Acer: Android netbook to come with... Windows
Dual-boot downer for FOSS fans
Acer, it seems, has accepted Register Hardware's argument that World+Dog doesn't want - or, at least, doesn't know it wants - netbooks based on Google's Android OS.
Company chairman J T Wang has said Acer's promised Android mini laptop will actually come with Windows too.
Yes, the machine, currently scheduled to ship in Q3, will be a dual-boot box. According to reports, Wang said such a set-up was necessary because it's not yet clear that consumers want Android.
That means Acer's netbook customers will be paying the Windows tax no matter what, ensuring the Android-equipped laptops won't be any less expensive than Windows-only netbooks.
That said, Acer may choose to use Android in an intelligent way. Rather than simply offering it as an alternative to Windows, it could use the Google OS as the foundation of a fast-boot mini OS along the likes of Asus' ExpressGate, a Linux-derived system that provides core netbook functionality within 15 seconds of pressing the On key.
That would allow users to try out the operating system without being forced to make a choice - do I run Windows or do I run Android - most folk aren't sufficiently knowledgeable to make. Instead, they get both operating systems rather the choice of selecting one or the other.
If they find Android delivers all they need a netbook to provide, they may never continue on to the Windows desktop. Now that would be a victory for open source software. ®
COMMENTS
Dual boot by default and education is the key
Years ago, MS worked very hard to prevent BeOS from being installed as dual boot alongside windows... Why? because if people were to try BeOS they are likely to find it's much better than windows and stick to it...
People may not *want* Linux, but a lot of that is down to not knowing what it is, not knowing what it's strengths are and not having used it before... Linux has a lot of advantages over windows for the average user, package management and not having to worry about viruses/spyware for instance.
If you provide a dual boot, and clear documentation/advertising which explain the advantages and differences then inevitably some people will try it out.
A lot of ordinary people will consider using linux if you take the time to explain it's advantages to them, and many of those people will stick with it once they've got used to it. I know quite a few non technical people who have given linux a try, and after a few months now hate being forced to use windows at work and would never consider using it at home.
I don't think the customers voted
I think that changes in pricing were made, with or without accompanying threats or promises, which persuaded shops to stock netbook versions preloaded with Windows.
In other news, the Russian Federation follows the USA and European Community in prosecuting Microsoft for monopolistic and anti-competitive behaviour.
The lag time on the first cases was years, what should we expect in another few years?
has anyone actually asked acer...
....wether they can handle licence rebates?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2002/05/08/selling_oem_windows_copies_you/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/04/12/secondhand_ms_licences/
Remy Redert: Android is not just a Linux distro
The thing is, Android is not just a Linux distro. It has its own modified kernel, its own totally non-standard C library, and its own graphics subsystem. While command-line Linux applications can be made to run on Android, graphical ones don't since it doesn't use X. (Plus, you're not meant to write native Linux applications for it at all - you're supposed to develop them for the special Dalvik virtual machine. Which is, of course, also only used by Android.)
Androids
Piss poor marketing is the main problem. Whenever I explain my original EEE 701 I tell them it's like a PC in the same way a Mac is like a PC. An Android based laptop would have to be marketed like a Mac, with an instant snob factor coming from owning one. No point in saying it's a PC that won't run applications marked as PC compatible.
Whether anyone is brave enough to do so is another matter.
