Says who? The same people who display "we recommend Windows for everyday computing" on every single page of their web sites?

The first netbook, the 7" Eee PC, came with Linux only but it still became a massive hit. In other words, it doesn't look that the presence of an "inferior" and little-known operating system on this machine was a major turn-off.

But we can speculate and argue all we can, but in the end, it's all just that - speculation. Only if every single store sold *all* their nebooks with both Windows and Linux options, without giving preference and exposure to either, could we conclude that one or the other wins. As it is, in the absence of any fair competition, the 96% figure is completely meaningless.

For me the real issue is that Windows XP runs better on my netbook than linux.

Lucky you! You have a choice of a gazillion different makes and models, all pre-installed with your favourite operating system. Unfortunately, I am not so lucky. I prefer Linux on my netbook (or more precisely - I prefer not to pay for an OS which I won't use), but I don't have a choice. It's either a netbook with Windows or no netbook.

I don't think it's particularly easy to get illegal software in any computer store in Taiwan, but even if I am wrong and it is, I doubt that it's the reason for the *sudden* unavailability of Linux netbooks. Remember that in the beginning, the Eee PC came with Linux only and even the second generation of Eee PCs and the first Aspire Ones came with a choice between the two OSs (even in Taiwan). But something happened about 6 - 8 months ago when all of a sudden Linux netbooks simply disappeared from the shelves. At about the same time, the "it's better with Windows" and "we recommend Windows for everyday computing" slogans started appearing around the stores and on manufacturer's promotional materials. Coincidence? You be the judge...

Last week I walked into no fewer than 20 different computer stores here in Taiwan (the home of ASUS, Acer, MSI, etc), big and small, in order to buy a Linux netbook. But despite the fact that some of them displayed as many as 20 different brands and models, I found exactly 0 (zero!) netbooks shipping with Linux. Zero, nada, nothing! It just doesn't exist any more.

So yes, I believe Microsoft and its 96% figure. While people had choice between Linux and Windows, the figure was very different, but since the consumers are no longer offered a Linux option, even 96% seems low. The situation with netbooks is now exactly the same as with laptops - it's 2009 and it's still impossible to buy one without Windows pre-installed!

I always have to laugh when I read news about EU suing Microsoft for bundling a browser or a media player with Windows, but fails to see the real issue - Microsoft's complete stronghold over hardware manufacturers. ASUS, Acer, MSI, Dell, HP - they all "recommend Windows for everyday computing" on their web sites. Out of their free will, no doubt...