There’s been much debate recently on whether Linux will be able to strive in the netbook war once Windows 7 is released. Although it is too early to claim a preemptive death for Linux on netbooks, there are a couple of reasons that make it clear Windows 7 will become clearly dominant in the netbook war.

Netbooks are secondary computers

Even more so than laptops, netbooks are primarily for portable use and are not desktop replacements. Almost everybody that is purchasing a netbook most likely has another computer at home. If Microsoft is able to make a good impression of Windows 7 on the netbook, this could influence them to go out and purchase Windows 7 for their desktops at home, resulting in higher sales. Microsoft knows this and I won’t be surprised if they they are willing to minimize profits for this kind of exposure.

Microsoft has the ability to win the war

Let’s face it, Microsoft has a lot more ability to win the war if they really wanted to. Unlike Linux, Windows 7 is a combined effort and funded with millions of dollars to make it a success. Linux is a collaborative effort by programmers whose goal is to improve the operating system so it can fit certain needs that cannot be fulfilled by operating systems such as Windows. Developers might work to improve Ubuntu for the netbook, but ultimately, their goal is not to dominate the netbook market and reap in millions of dollars for profit, which they can’t anyway.

Microsoft is already preparing its attack on netbooks

It’s no secret that Vole wants to capture the netbook market that Vista missed out on. They’ve already confirmed that it will ship a version of Windows 7 designed for netbooks. Microsoft did not announce a Netbook edition as part of their SKU lineup but claims in an interview that they did design Windows 7 with the netbook in mind. To compete against Linux’s instant-on features, it’s been suspected that Microsoft is developing their own version of instant-on. Seeing that Windows 7 already runs great on netbooks in terms of performance, a few others including myself think that the netbook version will be different feature-wise (removal or addition of features such as instant-on) rather than performance-wise.

Windows 7 has more functionality

Windows 7 will always have better functionality software and hardware wise than any other OS. The tech-savvy group will keep telling you that there are free alternatives to Office and many other non-free apps but none of these alternatives will live up to the true product.

Not everybody likes change

Change is a hard thing to accept for many and the response to the User Interface changes made in Windows 7 is a perfect example. There have been countless talk about how to get the taskbar to look like the one from Vista and XP even though the current “Superbar” offers productivity benefits for many. After writing my 4th point, I knew I was going to get some beef so here’s where I’ll explain myself. Linux is a drastic change from Windows and everyone knows that. Not everybody wants to spend the time learning how to install a program, find drivers, and learn about the alternatives they can use. They just want a netbook that works for them out-of-the-box and Linux can’t do that for most people.

Although I believe Windows 7 will dominate on netbooks, that is not to say that Linux will no longer be sold with netbooks. There are still some people who only plan to use their netbooks for internet, instant-messaging, and simple text-messaging. That portion of the market certainly doesn’t have to spend the extra dollars for Windows 7. But for the majority of consumers, Windows 7 is an upgrade from XP or what Vista should have been. Microsoft missed the netbook market entirely with Vista, but they are going to put up a fight Windows 7 this time around.

What are your thoughts on Windows 7 vs. Linux on netbooks? Let us know in the comments.

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