Comment Re:A compelling Linux on ARM netbook will worry MS (Score 1) 521
Have you noticed how Linux is used as a club to bring Microsoft around in so many situations? Governments threaten to switch to Linux/a large discount offer from Microsoft appears. MS tries to kill XP sales, Linux notebooks appear/XP sales are extended and a leaner replacement for Vista gets fast tracked. If ARM finds some manufacturers who are willing to create and sell ARM based devices that are not too expensive and outperform comparable X86/64 devices I think the "no ARM version of Windows" would disappear.
X86 compatibility is holding everyone, including MS and Intel, back. Intel wanted to kill it with Itanium but the momentum was too much. I think Intel had an ulterior motive (too many x86 licensees to compete with them) but I think they still know they could do better, and in many ways the competition has if you just judge processor performance, price, and efficiency without regard to software base.