I hope we can change the available options for Netbook buyers for good.