Android to take Linux mainstream?
For an OS to wrestle market share from Microsoft's Windows, it will need two things: the OS-maker's support and low licensing fees, an analyst said.
This rings true even on the Netbook front, a relatively new PC segment, and even for Microsoft.
Recently, the Android OS backed by Google was unofficially ported to an Asus Eee PC Netbook, and according to online reports, the Taiwanese manufacturer has set up a team to develop a Netbook running on the Linux-based OS.
Calvin Huang, an analyst at Daiwa Securities, told ZDNet Asia in an interview, Android is poised to "kill Microsoft" on several fronts: a big vendor-backed OS will likely provide better hardware support, and open source Android's license is free.
"Without any strong backup, Linux is just a niche platform. Now with Google's support, Android has a better chance to win users from Microsoft," said Huang.
According to Google's developers, what distinguishes Android from other Linux platforms is its Dalvik virtual machine. It provides a layer for programmers so they do not have to worry about the underlying hardware on which Android is deployed.
While this helps app developers building software for Android's mobile app market, this benefit can extend to the broader developer community, should Android find itself on Netbooks commercially.
The current economic downturn will also likely play a part in pushing manufacturers to Android, Huang added. "The license fee really matters and manufacturers don't like to be taxed by Microsoft. An Android Netbook will definitely cost less than a Windows Netbook."
But there is still the issue of user acceptance.
Several Netbooks, including Asus' Eee PC and MSI's Wind devices first came with Linux OSes, but manufacturers started looking to Windows after resistance from consumers and stores started seeing returns from customers who did not like the interfaces.
In the Philippines, Asus dropped Linux on all of its Eee PC models in the country because Filipinos were not taking to the Linux OS well, according to an Asus marketing manager.
However, Huang thinks it is a matter of time for Android. "Users need to get used to a non-Windows OS. Microsoft should be fine for the next two to three years. (After that) Google will change Microsoft's dominance," said Huang.
Another factor likely to help push user acceptance is Android's release to customers on mobile phones, providing an inroad to penetrating this market.
Victoria Ho of ZDNet Asia reported from Singapore.
Linux is a mainstream platform.
Many businesses use Linux servers.
I switched to Linux (Ubuntu) as my main desktop and liked it.
This article read almost like a Google's press release.
Right... that's worked so far eh? I'm not saying Linux is a bad OS, I'm saying that just because it isn't Microsoft doesn't make it good... and until it's as easy to use as Windows... and easy to install new apps... and easy to install new devices... it's never going to be mainstream.
I'm a sysadmin that would love to like Linux, but even Ubuntu, one of the most polished distros hasn't created a simple way to add drivers and applications. Until it's double-click easy... Joe User won't buy it. Windows just isn't that expensive.
"Many business use Linux servers" - true, but mostly for webservers where it's about a 50/50 split with windows. The vast majority of corporations do not use it for their domains, but a small percentage does. In the server side I would say mainstream.
"... switched to Ubuntu and liked it." - Good! I thought it was a nice OS. Driver support is much better than other distro's I've seen and the interface is good. I would like to see better applications for it. I hope you enjoy it as much or better than I enjoy windows.
"almost read like a google press release" - I agree. Ubuntu stands a better chance of growth on PC's than android (which is designed for phones, not computers).
Like I said, many businesses are using Linux servers.
Many professional programmers from big companies, IBM, HP, Red Hat, donated code to Linux.
Most of the supercomputers use variants of Linux.
So, there you have it.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13505_3-9910263-16.html
As for Red Hat, I don't think that company is considered "big". It is tiny next to IBM and HP.
Supercomputers is a niche. The only reason that Linux dominates that is because there are no other options. The Windows HPC is really really new. Give it some time. Remember, Windows Server has zero market share 10 years ago. Today, it has 70% of the server market. Linux lost share in the only market that it useful for.
How you define 'mainstream' is very important. If you want to argue that servers and supercomputers define mainstream then HPUX and IRIX were mainstream OSes. If you want to talk about it in terms of consumer and business desktops then I do not think you can argue that Linux is mainstream. Its a player but not mainstream.
I may have used the "mainstream" in the wrong context, but what I meant was Linux is a good and viable OS.
The author should promote Android on Android's own strength.
Linux and Android can all be successful; two OSes are not mutually exclusive.
Do you even understand the meaning of "mainstream"? Windows and Apple are mainstream. There are even more people using iPhones then there are linux users. Linux is far from mainstream.
Here are some references that will put you back into place :
http://www.linuxdevices.com/articles/AT9423084269.html
http://hitachi-id.com/linux-biz/
Linux has huge shares in the server market, cellphone market and basically anything that doesnt have any Microsoft branding attached to it. For example, the entertainement screen in front of you seat in the plane...guess what? Linux!
Netbooks are Linux's best bet at becoming a mainstream client OS, but Windows 7 will steal that momentum away soon enough.
One size does not fit all. Why must the technical press constantly (and wrongly) believe that Linux domination of client computing is inevitable?
-Mister Winky
Don't look back Microsoft, but Linux desktops like HP's "Mini Mi" & Ubuntu are gaining traction. Let Google release a Chrome O/S (Android) and things really will be interesting. Most of the experts here are clueless about Linux. But, when Linux becomes usable by the clueless, then MS is in big trouble.
So, there you have it. //
Yes, by next week I should fully expect any game purchase I make off the Best Buy Pc shelf will have its Linux version in the box ready to go as well (staggering around with WINE does not count..).
Most Netbooks now come with 160gigs of HD space, a gig or 2 of RAM, and a 1.2gighz atom processor. With windows installed you can't get much to run due to the memory hog of Windows. a Linux distro running GNOME is much better and runs flawlessly.
So, skip over the SURF netbooks and just get the full netbook computers that have 9" or 10" screens.
I know, you can have everything on Linux, but when all your programs that you use run on Windows, it is hard to move to Linux. Why get use to new things, when what you have works just fine...
Linux seems to be doing pretty fine already on netbooks despite absolutely zero dollars of marketing and no big company really promoting it. I mean absolutely no mainstream advertising, no marketing, ever, anywhere, for Linux. I suppose the real reason Android could give things a big shove is that it might actually be marketed and promoted by a really big company.
And you can say what you want to about Linux, without it there probably wouldn't have been netbooks, XP would have been unnecessarily retired against a lot of customers best wishes and interests, Win7 probably wouldn't have been rushed out with the urgency that it has, and most MS people would be stuck with a too-expensive hardware hogging Vista box for the foreseeable future.
P.S. Apple would do well to rethink their netbook strategy as well.
-Mister Winky
Further, people won't be running legacy software like Windows games and Office on these devices, so the playing field will be pretty much level. Add in the fact that manufacturers have absolute open access and control over every bit of the Linux OS source code, which they never have with Windows. I mean add it all up - what exactly is it that an MS OS has that makes it so compelling at that point? Can't think of anything.
Look at 10 different Linux-based notebooks and you'll see at least 5 variants of Linux with different interface controls. Choice is good, but too much choice can be detrimental, especially for something as basic as an OS. People expect to be able to know how to use a device when they first pick it up. That means the UI must be stellar or very familiar. Familiarity is why Windows continues to succeed. It may not be the best at everything, but most users find they can be more productive on Windows than they can on a new OS that they don't know and probably won't take the time to learn.
if one Linux distro or Linux-based OS (Android) becomes a true standard, it may succeed, but as long as Dell, Lenovo, ASUS and others are customizing their Linux distros their own way, the Linux market will continue to be fractured.
-Mister Winky
I use XP at work and Ubuntu at home, and I strongly prefer Ubuntu. XP's user interface is decidedly inferior to Gnome. Yes, there are still occasions when I have to dust off my guru hat, open the terminal and do something, but my guru hat is getting awfully dusty. . .
I suppose those who learned Windows by rote might have trouble adapting, but for normal stuff Gnome is easier.
For some this may be heresy, but I've tried recent Macs and don't see that there is much advantage unless you are doing video production.
The question for most people isn't "why use Windows," it's "why bother switching?" For many people, the learning curve can be challenging and there's always a risk that their applications and peripherals won't work as seamlessly as they do with Windows.
Example: on my Windows XP netbook, I use Skype, Office, TrueCrypt and (occasionally) iTunes. Skype is two versions behind on Linux (2.0 vs. 4.0), a true Office replacement isn't available on Linux, TrueCrypt is only available in binary form for OpenSUSE and Ubuntu (I prefer Fedora when I use Linux) and iTunes doesn't exist at all.
Even leaving aside my preference for and better knowledge of Windows, where's the Linux advantage for me on my netbook?
-Mister Winky
Thanks for proving my point. You didn't even attempt to offer a rational argument for why I should consider switching to Linux. Instead, you come off sounding like a paranoid nut-job which unfortunately underscores a negative stereotype of Linux fans as MS bashers. It's not helpful to anyone.
-Mister Winky
Besides some juvenile accusations of "drinking the Kool-Aid" any smart person can easily see that you haven't actually provided any compeling reason for anyone to get an Android phone.
Repeat after me : Google always win, Google always win, Google always win...
No seriously, Android is a scary beast. The G1 might not be up to par with the iphone but things will change I am sure.
And this is from someone that lives in the USA but works globally. It is called reality son.
If it involves any requirement of getting support from the linux 'community' - well, I'll pass. The public face they put on is enough to make me want to stay far, far away.
We don't require Android for desktops nor servers. It's nice for handhelds.
End of story from someone that is an architect for large data centers, runs all of this stuff on home network and has three radically different handsets.
- by swcodfather March 5, 2009 3:55 AM PST
- I do find it strange that microsoft users feel so threatened when a news story tells us that another major company is backing Linux. If you genuinely believe that nothing is changing in the market then I think you need to take you rose coloured spectacles off. Most of the people who commented use Linux everyday with Gmail, Google, Wikipedia, EC2 EC3, Amazon....... Need I go on. The web was taken by Linux in the 90's. Don't take my word for it, visit the Netcraft website and just look at the facts, not the FUD.
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(43 Comments)Do those who keep tripping this 1% have any idea of how statistics work? This figure is from one American web stats company, it is hardly conclusive. The truth is nobody knows how many Linux users there are, but most analysts say it will range from 50 to 100 million users world wide.
I'm looking forward to what Google offer. I currently use Linux on every machine I use and it works perfectly, but I'm also open to see what others do with Open Source, and that is the real answer here. It is not just Linux , it is it's Open Source underpinnings that will eventually change the current monopoly situation, not just one distro or one implementation. Microsofts biggest problem is theire uni hardware architecture approach, Open Source embrasses all architectures, and that is what will change the Status Quo.