就在一年前的这个时候，正是上网本概念推出，市场开始出货的时候，那个时候的上网本操作系统市场是由Linux把持的。但是现在的上网本操作系统市场可不是这个样子。来自台湾的上网本操作系统供应商Linpus公司的Warren coles解释了一部分原因。
首先，Linux作为上网本操作系统出现的原因，也是Linux的优点之一，那就是Linux对硬件资源的需求很小。但是这可能现在越来越成为它的一个缺点。来自linpus的销售人员的经验来看，用户对SSD硬盘带来的好处没有看到，倒是对内容的减少非常敏感，在他们认为，内存少的机器本来就是一个便宜货，而不是上网本所宣传的那样，成为你的便利的，可以在某些场合用来替代笔记本的产品。
正好这个时候，微软出现了，他把上网本硬盘换成普通的笔记本硬盘，加大了板载内存的容量，再搭载他们自己的windows操作系统，这样，很快人们被吸引了。迅速的占领了Linux辛辛苦苦开拓出来的上网本市场。虽然很多开源社区的用户不齿这种做法，但是无法回避的事实是，去年这种畸形搭配的上网本卖出了200万套。
但是linpus同样也看到了上网本市场的未来，基于Linux的上网本会夺回失去的市场的。因为基于Linux的上网本技术越来越多，越来越成熟。比如Intel的moblin、Google的android，另外还有为此优化过的硬件产品，比如高通公司的Snapdragon和德州仪器的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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