Microsoft, Asus launch anti-Linuxbook campaign
'It's Better with Windows'
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Microsoft and Asus have teamed up to present a new advertising smarm-storm intended to extol the virtues of Windows on netbooks - and smear Linux.
The joint effort's spawn is a website entitled "It's Better with Windows." It's a simple site with a simple message: Windows can prevent poor, unsuspecting non-techies from "dealing with an unfamiliar environment or major compatibility issues."
And, yes, that's their emphasis, not ours.
The Asus-hosted site features a teeth-grindingly vapid video showcasing happy multiculties as they enrich their lives by using Asus Eee PCs running Windows, complete with a soundtrack of some of the most jejune tunes you may ever have the misfortune to endure.
Watch it if you dare.
Netbooks were once a happy hunting ground for Linux, but Microsoft has steadily gained ground on the open sorcery of that freely available OS - so much so that an NPD report last month stated that the Windows installation rate on netbooks has grown from 10 per cent in the first half of 2008 to 96 per cent in February 2009.
And now it appears that 96 per cent isn't enough for Microsoft. They want it all.
Why? Well, as the site proudly proclaims, Windows is trusted, familiar, and compatible. And, by implication, Linux isn't.
Those nice folks in Redmond and their co-conspirators at Asus are just trying to help. ®
COMMENTS
@ Jason Yau
"Isn't this just a smear campaign by Microsoft?"
Not at all. After all, it's not MS fault if open source devs kill their wives, and try to disrupt the economy by forcing an OS that can't connect to the internet on unsuspecting (but otherwise brilliant) customers. By the way, did you notice that the credit crunch shortly followed the rise of FireFox? Coincidence? I don't think so.
@ Sir Wiggum
"In XP, you download a program, you double click it, it launches and installs
In Linux you have to find it, change permissions, then execute it, that's if you're lucky and it's built for your kernel. Otherwise, you have to configure and build it, then you find you are missing dependencies. So you have to try and find the dependencies, and try and install those and so on."
You got it all wrong mate. In windows, you have to find the program on the web, pay for it (or find it for free but run a couple anti-malware tests on it), download it, find the downloaded file, click on it, wait til it installs, reboot your computer and if you're lucky it will be compatible with your version of windows and your anti-malware settings. If not you're welcome to enter the Service Pack Spiral of Death (say Hi! to your good buddy WGA), and/or disable your anti-spyware (yeah, great!). Of course, all this means a few reboots along the way. Then, if you're lucky, it might work.
In Linux, you have to open your package manager and click install. That's it.
Terrible news for all lovers of freedom
Asus are behaving very BADLY by ditching the OS that gave them their ability to launch the Eee PC and its initial success. I think the way the Xandros OS is setup needs to be improved, but bullying tactics by Microsoft, convincing Asus that their Linux installs are not working for people, is not the way to go. Microsoft should keep out of the netbook world, just because Vista was crap and no one wanted it, the netbook makers are now putting XP on them, whereas Linux is up to date, great, and if properly designed for the specific netbook, a very good OS.
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