That was supposed to be "well under $1000" not "well under $100" :-}

To me, what's important about a netbook, is:

1) size -- 7" - 12" screen

2) price -- under $600

3) functionality -- runs the basics (real web browser, terminal or dedicated ssh client, vnc viewer, IM, document viewers)

4) shape -- the above things can also be applied to "tablets", but the difference between a mid-range tablet and a mid-range "clamshell" is the keyboard. The "mid-range clamshell" is a "netbook" (with or without the swivel screen/convertible tablet capability). Not a smartbook, not a sub-notebook, etc. Those are just market-droid's attempts to re-brand and differentiate from past models of the same thing. It's a netbook.

I personally don't think #1 will ever go away, whether you call it a "netbook", "smartbook", or "sub-notebook".

I don't think the price is going to really have a huge change either. Sure, some netbooks are getting more expensive. But, some "laptops" are also coming down to a price point that competes with netbooks.

As for functionality, as time marches forward, the capabilities of devices in that size and price rang will increase. That's a given. So, eventually, netbooks will run more than just the basics. But the point is: they need to always run those basics well.

So, while the marketing blurbs may change, and the exact numbers might change, I'm willing to bet that the actual device category (7-12 inch screen, well under $100, runs basic apps) is here to stay. The only thing I think that might change ... is that someone might come up with a truly compelling device that matches 1-3, but doesn't keep the keyboard. Maybe it'll be the EnTourage eDGe (dual screen tablet, like the OLPC2 concept, or the Microsoft Courier). Maybe it'll be a plain tablet (Notion Ink Adam, or the highly anticipated Apple tablet). Maybe it's something we haven't envisioned yet.

Definitely.

First, do your homework, make sure you didn't accidentally give them consent in your TOS with them.
Second, if you didn't give that consent, contact a lawyer (for civil litigation), and then notify authorities.

Whatever you do, don't tolerate it.

"we all know that untrusted systems on a LAN means game over"

Quick, someone inform the Kerberos team at MIT that their software doesn't work, and never has!

a) call it what it is: a netbook ... smartbook is a pointless re-naming of the device category. Stop it.
b) TI OMAP 3xxx CPU (the 1GHz one)
c) Slate Tablet or Convertible-Tablet Netbook format -- either way, 5 way dpad and "Android Buttons" next to the screen
d) PixelQi hybrid LCD/e-paper 9" or 10" touch screen, multi-touch, 1280x720, 1280x768, or 1280x800 native resolution
e) DVI-I out, supporting 640x480, 800x480, 800x600, 1024x600, 1024x768, 1280x720, 1280x768, 1280x800, and 1280x1024 resolutions (the non-HD/wide screen resolutions using letter boxing to show an HD/widescreen resolution of the same width; so, a 1280x1024 monitor would show the 1280x720/1280x768/1280x800 native resolution of the device, with the black bands at the top and bottom of the screen)
f) 2-4 USB Host/OTG ports (keyboard, mouse, storage, network, etc.)
g) 1 mini-USB for charging and data sync (it's ok to ALSO have a conventional charger, this is just for opportunistic charging at any USB port that's available)
h) 3.5mm headset (bi-directional, so you can use it with VOIP/Skype/Google-Voice)
i) 1GB - 2GB RAM
j) 2GB, 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, 32GB storage options
k) 1 or 2 full size SDHC slots
l) Android, with both the built-in Android browser, and the Chrome browser
m) The Android x86 and Acer port of Firefox for Android
n) Throw in a Fennec port to Android
o) 8+ hours battery life, even with Wifi and Bluetooth on
p) Wifi b/g/n
q) Full bluetooth stack (DUN, PAN, FTP, HID, BIP, A2DC, etc.)
r) PCI Express Mini card slot, for user-added 3G (or for carrier subsidized models)
s) fast-boot/splashtop optimizations for Android (perhaps some of ChromeOS'es ability to check the validity of the OS)
t) Android can easily/seamlessly hand-off to other OSes (UBuntu-ARM, Mer/Maemo, Windows CE, maybe ChromeOS if an ARM CPU is used; or Ubuntu, Windows, or any other available x86 OS (ChromeOS, etc.) if an x86 CPU is used)

The Aspire 1420P convertible tablet netbook might be a good start, if it was scaled down to 10", and changed to a ARM CPU with a PixelQi display.

I have more thoughts about it at: http://johnkzin.livejournal.com/55488.html

We're like... the Hells Angels, or the Warlocks, or the Mongols! 1%er's baby!!! ;-)

Someone should put a 1%er's biker club logo on Tux :-)

The Macbook Air motherboard might lend itself quite well to the innards of a eviGroup tablet, or something along those lines (I also happen to have a Samsung Q1 Ultra I'm barely using). It wont be a pretty, nor cheap, Apple Tablet, but if Apple doesn't pull their heads out, it might be the only way to get one that's legal.

Though, with the economy the way it is lately, I don't have that kind of throw-away money right now. But the idea keeps sitting there in the back of my mind...

1) convertible tablet netbook, 10.1" screen, pref. multi-touch, with the ability to do automated screen rotations based on the hinge orientation and accelerometers. At least 1024x600, pref. 1280x720. And, preferably a PixelQi hybrid display.
2) Dalvik apps, with the "with Google" Android experience (Android Market, Android Gmail, Android Calendar, etc.)
3) 1GB+ RAM, internal storage options (local media, caching data even if the rest will be stored in the cloud, etc.). 2-32GB options are good. And add full size SDHC card slot for more storage. They can omit the internal storage if they put in two full size SDHC card slots.
4) 2 or more USB host/otg ports, support for Keyboards, mice/trackpad/trackball, storage, USB-VGA/USB-DVI/USB-HDMI adapters, printers, etc.
5) If no USB-VGA/DVI/HDMI support, then a DVI-I port (if no DVI-I port, then there has to be at least 3 USB host/otg ports)
6) GPS with Google Maps turn-by-turn navigation (easy if it has #2)
7) Internal 3G module, either optional modules for the carrier of my choice (I pay) or an included module with the carrier of Google's choice (Google pays)
8) At least Wifi b and g, possibly n
9) If no Dalvik apps, ssh app with port forwarding
10) If no Dalvik apps, VNC app that will work through #10's port forwarding, and has VNC password support
11) I think I heard Chrome already has these, but just to be sure: local media player for local audio files, local video files, e-book reader apps
12) Google Gears for working with Google Docs and other things when in a 3G dead zone
13) Full support for Flash in the browser ... full support for sites like Hulu, Rhapsody, Pandora, Youtube, etc.
14) Netflix streaming player support
15) Google Apps sites that are BOTH mobile AND full-featured (ex: all non-Mobile Gmail features, but in a finger friendly presentation; all non-Mobile Google Reader features (add/edit tags, etc.), but in a finger-friendly presentation; etc.)
16) Charge and sync (like a phone) via USB-client (so I can use/access the data on the SDHC cards (and/or optional internal user storage) via my desktop system, while the device recharges).
17) Something like Privoxy to block ads and bad HTML on _NON_-Google ad sites. I understand that the trade here is that I have to see Google Adsense stuff. But I don't want to have to put up with ads/pop-ups/etc. from _anyone_ else.
18) LOTS of battery. Probably be most effective to use an ARM CPU (TI OMAP 3? OMAP 4?)
19) Free hardware upgrades as new versions come out. 12-36 month cycles (obv. I'd prefer 12 months, but I can understand if they need 36 months).
20) Since Google Apps have the option to avoid ads by paying for the service, I'd want that same option with the device. If I pay a monthly or yearly subscription, then the subscription includes: the 3G service (assuming it's the "google pays for it" option from above), no ads (not even from Google's services), and the hardware upgrade cycle.

Give me all of that, and yeah, I'd take a free device and not do anything to block the ads. Not sure whether or not I'd pay for the subscription option or not, but I definitely think the subscription option needs to exist.

"reassuring the world that Microsoft can still turn out a strong, useful operating system."

Wouldn't that imply that they did, at some point, put out a strong, useful operating system?

I agree with not continuuing to make the game "more complex". I think the state of play in Civ 2 or Civ 3 was probably about right. About the only "complexity" I liked was the vehicle system from Alpha Centauri. What I'd want to see, instead, is:

1) "on line" play
2) future advancements (sort of a mix between the future advancements in Civ: Call to Power, and Alpha Centauri)
3) expansion into space ... sort of like a cross between Civilization, Alpha Centauri (AC), and Master of Orion (MoO). You start in the stone age, and built up to space flight. Then exploring/conquering worlds is done like Civ/AC, but exploring/conquering the stars is done like MoO. In online play, you could have regions of space become obscured by "ion storms" or something, as the player who controls that space saves their game/etc. (or if space travel from system to system is done via star gates, then those worlds just stop being accessible via star gates until they re-join the online game).

The grand unification of these games would be:
Civ, AC, MoO, and Master of Magic (MoM) -- mixing sci-fi and fantasy elements (obviously allowing players to pick sci-fi only games or fantasy only games, if they don't like to mix them). That could evolve into something sort of like a Star Wars level of mix of Space Opera and Magic. Star Gates, Magic Gates, Technologies, Spells, robots, cyborgs, fantasy creatures and monsters, etc.

MoM was like Civilization ... only with a magical/fantasy emphasis instead of Civilization's technology emphasis. It also had 2 worlds ... the day world, and a sort of "underworld" that you could get to through magic gates.

I'd update it, give it solo, multi-player (LAN, or closed list of players), and online modes (open to anyone on the internet, probably housed in a game company's servers)

and in the online mode, instead having the "underworld", the gates would lead to other online game groups where the overall power levels were comparable (so that the game could, in theory, keep building along, as long as there are other game worlds at a similar level of advancement ... and that latter qualification (comparable/similar-level-of-advancement) would keep things relatively playable so that small empires aren't clashing with empires that span 12 worlds).

If a player conquers a world, then they could save and exit the game, which just means that all gates to that world (or group of worlds) close until the player resumes.

Definitely. A full update of Ultimate 1 and/or 2 ... not sure what type of interface I'd want though. Maybe something like Fallout 2? Though, if they did it as tiles, it might be interesting to see it as an ajax/web based game...

(Ultima 2, with the time gates, jumping around through the past and future of our world, that'd be rather cool)

I would LOVE to see an update of Sim Earth. Especially one where you could model an entire solar system (not just 1 planet, but many planets, planet types, moons, and star types), our entire solar system (not just the Earth, but also the moon, the other planets, etc.), use textured 3D maps from things like Google Maps and Google Earth for the modeling of our solar system, generate 3D terrains and maps from created planets/solar systems, and use it for things like Solar Clocks (like xearth ... on steroids).

I've thought about this a lot over the years. I'd DEFINITELY buy this if it had an Ubuntu or Mac version.

It was a version of the old text-graphics "Star Trek" game, on steroids ... and with any Star Trek trademark violations removed.

That's what I'd reboot. In fact, I'd probably:

1) combine it with the old Taipan game, so you can focus on economics or combat -- this might make it a 4-games-in-1 reboot: StarFleet/Star Trek, Taipan, and Sundog (which was sort of like Taipan in space, with graphics)

2) graphical front end, possibly 3D (the Sega "Star Trek" motion picture arcade game sort of did that, with wireframe vector graphics, but if you really pay attention, it's very similar to the text game's overall play), but maybe not 3D ... maybe a lighter web/ajax oriented game, instead of of high end textured/rendered 3D graphics

3) both solo play, and MMO play in a persistent universe

4) Ability to pick among multiple political/economic factions, and multiple ship types

5) Whether web/ajax, or 3D, it would have to support multiple platforms -- at least Ubuntu and Mac OS X.

A high end 3D graphics version might turn out to be like Eve-Online, though (I haven't played it, but that's the impression that I get -- Eve is Taipan in space, with 3D graphics). For various reasons, I sort of lean toward graphics, but maybe something lower-tech than Eve or typical MMORPG type graphics and interfaces.

I think the last bit of criticism that's going to help them move forward is "You're innovating too much."

I disagree. One of the things I have ALWAYS found to be annoying about Linux based environments, and Linux oriented developers, is the rather immature development cycles, which lead to "upgrade-itis", instead of a more mature development cycle of "upgrade only when something has matured enough to be stable enough for all users". Linux distros have started to mature and become more stable in the last 10 years, but it used to be a COMPLETE crapshoot to upgrade. Things are better, but they're not yet mature -- there's still PLENTY of room for growth on this front.

There still seems to be a mentality of "release X times per year, whether you're ready or not, whether it's useful or not", "release code that isn't ready for prime time, just because it works for some people, and we haven't released recently", and it often seems that there's no real, publicly available, coherent, and user focused (as opposed to developer focused) release road map. That's critical for any Desktop platform, including Desktop focused Linux distros.

"Innovating too much" is exactly what those things spell out to me. Too often, too hastily, too haphazardly. Slow down, be more methodical, be anal retentive about stability and usability*, and have/follow a roadmap that will actually matter to users.

(* usability == user friendly/ergonomic, not has-useful-features/has-utility)