CeBIT 2009：Linux期待贏回上網本市場
就在一年前的這個時候，正是上網本概念推出，市場開始出貨的時候，那個時候的上網本操作系統市場是由Linux把持的。但是現在的上網本操作系統市場可不是這個樣子。來自臺灣的上網本操作系統供應商Linpus公司的Warren coles解釋了一部分原因。
首先，Linux作為上網本操作系統出現的原因，也是Linux的優點之一，那就是Linux對硬件資源的需求很小。但是這可能現在越來越成為它的一個缺點。來自linpus的銷售人員的經驗來看，用戶對SSD硬盤帶來的好處沒有看到，倒是對內容的減少非常敏感，在他們認為，內存少的機器本來就是一個便宜貨，而不是上網本所宣傳的那樣，成為你的便利的，可以在某些場合用來替代筆記本的產品。
正好這個時候，微軟出現了，他把上網本硬盤換成普通的筆記本硬盤，加大了板載內存的容量，再搭載他們自己的windows操作系統，這樣，很快人們被吸引了。迅速的占領了Linux辛辛苦苦開拓出來的上網本市場。雖然很多開源社區的用戶不齒這種做法，但是無法回避的事實是，去年這種畸形搭配的上網本賣出了200萬套。
但是linpus同樣也看到了上網本市場的未來，基于Linux的上網本會奪回失去的市場的。因為基于Linux的上網本技術越來越多，越來越成熟。比如Intel的moblin、Google的android，另外還有為此優化過的硬件產品，比如高通公司的Snapdragon和德州儀器的OMAP芯片。
CeBIT 2009: Linux Wants to Win Back Netbooks
About a year ago almost every netbook ran on Linux. Now the free platform has disappeared from almost all of them. In an Open Source Forum at CeBIT, Warren Coles of Taiwanese netbook vendor Linpus explained the reasons why.
One reason for Linux's demise from netbooks is the choice of hardware. The resource-saving Linux would here be a victim of its own frugality: it fits on devices with a small solid state disk (SSD) and little RAM. According to Warren Coles, sales and marketing manager at Linpus, consumers haven't quite grasped the concept of SSD and see only the reduction in memory space. Taken together with the price, the netbook has been considered not only a cheaper but inferior alternative.
When Microsoft resurrected XP on its devices and combined it with more RAM and bigger hard disk on netbooks, it immediately became a success when users again sensed a more dependable environment.
Nevertheless, the Open Source community had some joy in the fact that around two million netbooks were sold in 2008.
Coles is confident at least for the near term: the Web 2.0 and RFID chip trends are promoting use of netbooks. The industry is also developing numerous mobile technologies under Linux, such as Intel's Moblin, Google's Android, Qualcomm's Snapdragon and Texas Instruments' OMAP. Thanks to Moblin a Linux netbook can boot within seconds. 2009 should also add more devices with affordable ARM processors instead of Intel ATOM CPUs. Linux has long been active on these platforms.
Linpus itself is preparing its Linux distribution for the future, according to Coles. This means more WLAN and 3G support, in over 20 languages and 30 keyboard configurations. The GUIs are to be simpler yet more individualized. Part of this is easier switchovers among environments like KDE and GNOME. Suspend mode should provide further savings. These features should become attractive to hardware makers as well as end users. Linpus is working with numerous large vendors in Taiwan and has already taken its Linux to the likes of Acer Aspire one and the Lenovo IdeaPad S9. Linpus is featured at CeBIT Open Source in Hall 6, Booth E46-3.
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